Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2003 - Tough Upwind Going Slows Rolex Sydney Hobart Fleet

Sydney/ Hobart, AUS

On the second full day of the 2003 Rolex Sydney Hobart the 56-boat fleet faces tough upwind conditions as it progresses South. The leading Maxis have passed the half way stage and are well into the Bass Straits. The Australian Maxi Skandia leads her New Zealand rival Zana by three miles, whilst the bulk of the fleet is approaching the bottom right hand corner of Australia and the open ocean for the first time.

Twenty-four hours into the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's flagship event, strong South Westerly winds of 25 knots see the fleet sailing upwind, at times with reefed mainsails and small headsails. Grant Wharington's 98-foot Skandia reported 3-metre swells and heavy going when joined by radio earlier today. Three miles further back Stewart Thwaites' New Zealand Maxi Zana has been unable to make any significant impression on the bright blue Australian boat.

"We have eased up a bit over the past few hours as we are moving away from Zana," said Wharington the proud owner/skipper from Melbourne.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the race so far has been the performance of Sean Langman's extreme 66-footer Grundig. Crewed by a core of 18-foot skiff sailors, Grundig resembles a large skiff herself, low, light, wide and flat, with a long permanently fitted bowsprit and a huge amount of downwind sail area. Showing part of her potential sailing down Sydney Harbour from the start line with a spinnaker set yesterday, nobody expected this boat to be able to sail well upwind too. But a smart tactical decision shortly after leaving the Sydney Harbour Heads saw Langman and his crew tack onto port and stay close along the coastline, where the light hull benefited from relatively flat water and a favourable current. When the first rays of light came up over the horizon this morning Grundig shamed the two Maxis, both more than 20-foot longer, by being placed first on the water with more than a 10-mile lead.

But the sheltered flat-water conditions would only last until the bottom of the Australian continent and sooner or later the larger Maxis would be able to use their size and power in the rough seas to move back into the lead. With the wind heading the fleet and building in strength the seas experienced in the Bass Straits soon slowed the Grundig 'Skiff' down. Langman and his crew must be praying for a shift in the conditions if they are to have any remaining chances of collecting line honours.

The handicap honours have moved around the fleet all day. With every new position report a different set of leaders has emerged. The main reason seems to be the course sailed by the bulk of the fleet. Whilst short tacking along the New South Wales Coast, flat water and small wind shifts can be used to speed progress South. Once boats leave the relative calm of the coast and tackle the 200-mile wide Bass Straits progress slows as the full might of the Southern Ocean swell moves through from the West and slows the boats down. Those still in shelter behind catch up. Currently leading the IMS fleet is Michael Spies' Beneteau 40.7 First National, although this boat, one of the smallest in the fleet, is still a long way North of the Bass Straits.

Geoff Ross' Spanish-built Judel/Vrolijk 52-footer Yendys continues to dominate the IMS class with a significant position on the water. With a strong smattering of European crew on board, including Volvo 60 skippers Neil and Lisa McDonald along with legendary Volvo Ocean Race winning navigator Spaniard Juan Vila, this dark green-hulled yacht is sticking tightly to the rhumb line course. Ten miles further offshore but with a similar distance to run to the finish is Matt Allen's higher rating Farr 52 Ichi Ban.. Although the same length overall, Allen's gold-painted yacht must find another route to Hobart than the one chosen by Yendys as they seem to have very similar speed. The next 24 hours will see a big change in the wind conditions with a more Westerly wind forecast. Ichi Ban's offshore option may bare fruit once the sheets are eased, ultimately giving them a better angle with which to make their final approach to Hobart in 48 hours' time.

Skip Sheldon's American yacht Zarraffa seems to have a similar strategy. With Volvo navigator Mark Rudiger and a lot of round the world sailors on board, the 65-foot Nelson/Marek design has also opted for an offshore course. Further back Chris Little's 48-footer Bounder, with another round the world and Hobart veteran navigator Andrew Cape on board choosing the route, has opted for a more Westerly route.

The weather forecast is calling for 20-25 knot South Westerlies to slowly veer and ease over the coming 18 hours as a ridge of high pressure develops over the course. Eventually the wind will move all the way round to the North and remain light for the leaders until the finish. But with stronger winds further North the conditions will favour the smaller boats who will have a fast downwind finish at the beginning of the week, maybe fast enough to take overall handicap honours.

The current race record has been held since 1999 by the Volvo 60 Nokia. The first boat in the 2003 Rolex Sydney Hobart needs to cross the finish line in Hobart before 0848 local time on Sunday 28th December to beat the record. The current forecast would have the leading Maxis in Hobart very late on Sunday evening or early on Monday morning, meaning that Nokia's record will be safe for a further 12 months.

The Rolex Sydney Hobart uses a tracking system to monitor the entire fleet, whose individual positions are collected and updated every 10 minutes and then graphically presented on the official website:
http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/yacht_tracker.asp?key=522