01 December 2009
Paul Robinson
The rules have changed and all bets are off as a squadron of 100-foot maxis charges south in this year’s Sydney Hobart.
Come 1pm on Boxing Day, Sydney Harbour will seethe with spectator craft of all shapes and sizes as the 65th Sydney Hobart fleet sets sail south. Pretty much a one- or two-boat contest recently, this year the legendary ocean race may have a few surprises in store.
The big news is that big is back. Race organisers the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) have extended the maximum allowable overall length from 98 to 100 feet (30.48m). This means the likes of Neville Crichton’s Alfa Romeo, Mike Slade’s ICAP Leopard (British Fastnet Race winner in 2008 and 2009), and Sean Langman’s Loyal (once was Maximus) will now be in strong contention for line honours. Grant Wharington’s Skandia Wild Thing, which was agonisingly close to victory last year, is also having another crack at the big prize, this time as Wild Thing.
This should provide race favourite Wild Oats XI and skipper Mark Richards with stiff competition in their attempt to take out a record five consecutive victories in the 628 nautical mile contest. Bob Oatley’s maxi has been extensively modified this year to increase her length to 100ft, and Richards reckons they could sail to Hobart in less than 24 hours if weather conditions cooperate, thereby smashing the race record of one day, 18 hours 40 minutes and 10 seconds that Wild Oats set in 2005.
“We’ve got bigger and better Volvo 70-generated sails, which are a lot faster. If we get the right conditions, you’ll see amazing speeds. Wild Oats will be faster than she’s ever been, hitting 35 knots in the right conditions, no problem. But even if it’s upwind, the boats are all faster than they’ve ever been. In those conditions you’ve got to know how to slow down and still sail fast enough to do the job – but not so fast that you break the boat. We’re sailing with six fewer people this year, about a tonne and a half less, and will be pushing to the limit. I think we’ve got as good a chance as anyone. We’ve got Mike Sanderson on board, the skipper of ABN Amro [Volvo Ocean Race-winner 2005-06], a very talented helmsman, who will be great back-up for me. Public interest will be massive. I said to Bob [Oatley], ‘We’ll give it our best, but be prepared: you’re not necessarily going to win’. He doesn’t like hearing that, but you’ve got to be a realist.”
How does it feel to be the champ everyone wants to knock out? “I feel no pressure, to be honest. We’ve won the bloody thing four years in a row – what more could you ask for? We’re in the race because Bob loves it. Having one of the best boats in the world makes it a lot easier, but I’ve developed a passion for the race. Neville Crichton will be extremely hard to beat this year. He’s spent a fortune on his boat, he’s got Volvo round-the-world victors on board and wants to win this race big-time. He’s a good mate, but the most ruthless competitor you’ll ever go up against. Mike Slade [Leopard] has spent a lot of money and really wants to win. If he gets the right conditions it’s a very different boat from the one we raced in 2007. Maximus is very fast and with the modifications could be a dark horse. Wild Thing, they’re putting a much deeper, much lighter keel on, which will change her characteristics enormously. It’s a really exciting challenge.”
Possibly the greatest challenge for line honours will be mounted by Alfa Romeo. Second to Wild Oats in 2005, “Croaky” Crichton has thrashed his tormentor many times in overseas races. Alfa Romeo recently won the HSBC Premier Coastal Classic in New Zealand, the boat’s 143rd line honours triumph, in record time. He thinks he might have the wood on his nemesis.
“Racing around the buoys, I think we’re probably better organised and have a better crew. To go from Sydney to Hobart – they’ve done it five times and learnt a lot about the race – I’d say we’re probably even. But I’d like to spoil the party.” Needless to say he’s happy about the rule change. “This will be the most exciting race the Sydney Hobart has ever had – seven 100-footers, all capable of winning. The competition makes it more special than it’s ever been. The win will be a lot harder, but a lot more glamorous.”
Kiwi Crichton wants the win so bad he can almost taste it. “In 2002 [after winning in Alfa Romeo I] I said that a Sydney Hobart on the résumé was as good as it gets. I still feel that way. The past four, Wild Oats have had it all to themselves. Last year they almost got beaten by Skandia, but they shouldn’t have. I would love another on the résumé – then I would sign off and never come back. I’ve done six Sydney Hobarts and of all the racing I do, I dislike this one most of all – it’s cold and uncomfortable; you’re going south so the further you go the colder it gets; and then you end up in Tasmania! But I want to knock it off. And it’s always good to beat the Aussies.”
Alfa is flying at the moment and if all goes to plan, Croaky is confident of the race record. “We’ve had a pretty good run with this boat. We won the TransPac [from Los Angeles to Hawaii] in July and took 26 hours off the record. I reckon we’ll hit 35 to 38 knots. You wouldn’t average that, but you could certainly break the record, although I don’t think there’s a show in hell of breaking 24 hours.”
Sean Langman has decided that sailing classic wooden boats – the gaff-rigged Maluka – is all very well, but after a couple of decidedly sedate races (2006 and 2008) it’s time to pick up the pace. To that end he has chartered the Greg Elliott-designed Maximus.
“Yeah, I’ve come back to the dark side. It’s going to be incredibly exciting. It’ll be good getting back to the sharp end of the fleet. I’ve got unfinished business with this race.”
In typical Langman fashion, time is tight – modifications and team training compressed into the past eight weeks. “I’m confident we’re going to be competitive, but you can only work with what you’ve got. We do have some resources, the boatyards, but basically we’re trying to get the most out of something without any money. We’ve improved the boat – a new keel, more streamlined shape, and got rid of a lot of underwater drag. I’d like to do more, but because a component of our crew is actually untrained, we need to get out on the water as soon as possible.”
The boat has been renamed Loyal to support the Loyal Foundation charity and will be partly crewed by sporting identities. “We’re sailing for the Loyal Foundation. A lot of small charities are going bankrupt out there and we decided to get pledges, at last count already over $1m, and direct the proceeds to the various charities involved. [Olympic swimmer] Grant Hackett came on board. [Champion boxer] Danny Green will be helping knock the team into shape fitness-wise. [Former Wallabies] Phil Waugh and Phil Kearns are grinding. Some of my old crew from AAPT and Grundig days are back into it. We’ve been using the Qantas pool out at Mascot for sea survival training.”
One of the world’s premier blue-water racing events, this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart will be the stage for a major maxi attack. While it remains to be seen if bigger is better, nautically speaking, consensus is that this will be one ripper of a race. And one thing is a certain bet: it will be fast, extremely fast. As Langman says, “If Loyal doesn’t do 40 knots, then I’m going to be very, very disappointed."
Source: Qantas The Australian Way December 2009