Many trophies still to be decided with 55 boats still at sea

• NEWS
• 29 Dec, 2004 10:38:00 PM

Many trophies still to be decided with 55 boats still at sea

With only seven boats so far finished the grueling Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, just one trophy winner has been decided, with 55 boats still at sea racing for various Overall and Divisional handicap honours in the 60th anniversary ocean classic.

With only seven boats so far finished the gruelling Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, just one trophy winner has been decided, with 55 boats still at sea racing for various Overall and Divisional handicap honours in the 60th anniversary ocean classic.

Ludde Ingvall has already been presented with the Illingworth Trophy for taking Line Honours with his 90-footer, Nicorette, but the other major perpetual award, the historical Tattersalls Cup, and all other handicap results remain to be determined.

Currently at the top of the leader board for IRC Overall honours is the British yacht Aera, owned by Nick Lykiardopulo and skippered by Jez Fanstone.  Aera also heads IRC Division A. 

Aera displaced Nicorette from the top of IRC standings when she finished this afternoon, but her status as Overall Winner is not confirmed with several boats technically having a chance to beat her, include Peter Kurts’ veteran Love & War, Stephen Ainsworth’s Loki and Howard de Torres’ Nips-N-Tux.

Loki heads IRC Division, based on positions at 8.50pm this evening, while Nips-N-Tux is ranked number one in IRC Division C.   The original Wild Oats, which won the IOR division and Overall first place in the rugged 1993 race, heads up progressive handicap results in IRC Division D. Former Tasmanian Howard Piggott is skippering the boat.

Love & War, a two-times Overall Winner (1974 and 1978) is well placed to win IRC Division E and also the 30-Year Veteran Division.  The Tasmanian boat Pippin (David Taylor) heads up the 20 Year Veteran Division.

Peter Rodgers’ She II heads the PHS Division from the Volvo 60, Seriously Ten (John Woodruff and Eric Robinson) which finished in fifth place in the fleet this afternoon, also winning the Volvo 60 trophy.

The Overall Winner of the 60th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht, the Overall placings and the Divisional Winners and placings will be announced at a traditional public function outside historic Constitution Dock on Friday morning.

Tonight only seven boats are berthed in Hobart, leaving 55 still racing, with 54 having retired since the 628 nautical mile ocean classic started on Boxing Day, 26 December.

The severe weather of the past 50 hours is abating but the fleet still has to beat into fresh southerly winds in Bass Strait and down the East Coast of Tasmania.