Zürcher Nachrichten - Supermaxi yachts eye record in gruelling Sydney-Hobart race

EUR -
AED 3.821609
AFN 73.043711
ALL 98.561994
AMD 415.734952
ANG 1.874008
AOA 948.892795
ARS 1067.239304
AUD 1.668181
AWG 1.872815
AZN 1.757682
BAM 1.956454
BBD 2.099482
BDT 124.256752
BGN 1.957817
BHD 0.392426
BIF 3074.798113
BMD 1.040453
BND 1.412959
BOB 7.185402
BRL 6.442694
BSD 1.039838
BTN 88.511732
BWP 14.441688
BYN 3.402905
BYR 20392.87375
BZD 2.092379
CAD 1.496535
CDF 2986.099191
CHF 0.93648
CLF 0.037319
CLP 1029.739995
CNY 7.591767
CNH 7.598484
COP 4556.381863
CRC 527.971385
CUC 1.040453
CUP 27.571998
CVE 110.297624
CZK 25.115501
DJF 185.171889
DKK 7.460816
DOP 63.34117
DZD 140.687327
EGP 52.961546
ERN 15.606791
ETB 132.39725
FJD 2.412966
FKP 0.82402
GBP 0.828196
GEL 2.923108
GGP 0.82402
GHS 15.285109
GIP 0.82402
GMD 74.912518
GNF 8986.65805
GTQ 8.0096
GYD 217.552711
HKD 8.081868
HNL 26.41983
HRK 7.46307
HTG 135.964135
HUF 410.690109
IDR 16866.571316
ILS 3.790359
IMP 0.82402
INR 88.614737
IQD 1362.155262
IRR 43790.051599
ISK 145.091415
JEP 0.82402
JMD 162.007918
JOD 0.737991
JPY 163.632522
KES 134.384575
KGS 90.519253
KHR 4179.356665
KMF 484.981066
KPW 936.406886
KRW 1516.386879
KWD 0.320615
KYD 0.866581
KZT 538.684863
LAK 22740.381777
LBP 93117.221839
LKR 306.450641
LRD 189.251433
LSL 19.334876
LTL 3.072187
LVL 0.629359
LYD 5.10451
MAD 10.485801
MDL 19.185228
MGA 4904.592084
MKD 61.579021
MMK 3379.349922
MNT 3535.458283
MOP 8.3185
MRU 41.508277
MUR 48.974372
MVR 16.027812
MWK 1803.102637
MXN 20.964801
MYR 4.668508
MZN 66.48881
NAD 19.335062
NGN 1610.226956
NIO 38.262788
NOK 11.815418
NPR 141.618971
NZD 1.843304
OMR 0.40057
PAB 1.039848
PEN 3.871945
PGK 4.220248
PHP 60.807174
PKR 289.478921
PLN 4.256856
PYG 8109.710445
QAR 3.781864
RON 4.974508
RSD 116.972699
RUB 104.513453
RWF 1450.570871
SAR 3.90625
SBD 8.722693
SCR 14.683216
SDG 625.834202
SEK 11.538871
SGD 1.414875
SHP 0.82402
SLE 23.721196
SLL 21817.776932
SOS 594.292914
SRD 36.476165
STD 21535.271101
SVC 9.098691
SYP 2614.168982
SZL 19.343279
THB 35.541837
TJS 11.375802
TMT 3.651989
TND 3.315608
TOP 2.436845
TRY 36.690385
TTD 7.066294
TWD 34.011368
TZS 2517.895925
UAH 43.598696
UGX 3806.235546
USD 1.040453
UYU 46.28369
UZS 13423.970506
VES 53.661818
VND 26469.117766
VUV 123.524633
WST 2.87455
XAF 656.17
XAG 0.035166
XAU 0.000398
XCD 2.811876
XDR 0.797259
XOF 656.151075
XPF 119.331742
YER 260.503326
ZAR 19.427453
ZMK 9365.323193
ZMW 28.777618
ZWL 335.025359
  • RBGPF

    -0.7000

    59.8

    -1.17%

  • CMSC

    -0.2094

    23.6927

    -0.88%

  • RIO

    -0.0810

    59.149

    -0.14%

  • CMSD

    -0.1590

    23.391

    -0.68%

  • NGG

    -0.3390

    58.681

    -0.58%

  • BTI

    0.0050

    36.225

    +0.01%

  • GSK

    -0.0650

    33.995

    -0.19%

  • RELX

    0.1500

    45.74

    +0.33%

  • SCS

    -0.0050

    11.645

    -0.04%

  • AZN

    -0.3650

    66.265

    -0.55%

  • BP

    0.0450

    28.795

    +0.16%

  • BCC

    0.5200

    122.76

    +0.42%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0200

    7.25

    -0.28%

  • JRI

    0.0430

    12.143

    +0.35%

  • BCE

    0.1150

    22.955

    +0.5%

  • VOD

    0.0900

    8.46

    +1.06%

Supermaxi yachts eye record in gruelling Sydney-Hobart race
Supermaxi yachts eye record in gruelling Sydney-Hobart race / Photo: DAVID GRAY - AFP

Supermaxi yachts eye record in gruelling Sydney-Hobart race

Forecast favourable winds could see the prestigious Sydney-Hobart race record challenged by the supermaxi yachts when the often-brutal bluewater classic sets sail on Thursday.

Text size:

LawConnect won from Comanche last year by just 51 seconds in a thrilling finale after a treacherous 628 nautical mile slog with the two 100-footers again set to battle for line honours.

Two other supermaxis are entered -- Wild Thing and Maritimo -- among a fleet of 105.

The big boats are predicted to get off to a flying start from Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day before they head down Australia's east coast then tackle the notorious Bass Strait towards the Tasmanian state capital Hobart.

Comanche navigator Juan Villa is confident of a fast race if the long-range forecast of north-easterly winds holds.

"In our mind is whether the conditions will lead to possibly break a record," said the Spaniard, who added that depending on what the weather does "we feel that our boat is quite, quite strong".

Weather is a critical factor in the race, which was first held in 1945, with winds often shifting rapidly in direction and intensity.

In 1998, when a deep depression exploded over the fleet in the Bass Strait, six men died, five boats sank and 55 sailors were rescued

"There's a lot of sections through the race and a lot of weather phenomena that can affect the strategies," said Villa.

"It's a really exciting race. It's really complicated, but that's why it makes it very interesting for navigators."

Four-time champion Comanche is the current race record holder after it surged over the finish line in one day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds to set a new mark in 2017.

Alive, last year's overall winner of the Tattersall Cup, which takes into account boat size and other factors, is back to defend its title.

Other previous overall winners in the fleet include Centennial 7 (formally Celestial), Love and War and Unicoin, which won as Assassin.

Love and War, a three-time winner, is being skippered for the first time by Simon Kurts, son of owner Phillip Kurts.

"We're absolutely capable of winning the race. The tougher the race is, the better we'll go," said Simon Kurts.

There are six international competitors including French yacht Cocody, Poulpito from New Caledonia and the Hong Kong-based Antipodes.

The Filipino-crewed Centennial 7, Caro from New Zealand and American challenger Bacchanal are also entered.

Maritimo Katwinchar, built in 1904, will become the oldest boat in the ocean race's 79-year history when it sets sail, co-skippered by 45-time Sydney-Hobart veteran Michael Spies.

Kismet, launched in 1955, is the second oldest and at 9.3 metres the smallest, with 32-time race veteran Sean Langman at the helm.

The number of women taking part continues to rise. Apart from those crewing, there are 16 female owners or skippers/co-skippers.

Ch.Siegenthaler--NZN