The spirit of double-handed sailing in the 52nd Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race
by Jane Austin/ORCV media 30 Dec 2024 05:20 GMT
Quest with experience onboard - 52nd Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race © Al Dillon
Seamanship, respect, preparation and a love of sailing
Six yachts sailed double-handed down the West Coast of Tasmania in the 52nd Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race in a magnificent display of mateship and skillful seamanship alongside a deep love and respect for the sport of sailing.
Quest, the blue-hulled Atlantic 48 skippered by Peter Tardrew and Rod Gunther from the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, was the first double-hander to cross the line in the 435 nautical mile race.
Tardrew was proud of Quest's performance in the tough conditions that the West Coast is renowned for and was in good spirits after experiencing a blow to the head in the later stages of the race.
Gunther and Tardrew have only been sailing two-handed together for a couple of years but have decades of sailing experience between them with the trust and respect for each other quite palpable.
"We pushed as hard as we could and were first two-hander in - we are absolutely rapt with our performance," said Tardrew.
Sailing around Maatsuyker Island was a big moment in the race for Quest.
"The boat was fine, modern auto-pilots are just amazing things, and going around Maatsuyker - we had to granny round, we weren't going to gybe, we've got an inline rig with runners so gybing for us is a bit more complicated... and at that point we had over 35 [knots] - we were probably a little bit late but that was OK," said Tardrew.
Tardrew reflected on the race and his on-board injury, with the highest praise reserved for his co-skipper in what was an intense and difficult moment for the skipper.
"I flew across the cabin, breaking the window with my face and came tumbling down on the nav' table.
"I just lay there and there was a lot of blood.
"Rod was busy, there was a lot on, it was dark, blowing a gale with wind and rain, it wasn't a good time for anyone to be solo on a boat...every box you could tick for bad news was there, but he did what he had to do to look after the boat once he knew I was conscious," said Tardrew.
With age comes experience and it's clear that these two skippers ooze enormous respect for each other's abilities, which were put to the test in this year's race.
"You have to be able to rely on each other...you need confidence in that reliance... I'm 100 per cent confident that Rod can do anything I can do and he's stronger than me, he's such a capable human.
"I think if you are going to go to the South Pole, Rod would say that he could do it and would do it superbly well having never done it before - he's such a competent, resilient and resourceful man, he's got come amazing characteristics for this sort of stuff.
"I'm not sure I do... I think I do it because I want to be like that rather than I am like that" said Tardrew.
A modest and reluctant hero, Gunther played down his heroic performance when Tardrew was injured, instead coming back to the co-skippering responsibilities that they shared throughout the race.
"It was a pretty hard race...Pete got pretty hurt out there but really, we both looked after each other well.
"Pete is a damn good sailor!
"We have loads of sailing experience between us...we do all the work on the boat ourselves, so you get to know the boat and get to know each other.
"Pete's got great practical skills, he's always thinking about things, and he's reasonably handy on the mechanical side with good boatbuilding skills which all works well for us," said Gunther.
Sandringham Yacht Club's Dave Kenny and Paul Schulz co-skippered the J44, The Secretary and were pleased to be in Hobart after a tough race.
"You hear stories of it being brutal and it was, we had some challenging conditions, the whole fleet did, it was tough but I'm glad we've done it, said Schulz.
Kenny reflected on the race overall including the strategic challenges the course presents.
"It's a race of several parts, getting out of the rip at Port Phillip Heads which is always a challenge, then there's a decent length of ocean race, and then you restart your challenge coming up Storm Bay and into the River [Derwent]," said Kenny.
Schulz and Kenny did not have the ideal lead up to the race with the boat sitting at the SYC for eight months waiting for new rigging to come from New Zealand, which set back their preparations, meaning this year's Westcoaster was the first long race on the boat for the duo.
Kenny was quick to note, however, that their lack of preparation and on water time was offset by their knowledge of each other.
"Paul and I grew up sailing together, we've sailed against each other for decades, and with each other ocean racing for quite a while now - we read each other very well.
"We have established routines onboard which make you settle in quickly which helps," said Kenny.
In relation to preparing to sail double-handed, Kenny was keen to point out the importance of understanding themselves as individuals and understanding each other.
"In 2017, we took some advice from a psychologist which was to sit down and write down your triggers, like how do you react when you get tired, what makes you angry, what things can't you deal with... so we both did that and we cross-referenced the list and now, we know I can be finicky and Paul can be casual, and we don't make a thing out of it because we know that's our trigger.
"If you want to go double-handed sailing, everyone has to be able to do every job on the boat competently, and you have to understand each other," said Kenny.
And if offered a chance to sail double-handed Schulz and Kenny agree, "grab it with both hands."
"When you sit for long times on the rail, you get a very narrow view of ocean racing...there's something quite special about being the only one there, being up on deck at 2am doing 20 knots, that's a thrill," said Kenny.
Fatigue management is a challenge faced by all sailors and one that was a particular challenge for the double-handed division.
"I love sleep, but you can put your body through a lot, and it will cope with a lot, and when you're tired, you need to really think about your decisions," said Schulz.
Kenny and Schulz run a standard naval watch routine, with flexibility important as well as tactical use of coffee.
Overall, the skippers were impressed with the race but stressed the need for a focus on safety and preparation for all sailors.
"You've got to monitor your style, you've got to be more conservative, without a doubt, in a race like this, with few ports of refuge and when you know big weather is coming.
"We both had a healthy appreciation of travelling around the bottom [of Tasmania] and Maatsuyker Island and the weird currents and the standing up swells, and it was certainly big and busy down there, but nowhere near as big as it could have been," said Kenny.
Scarlet Runner, the Carkeek 43 skippered by Rob Date from the Sandringham Yacht Club is the provisional winner of this year's race on AMS handicap while Rushour, the multihull skippered by Drew Carruthers from the Multihull Yacht Club of Queensland set a new record in the multihull division.
All boats have now finished the race.
Presentations will be held at the Elizabeth Street Pier Race Village at 5pm tomorrow, 31st December 2024.
For Entry, Notice of Race and List of Entries, please visit: www.orcv.org.au/hobart/m2hyachts.