The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

So on Christmas Day I set off with my Dad, Rob and his wife Karen, Alan and his wife Prue for a picnic on Bondi Beach... unfortunately it was windy, rainy and cold, so we came straight back and had a picnic lunch at the hotel and in the evening Christmas dinner there as well!

Up early the next morning and ready for the race start, the Clipper fleet paraded in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge before moving a little way up the harbour to be joined by a further 80 yachts including maxi yachts of about 100ft in length, down to smaller yachts of 40ft in length. Although the main prize is for the fastest boat, there is also the Tattersalls Cup which works out a handicap for each boat based on length and sail area etc.

Having gathered on one of the two start lines it seemed as though we were all in an amphitheatre with hundreds of spectator boats around the edge of the race area. With tensions growing as each canon sounded down to race start, finally the gun went off. The whole fleet charged to the first race marker with the maxi's leading the way and all the large and small spectator boats alongside creating a ferocious wash, it was an electric race start unlike no other and one of my highlights of the whole race so far.

As the race panned out, we were in the middle of the pack and pleased with our position, the maxi yachts pulling quickly away as expected. For the first 24 hours we tacked along the coast with occasionally light winds and we were able to bring out 'Bruce' again since his big repair in Sydney and fly him, later 'Bwian' made a successful appearance for a day and we made speeds of over 20 knots, as we made our way towards the Bass Strait wind speeds increased and 'The Sydney to Hobart' lived up to its reputation by giving us really hard up wind sailing and very rough conditions, with regular gusts of 60 knots and waves coming from the side, we were into extreme conditions. The final 24 hours involved tacking duels with other boats before making our way to the finish line in Storm Bay to finish the race in a credible of 55th out of 94. With a great welcome at the dock side from not only the Clipper supporters but all the other yachts and the locals, it was a great atmosphere, celebrated in the usual Clipper way with lots to drink!