Sydney Hobart - Snakes and Ladders
by John Curnow, Editor, Sail-World AUS 27 Dec 2018 02:57 GMT
From Dec 26
The Bowman on Black Jack gets set for the rounding and the hoisting of the reaching kite © Beth Morley /
www.sportsailingphotography.com
Beth Morley was kind enough to supply this gallery of images, and it was very timely. For there were a number of small updates that need to passed through.
The first was Midnight Rambler, a Sydney 36, who reported just after 0900hrs AEDT that they had steering/rudder issues, which they affected repairs on, and were continuing. Can’t have been too bad, and/or they did a good job, because at the time of writing (1340hrs AEDT), they had the overall lead, albeit just…
Additionally, and just before 1300 hrs AEDT, the Moody 54, Calypso, reported that they were heading to Eden to effect repairs to ‘steering damage’, but very much stressed that they are not retiring!!!!!!!! At the time, their position was 36.24deg South, 150.33deg East.
Yet without doubt, the one that probably sums up the heartbreak that can be this race, is the reigning overall champion, Ichi Ban. At a bit after 0300hrs this morning, they assumed the overall lead, and were flying along. By 1100hrs it had all gone to custard, and they were in 24th place! It gets worse, for at the time of writing, they had slumped to 31st place overall. Ouch.
This is one practiced and capable outfit, but for all those hours this morning they were doing perhaps two thirds of the speed of the others around them, and sometimes just half. Needless to say, that snake saw them not only fall back into the pack, but get completely swallowed up by them! Down is easy. Climbing back up takes a lot more.
It could well have been an unreported issue, or rather they found the transition window, found that it was plate glass, and they slammed square into it, and had to go off to the doctor for some stitches. We’ll find out eventually, but for now let them get back on to going up the ladder…
For now, Comanche leads the fleet, just, from Black Jack, but those two are now really slow, and the others who are four to 40nm astern of them will be wondering if they too are about to park. Could be time for another reset?! Well the trough appears to have moved East, and there are new Northerlies appearing that will bring the front of the fleet home quicker than previously expected. There could be another trough developing, which is bound to close the gate either partially, or fully, on those following along behind. We'll see.