SYDNEY, 27 December 2005 — The leaders in the 61st Sydney to Hobart yacht race were maintaining record pace yesterday after the Bluewater Classic started in ideal weather conditions Joint favorite Wild Oats led fleet out to sea from Sydney Harbor, only to be overtaken by fierce rival Alfa Romeo after heading south to follow the south-eastern Australian coastline 628 nautical miles to the island state of Tasmania.
Watched from foreshore vantage points by an estimated crowd of 400,000 people and escorted by hundreds of spectator craft, the 85-strong fleet enjoyed calm, sunny weather as the starter’s gun fired in Sydney Harbor.
Light north-easterly winds prevented the yachts unfurling their colorful spinnakers for the opening run out of Sydney Harbor, with the calm conditions also preventing the collisions and rule infringements that have marred previous starts in the congested waterway.
The five “supermaxis,” the largest yachts in the race at 30 meters (98 foot) established their dominance early, with Alfa Romeo leading at 2200 AEST (1200 GMT), closely followed by Wild Oats, Skandia, Konica Minolta and AAPT.
A stiffening breeze expected to reach 20-25 knots is expected to extend the large yachts’ advantage overnight.
Conditions in the race, ranked among the world’s top three Bluewater classics, were described as the best since 1999, when Nokia set the race record of 43 hours and 48 minutes. Race organizers believe one of the supermaxis could claim a record triple for the first time since the inaugural race in 1945 by setting a new race record, winning line honors and claiming a handicap victory.
“The forecast is very good for a record-breaking race, particularly for the maxi boats that are likely to get through to the finish without any southerly flow at all other than a little bit at the start,” Cruising Yacht Club of Australia commodore Geoff Lavis told reporters.
Wild Oats and Alfa Romeo are the bookies’ favorites to win the race, with expectations of a closely fought battle among the near-identical rivals from the same US design stable, which were both launched earlier this year.
Alfa Romeo narrowly overcame Wild Oats in an eight-race regatta staged in Sydney ahead of the yesterday’s main event. Its owner Neville Crichton said this week that he expected to be pushed relentlessly. “I would be surprised if we and Wild Oats were not in sight of each other all the way, unfortunately,” he said.
Both yachts use cutting-edge design, including canting keels and hydraulic systems that save the crew the back-breaking work of trimming the sails. But other competitors have raised concerns the supermaxis’ new-generation technology remains untested and will struggle to withstand the rigors of the Sydney to Hobart, which claimed the life of six sailors in mountainous seas in 1998.
Crichton dismissed the concerns, saying he had no intention of putting his life at risk in a yacht he did not believe was capable of finishing the race. “I’m not able to walk on water at this stage, although (sometimes) I think I can,” he said.
“I can promise you that we are very, very confident that the boat is very capable — Wild Oats is the same, they are very similar boats and they are very well sailed.”
