2019 ROLEX SYDNEY TO HOBART For the 75th Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race our Club had one yacht representing us but many people participating in this great ocean race. Sintara, owned and skippered by Derek Morrison, was our representative and besides those crewing on other South Australian yachts, two other notable sailors from the Club, Silas Nolan and James Paterson, crewed on Comanche and Ichi Ban who took out Line Honours and Handicap Honours respectively. Di Schwerdt who crewed on Sintara has written the lead article of the race on board Sintara and Silas and James have also shared their experiences with us.
DI SCHWERDT ON BOARD The 2019 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, organised and hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, was the 75th year of one of the world’s toughest ocean races and competitors from around the world gathered to be part of the historic event. This year a large fleet assembled in Sydney Harbour – 163 boats had nominated, 157 started and 154 finished. Of the superyachts, Ichi Ban claimed Handicap Honours and the Tattersall Cup while Comanche took Line Honours, finishing in 1 day, 18 hours, 30 minutes and 24 seconds, with InfoTrak (01:19:14:42) and Wild Oats XI (01:20:12:52) not far behind. Theirs was a fast downhill race that ran short of breaking any records but thrilled those who watched their progress. Others took longer and had different stories to tell. Three yachts represented South Australia: Sintara, a Beneteau 47.7 from the CYCSA, Audacious, a Sydney 38 and Enchantress, a Muirhead 11, both from the RSAYS. What follows is Sintara’s race which began well, encountered unexpected adventures along the way and finished by crossing the line in 3 days, 18 hours, 29 minutes and 5 seconds. With no other boats nominating from the CYCSA, Skipper Derek Morrison made the decision to put a crew together and go. A relatively easy race, the 13 strong crew threw everything they had into it with six experiencing their first Sydney-Hobart and the rest bringing valuable previous experience to the event: Derek Morrison (skipper and helm), Julian Kent (navigator), Paul Hicks (helm and watch leader), Dan O’Connell (helm and watch leader), Pete Donovan (helm and technical support), Tom Abbott (radio), Di Schwerdt (pit), Norm Nicholls (mast), Craig Fleming (mast and foredeck), Paul Judge, Jo Pilmore and Louise Hicks (trim) and Chantal MacClelland (bow). After a short but intense period of preparation the boat was delivered and the crew arrived race-ready in time for Sydney’s iconic race. There was some concern that smoke haze would compromise the start but despite the terrible bushfires raging up and down the eastern Australian coast the morning proved clear and bright. Sintara was out early checking the trisail and storm jib, charting the startline (number 3 for us) and selecting the correct strategy for the best possible start. Sydney Harbour was soon crammed with competitors and eager spectators on all manner of craft with police boats maintaining a necessary division between the two. The perimeter of the exclusion zone was packed with spectator boats nudging urgently at the edges as excitement built. For those of us who entered the exclusion zone there was a real sense of entering an area defined for gladiatorial combat. On the individual start lines boats prowled and tacked, intense, reined in, until the gun released them into a great surge for the Heads and with hardly an inch to spare, each and every boat jostled for some sort of advantage before hitting the open sea. Once outside the Heads, travelling in close company, we drove downwind in warm sun and 15 knot winds that suited Sintara well. Others struggled to deal with asymmetricals and kites in persistent wind gusts. For us, sea state and wind made the beginning of the long downwind leg a delight until, after 50nms (at 22 knots under spinnaker), rougher waves conspired to make steering harder. By 9:00 in the evening our assy halyard had snapped spilling sail.
Only then did the wind drop. With the S1 up and the halyard withdrawn from the mast the crew settled in for the long haul, luckily with increasingly good downwind speeds of 12-14 knots. At this point in the race Sintara passed a number of boats and reeled in others but there were some who would not be caught and overnight a separation began between those who had gone in towards the coast and others, like us, who were opting for the stronger current further out. At dawn the eastern sky lightened into the slowly emerging heat of the second day. No longer sailing in company we kept track of who was where through skeds and AIS. Well placed in the field, breakfasting on coffee with toasted ham and cheese after a good night’s sailing, we were, as Paul J said, ‘living the dream!’ and even the small problem of batteries recharging too slowly could not spoil the bliss of the day and the crew’s optimism. Suddenly the boat thudded into something quite large – a huge sunfish. Expecting the worst we dropped sails and checked steering and bilges for damage and water. But luck was with us and with no apparent cause for concern we pressed on placing a watch on the bow just in case there were any other sea creatures basking on the main highway to Hobart. In the meantime we were entertained by dolphins and seabirds and treated to more great weather. How gorgeous was this! In the first 24 hours we had managed to sail 200nms, nearly one third of the distance. When we radioed in to Green Cape that we were good to ‘cross the paddock’ it was late afternoon, still sunny and still downhill. Later, with weather coming in, we ate early and prepped the boat. Still downhill but with a reefed main, we would see how we would go. A lurid sunset, generated by the bushfires - even that far out to sea we could still smell smoke - made for an exotic dusk, the grey-banded, deep red sun looking more like an alien ringed planet than our own familiar sun. Within 10 minutes and in 24 knots we had shredded a favourite kite that had served us well on many exciting downhill rides, most recently on the Haystack Island Race. A moment of sadness. But then, leaping through the waves, going faster than us, 30 or more lean and muscular dolphin came charging towards the boat. What a sight! Such athletic beauty! Somehow we dragged our eyes back on to Sintara to raise the assy and pay attention to the changing sea state. The waves were increasing, lifting and skewing the rear of the boat erratically, making steering and control more difficult. Night found the drivers fighting the helm through rolling seas. At the change of watch early next morning a period of chaos began. We had been sailing a tad on the edge for about 45 minutes with waves increasing to five metres and the boat becoming increasingly harder to control. Paul H was on the helm and Derek was about to take the next watch. Suddenly the steering sheath broke. In lightning quick time three successive Chinese gybes wreaked havoc, the first gybe catching the navigation pod as the boom shot across the cockpit. On the third gybe the loose main sheet wrapped itself around Paul’s arm, the navigation pod and the throttle, wrenching Paul’s forearm away from his elbow and tossing the navigation pod straight at Derek’s head, generating significant gear breakage, acute human pain and a fair amount of head-wound blood. The crew swung into action! The wild boom was tamed and tethered by Craig and others while the injured were helped downstairs. Damage to boat and crew was quickly assessed and addressed. It is not for nothing that crews are required to undertake
11
