Rolex Sydney Hobart: They Can Touch Each Other

• NEWS
• 27 Dec, 2013 01:00:00 PM

Rolex Sydney Hobart: They Can Touch Each Other

Inch by inch, mile-by-mile, defending champion Wild Oats XI is reeling in Perpetual LOYAL as the pair breaks away from the pack to lead the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race fleet into Bass Strait.

Sixty miles south of Gabo Island, the dueling super-maxis are locked in a nose-dive, heading due-south, within sight of each other with just under two nautical miles separating them in a light, variable and frustrating north-easterly.

Barely a wave has broken over their decks in the first 24-hours of the race, but the forehead of Perpetual LOYAL skipper Anthony Bell would likely be wet with sweat from the heat of the defending champions.

Wild Oats XI has made a steady comeback from a 14 nautical mile deficit overnight, with an average boat speed about one nautical mile faster than the race leader.

Despite leading, Bell says the light and variable conditions just don’t work for his Juan Kouyoumdjian designed 100-footer.

“We are sailing as well as we can in really light winds that don't suit our boat and holding narrow lead,’’ he said this morning.

“We're looking hard for more wind. Crew and boat are doing well."

Ragamuffin 100 is in third place, 14 nautical miles behind the leaders. The two Volvo Open 70s Giacomo, fourth, and Black Jack, fifth, are not far behind.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Andrew Treloar says the front-runners will continue to suffer light conditions today, but they do have a choice in an east meets west Bass Strait twist.

“They’ve had to use a lot of tactics to get through these conditions,’’ he said.

“Now they’re moving through a weak trough system and out to the eastern side of the trough there’s a north-easterly breeze. Out to the western-side they can pick up a south-westerly breeze.

“The boats now have to decide whether they can get better speed out of the eastern or western side of that trough.”

Wedgetail navigator Adrienne Cahalan says the smart yachts set themselves up for that decision last night.

“The wind is so light out here now that if you did not position yourself last night for today it is probably too late now,’’ she said from 10^th place.

“Having said that, the fleet is close together today near us and appears to be following the same strategy.

“The wind won't fill in from the north until later today for us so we are patiently waiting.”

Sitting not far ahead of Wedgetail is Matt Allen’s Ichi Ban in eighth place near Green Cape. Navigator Will Oxley said the recently launched 60-footer is getting back on track after an unplanned hold-up.

“Just hanging on the coattails of some of the big boats,’’ he said.

“Looks like a tricky day ahead and we are hoping to hold onto favourable north-east wind as long as possible.

“All going to game plan except for thunderstorms inshore last night which slowed the fleet a bit.”

New Zealander Jim Delegat’s Giacomo leads the race overall on IRC, followed by Ragamuffin 100 and Wild Oats XI.

By Danielle McKay, RSHYR Media