Nicorette takes line honours in Rolex Sydney Hobart Race

Nicorette takes line honours in the 2004 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race © Carlo Borlenghi / Rolex

Nicorette takes line honours in the 2004 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race © Carlo Borlenghi / Rolex

INGVALL HUGS THE SHORE AND EMBRACES THE TROPHY

Classic double in Nicorette's sights

They say that big boys don't cry, and Ludde Ingvall just about held back the tears as the emotion of winning line honours in the 60th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race began to sink in. Ingvall and his 15 crewmembers on the 90-foot Maxi yacht Nicorette were red-eyed with fatigue but jubilant and relieved to have reached a damp and chilly Hobart at 5.10.44am (AEDT).

Their elapsed time for the race of about 2 days 16 hours 00 minutes 44 seconds was almost a day outside the record set by Volvo Ocean 60 Nokia in 1999. This year just to bring a brand new boat home in one piece was achievement enough. After the capsize of Skandia and the structural failure of Konica Minolta, Nicorette's victory was a triumph of caution and prudent seamanship.

Ingvall, who took line honours in 2000 and with it the Illingworth Trophy, explained his strategy: "When we crossed Bass Straits, the plan was that if it got worse we would head for the shore. So we headed for the shore and from then onwards it was not easy, but it got easier. We were able to sail tactically. We sailed with really small sails at times. These new boats are so easily driven you don't need much sail to get some big speeds."

Nicorette then started tacking in and out of the Tasmanian coastline, with sometimes only a metre of water under the swing keel as she cut inside Mariah Island - a manoeuvre rarely seen in this race's 60 years. "We went into every cove," said Ingvall. "I took the boys on Ludde's 'Tour of Tasmania'!"

If Nicorette had stayed in the big southerly swell further out to sea, it might have been a very different story. "Yacht racing is about eliminating errors," Ingvall commented. "We eliminated a big chunk of errors by heading into the shore when we knew what was coming. The problem is that you launch off waves with such speed and hit the bottom of the wave, and that's when these boats break up."

"It's Formula One. If a Formula One racing driver put his foot down at the start, that's when the whole thing would explode. You really need to learn to control the speed and power of the boat. At one time, the crew had a speed limit of 8 knots, and we said that we must sail no faster."

So Ingvall's refusal to be tempted by speed was what gave him line honours in the race. Now he will wait to see if he can achieve an illustrious Double, and win on IRC handicap. Only five boats have earned that honour in 60 years, so to do so would crown an already extraordinary achievement. At the time of finishing, the greatest threat comes from the British boat Aera with 107 nautical miles to go to the finish. If Nick Lykiardopulo can bring his 55-footer home by 7.04.56pm (AEDT) this evening, then The Tattersalls Cup will be his. AAPT was lying in second place on the water, but Sean Langman, with just under 50 nm to go, has little hope of overhauling Nicorette on corrected time. Plenty of smaller boats could steal Nicorette's thunder if the conditions take a massive shift in their favour. Unlikely, but sometimes anything seems possible in this race.

Ingvall said they had done all they could do, and now they would have to sit and wait to see how Aera and the other boats fare. He wished them well, but wished Nicorette better. "It would be a great honour for the team. It would be the biggest honour of our careers," he said.

Such was the level of emotion, Ingvall would not say whether he would be back to defend his victory in a year's time. "I don't know. Right now I need to think about a lot of things. Just when you see what's happened to Skandia, I would hate to lead 15 smart, beautiful young men into that kind of situation."

But the war-weary skipper made those comments soon after what he described as the toughest two days of his sailing career. "Two days feels like three weeks. In this race, you never know what you get. You have to prepare for the worst." Whatever he might be feeling right now, though, there is the sense that Ludde Ingvall is unable to stay away from the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. "When I was watching my black and white TV in 1970 I said I wanted to do it. I can't believe that I've won it twice now. It's the biggest race there is."

Rolex Sydney Hobart Race Record: Nokia DEN/AUS 1 day 19 hrs 48 mins 02 secs in 1999 (Expired 8.58AM AEDT on Tuesday 28th December)

Provisional Line honours standings, recorded at 0820 (AEDT) local time, 29 December 2004

1. Nicorette finished at 05:10:44 hours
2. AAPT
3. Brindabella
4. Seriously Ten
5. Aera
6. Ichi Ban