Tassie homecoming

• NEWS
• 30 Dec, 2010 04:21:00 PM

Tassie homecoming

With a newly adjusted rig creaking under the pressure of a 50 knot southerly blasting off Victoria’s coast, Tasmanian Rob Fisher thought it was game over for his crew aboard Helsal III.

With a newly adjusted rig creaking under the pressure of a 50 knot southerly blasting off Victoria’s coast, Tasmanian Rob Fisher thought it was game over for his crew aboard Helsal III.

Fisher took an unplanned right-hand turn and headed west to Eden to start major repairs and reinforcements on the rig that had been adjusted to a masthead and moved aft just weeks before the race.

Sure the detour cost them at least four hours race time, but they returned to the track with newfound confidence in the Adams 20 and vengeance to pursue fellow Tasmania yachtsman Tony Lyall and his crew aboard Valheru, which had slipped ahead.

The two-yachts continued to switch the lead like a game of kiss and catch down the Eastern seaboard in a desperate bid to be first home.

It became clear Fisher’s idea that his local knowledge would give him an edge over competitors when they hit Tasmanian waters had failed when Valheru, an Elliott 43, was so clearly its closest competitor.

As the pair powered across Storm Bay it quickly emerged that like many a Rolex Sydney Hobart, the 628 nautical mile challenge would be won and lost between the dueling-Tasmanians in a Derwent River drag race.

But finally Fisher’s 18-race experience proved handy as he pulled away to finish 26th across the line at 12.17pm, followed closely by Valheru which finished 28th just 25 minutes later.

“It was a really tough race, and having Valheru right there the whole time really pushed us that little bit harder,’’ Fisher said.

“We thought they had us because we made the dig west to Eden, but we came back and got the lead off Tassie’s coast.’’

Despite the nervous start Fisher said he was pleased with the yacht’s revamp, which saw them improve on last year’s result of 28th across the line.

“It is a feeling of absolute relief; thank goodness we’re here,’’ he said minutes after passing the Rolex buoy at Castray Esplanade.

“For a while there we didn’t think we’d make it, but we managed to nurse her home, we had to get home some way.”

Now that the battle to the line is over, Valheru is hunting a PHS placing. A short while ago they were leading the PHS standings but have now slipped to second on provisional placings as more PHS contenders cross the finish line on a grey and cool Hobart day.

At 3pm this afternoon 32 yachts had finished with 37 still at sea.

By Danielle McKay, Rolex Sydney Hobart media team