SYDNEY, 26 December 2003 — Two of the largest yachts ever to contest the Sydney to Hobart race are expected to dominate the battle for line honors in the 59th bluewater classic beginning Boxing Day.
But with calm conditions forecast for the 627 nautical mile dash south from Australia’s largest city to the island state of Tasmania, a spinnaker start from Sydney Harbor featuring supermaxis Skandia and Zana could be the most spectacular aspect of this year’s event.
The traditional exit under full sail through Sydney Heads escorted by hundreds of spectator craft was marred by foul conditions last year, which saw collisions and crew members falling overboard in poor visibility. The Bureau of Meteorology says that was unlikely to be repeated for this year’s race, adding to the spectacle but meaning Nokia’s 1999 race record of one day, 19 hours, 48 minutes and two seconds is unlikely to be threatened.
Late withdrawals cut the field to 57, the same as last year’s depleted event and well down on the 350 challengers that took part in 1994. Stringent safety restrictions and soaring insurance costs have led to falling number since 1998, when freak weather conditions claimed the lives of six sailors.
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia commodore John Messenger said the field was one of the classiest. “Obviously, I’m a little disappointed that we’ve lost some boats, I can understand the reason for that, but still the quality and competitiveness of the fleet is second to none,” Messenger said.
