This year marks 25 years since the great disaster that devastated the Rolex Sydney Hobart in which there were six deaths, five ships sunk and 55 people rescued. It was an edition in which a strong storm hit the fleet, causing unprecedented drama.
At 1:00 p.m. on December 26, more than 100 ships left Sydney Harbor. Strong thunder, hail and rain minutes before the start of the regatta, caused tension with the drama of 1998 in the retina of some and in the memories of all, although shortly after the sun came out, waiting for what they will find in the next few hours.
One of those who will experience it with greater intensity is Peter Dean, who will participate in the Sydney Hobart for the third time, this year he will do so with his brother Nathan, aboard Andoo Comache, a big favorite for victory. Peter and Nathan lost their father John in the fateful 1998 edition, precisely John Winningowner of the Comanche, was a good friend of his father.
Peter will never forget the last moment he shared with his father; He was at the dock, just before John set sail on the Winston Churchill to begin the 1998 Sydney Hobart. Sadly, John would never return, being one of six people who died at sea during the voyage.
“I was going to do the Hobart with him in 1999, the next year,” recalled Peter, then 15 years old. “He took me on board, he showed me around and pointed out where he would be and what he would be doing.”
This year will be very special for the whole family “We both know it is the 25th anniversary of Dad’s death. He is always on my mind,” Peter said. “We are fortunate to be able to do it now and go through the same waters that everything went through. This will make Nathan and I feel closer to him.”
Tough conditions expected
The rain wanted to be there in the minutes before the start of the most famous regatta of the southern summer. Even so, thousands of spectators came to the bay to follow, either from the sea or from the coast.
As the gun sounded, the 103 boats turned with light winds in search of position and thus seeking a first advantage in the tough 628 nautical mile (1,200 kilometer) journey to the capital of Tasmania.
The favorite for line honors is last year’s winner, the 100-foot supermaxi Andoo Comanche, holder of the event record set in 2017, with a time of one day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds. The Australian ship, which has the Spanish on board Pablo Arrarte and Ñeti Cuervas-Mons, leads the fleet closely followed by Law Connect, with Carlos Hernández and Sinbad Quiroga six miles and Wild Thing 100 third, 20 miles from the lead.
Forecasters are predicting storms, lightning, hail, strong winds and waves three to five meters high, as ships sail south along the New South Wales coast on their way to the Tasmanian capital.
Comanche’s main rivals for crossing the finish line in first position are the other three supermaxis: LawConnect, runner-up in the three previous editions; SHK Scallywag, which sports a taller stick after major modifications; and Wild Thing 100, which debuts.
Last year, Andoo Comanche crossed the finish line first in Hobart with a time of one day, 11 hours, 56 minutes and 48 seconds.
But the overall winner of the 77th Rolex Sydney Hobart was the 52-foot Celestial, who claimed the coveted Tattersall Cup.
Ten international boats participate in this Rolex Sydney Hobart. Three from New Zealand (Allegresse, Caro and Niksen), two from Hong Kong (Antipodes and SHK Scallywag) and one from France (Teasing Machine), Germany (Rockall 8), Ireland (Cinnamon Girl-Eden Capital), New Caledonia (Eye Candy) and the United States (Lenny).
The supermaxi Wild Oats XI, nine-time winner of the Sydney Hobart, is not participating in this year’s edition.
2023-12-26 10:15:04
#previous #storm #goodbye #fleet #drama #years #memory
