Sydney-Hobart 2024

[BruceK]

Yachts have been racing for over 24 hours on the 628 mile course. 100ft maxi line honours winner from last year LawConnect is leading line honours again. But there have been some nasty incidents.
2 crew, on separate boats, suffered strikes from the boom, and died. Both boats were in the same area, an unexpected wind shift could be the culprit. Comanche which had withdrawn stood by to assist.Another on "Rosso Porco" was washed overboard and held underwater, in desperation releasing his life line. He was rescued by his own boat 2 miles from where he went in.

Investigations to examine sailors' deaths in 'challenging' weather conditions

The Sydney to Hobart yacht race suffers a double tragedy, with two sailors dying in separate incidents.

www.abc.net.au

Sydney to Hobart sailor 'lucky to be alive' after overnight rescue

Sailor Luke Watkins spent 45 minutes in the water after he was thrown overboard during the Sydney to Hobart yacht race early on Friday morning. He says his safety training and quick thinking from his crew saved his life.

www.abc.net.au

Even the start was eventful. Wild Thing tacked late and unprepared still in the Harbour to avoid Willow with right of way. Their canting keel was in the wrong place and the boat fell on its side as if knocked down, but by freeing sails came back up.
LawConnect is likely to finish tonight around 1pm. Hoping for a less dramatic night.

 

[O C Diver]

That sailing stuff sounds awfully dangerous, including those variable inclined decks. Hopefully the balance of the race will be without incident.

Ted

 

[Cargile]

Sailing down under is a contact sport? Exciting race but tragic.

 

[Blissboat]

Hoping for a less dramatic night.

Amen. Very saddened about the untimely deaths of those two sailors.

Offshore sailboat racing barely qualifies as an "organized" sport, but that's no fault of the organizers. It's just the nature of the thing, which William F. Buckley once described as,"more than anything else, like standing for hour after hour, in an ice-cold shower in the dead of winter, tearing-up $1000 bills as fast as you can." Yep. If you're not breaking gear, you're probably not racing very hard.

 

[Jeff F]

I'd say the PLB saved the life of the man overboard.

Coincidentally I've been thinking of doing a smaller offshore race next year and have the current safety and training requirements. These events are not lightly undertaken.

 

[BruceK]

The event wasn`t as well reported generally as some years, drama attracts reporters, but 2 deaths due to boom strike is extraordinary, as well as tragic. The boats were heading south in a 25knot+ nor easter, the faster boats plane at 20knots+, if anything happens it happens quickly. Real kudos goes to the DH entries of just 2 crew,and they don`t complete the course in a day and a half like LawConnect.
2 boats raced under the Maritimo name, one skippered by its principal Bill Barry Cotter. One boat was 100 years old, others were new. There was even an all Filipino crew this year. Entries vary from professionals to Club racing boats. There are requirements in terms of experience for entries, and reporting schedules, including a special one before entering Bass Strait between Victoria and Tasmania. CYCA has been running the event for a long while and generally get safety aspects right, but weather is weather, and things will happen.
Here`s a news report which adds some balance to previous reports: 'Sombre' LawConnect wins Sydney to Hobart line honours after race tragedies

 

[Blissboat]

Grant Wharington, skipper of third placegetter in the overall category Wild Thing 100, described the race as "testing and boat breaking".

"But that's what this event's all about," he said.

"We damaged the sail … sort of the same thing that Comanche had. We also broke a steering wheel and a few other things."

 

[Lizard]

Well I can give you my perspective: I've skippered in 4 Hobarts and finished 3. Lost the rig in Bass Strait in 2017 alas. 2023 saw me out of it. It was very hard and on the breeze all the way until Tasman Island with wind over 30knots mostly and gusts over 50. As we were racing two handed we were sleeping one hour on and one off. Normally there is only one front and the wind then moves to the East then North but we had three fronts one after the other with big breaking seas. So finally I realised it's time to give it up...hence looking for a Grand Banks to muck around in and not offshore!
As to the people who died in 2024--getting picked up and landing on something hard is unlucky but fatal. Going over the side like that guy--well that's very scary. Once in the sea it's not a great situation. It's one thing to do these man overboard drills in the harbour but the ocean at night in a big seaway is another thing.

 

[friz]

That sailing stuff sounds awfully dangerous, including those variable inclined decks. Hopefully the balance of the race will be without incident.

Ted

possibly the enjoyment/draw for a lot of people is like NASCAR racing. The real excitement is multi car pileups/wrecks.

 

[BruceK]

possibly the enjoyment/draw for a lot of people is like NASCAR racing. The real excitement is multi car pileups/wrecks.

Definitely not. Incidents are regrettable, not a matter of excitement at all. Close contest racing is the ideal.

 

[Lizard]

Getting there in one piece with everyone safe is the aim! Racing on the crowded harbour can be very stressful and offshore the risk of collision is fairly minimal (although bizarrely in all that space I’ve had 2 downwind port and starboards way offshore in various Hobarts -and both at night) but offshore yacht racing at night has a new layer of risk. Staying clipped on with a PFD is key. And remember as owner/skipper you’re responsible for the others. The lead up qualifiers for Hobart sorts out boats and crews as some of these are long and in bad weather.
So it’s an advertisement for power boating on flat water!

 

[BruceK]

Getting there in one piece with everyone safe is the aim! Racing on the crowded harbour can be very stressful and offshore the risk of collision is fairly minimal (although bizarrely in all that space I’ve had 2 downwind port and starboards way offshore in various Hobarts -and both at night) but offshore yacht racing at night has a new layer of risk. Staying clipped on with a PFD is key. And remember as owner/skipper you’re responsible for the others. The lead up qualifiers for Hobart sorts out boats and crews as some of these are long and in bad weather.
So it’s an advertisement for power boating on flat water!

Sydney Harbour on a racing day, multiple Clubs, intersecting courses, is not for the faint hearted. I used it as a mind distraction from work, if I thought about anything else we`d surely hit something, so I thought just about sailing.