1981 Race Recap

Joubert 30 Zeus II, owned by Jim Dunstan and Overall Winner in 1981

Hitachi Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race 1981

Race Program

Prior to each race Cruising Yacht Club of Australia publishes a separate official race program (with details of competing boats, the results of past races and articles about the race and its participants and other important events).  The 1981 Edition is here.    

Weather

Strong southerly winds at the start provided a spectacular and fast spinnaker run to the Heads. The southerly increased on the first night to about 35 knots with a rough sea, which caused the majority of the retirements.

The breeze moderated to ten knots over the second day and night, still from the south. Dawn the third day provided the first of many calms that plagued the fleet from Bass Strait to the finish. Most crossed Bass Strait in a 25 knot westerly that lasted only 8 hours during the night of the 28th. The leaders fought calms and light south-easters down the east coast of Tasmania and across Storm Bay to the finish, making it one of the slowest Hobarts on record. The medium raters look all set to clean up the overall results but a freshening northerly down the east Tasmanian coast and in Storm Bay saw the minimum raters fly home and into the top handicap placings.

Race reports

After each race, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's magazine Offshore contains photo galleries, reports and articles on the race.  Read on to access them.

March 1982 Offshore - see pages 8 to 14