Southerly claims three overnight retirements; Ragamuffin leads on handicap

• NEWS
• 28 Dec, 2010 07:39:00 AM

Southerly claims three overnight retirements; Ragamuffin leads on handicap

There was a further three retirements overnight in the 66th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race among the small to mid size boats, bringing to 15 the total number to have retired with 72 still at sea.

There was a further three retirements overnight in the 66th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race among the small to mid size boats, bringing to 15 the total number to have retired with 72 still at sea.

Last night the southerly smacking off the New South Wales south coast continued to pummel those yet to pass Green Cape and enter what typically is the most notorious stretch of the 628 nautical mile course, Bass Strait.

With more favourable conditions predicted later today, the race is set to enter its next phase, downwind flying and the chase for the coveted Tattersall’s Cup, the stunning silver trophy for the overall winner of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s premier race.

Race leaders Wild Oats XI and Investec Loyal are 16 nautical miles apart and both well out to sea east of Eddystone Point on Tasmania’s north-east coast. They are travelling at about 10 knots having set their laylines for the next mark of the course, Tasman Island.

Yacht Tracker was showing Grant Wharington’s Wild Thing as third, 9 nautical miles behind Investec Loyal and 25 behind Wild Oats XI.

The fleet is still experiencing south-westerly weather, but much gentler with conditions abating from midnight last night. The forecast for today is for winds to swing clockwise from the south-west to the west at 10 knots by about midday before the wind is due to turn north-easterly this afternoon, building to 20 knots during the day and up to 30 knots tonight.

They are ideal conditions to bring the remainder of the fleet down the Tasmanian coast and forward of the computer-predicted time of the first boat, which a short time ago was 9.30am tomorrow.

Leading the race on corrected time is veteran Syd Fischer’s TP52 Ragamuffin. The 83 year old, the oldest skipper in the fleet and contesting his 42nd Rolex Sydney Hobart, last won overall in 1992 with a previous Ragamuffin.

On board Bill Wild’s Rodd and Gunn Wedgetail, navigator Will Oxley said this morning he believed the next eight hours would be important for those vying for the overall win, the period when the weather is expected to shift from south-west around to the north. However, once the frontrunners reach Tasman Island, anything’s possible.

“Tasman to the finish is in the hands of the gods,” Oxley said.

“The miles we can make up until then are very important. Will the eastern route win out or will those closer to the rhumbline take the prize?

“The contrasting moods of Bass Strait are on show as it is now largely dry on deck with very shifty winds as we work our way through the clouds and lighter patches of wind.

“All well on board. Conditions we experienced were rough but not out of the ordinary,” Oxley added.

The three overnight retirees were Nemesis (an undisclosed problem), Pirelli Celestial (mainsail damage) and Salona II (steering). Nemesis is the only one yet to make the port of Eden but is expected later today.

Injured Dodo crewman Brian Moore was transferred off the 66 foot yacht at Eden at around 1am this morning to a police vessel after his broken arm was strapped up by ambulance staff. He was taken to Pambula Hospital.

The fleet can be tracked on Yacht Tracker at: www.rolexsydneyhobart.com

By Bruce Montgomery, Rolex Sydney Hobart media team