Sydney to Hobart: Supermaxi skippers eye ‘ripping’ race down Australia’s east coast with strong northerly winds predicted
- Supermaxi skippers predicted to get off to a flying start from Sydney harbour, with the winds propelling them down Australia’s east coast
- Black Jack skipper Mark Bradford, which won line honours last year, said he expected a nail-biting race down the Derwent River towards Hobart
Skippers of the supermaxi yachts preparing for Monday’s Sydney to Hobart bluewater classic are targeting a record in a high-speed race they predict will go to the wire.
With northerly winds forecast for one of the world’s most challenging ocean events, Comanche’s one day, 9 hours, 15 min and 24 sec record for the 628-nautical-mile (1,200-km) endurance test, set in 2017, is under threat.
“It’s a race that could definitely rack up a record, especially with Andoo Comanche (in the field),” Mark Richards, skipper of nine-time line honours-winning supermaxi Wild Oats, said on the event website.
“It all depends on the actual conditions. But if it’s dead the whole way, I’d say not, but then it only has to change a couple of degrees and all of a sudden, it’s all on.
“If there’s breeze in the Derwent (River), absolutely.”
The NSW Bureau of Meteorology has forecast north-easterly winds for Monday’s start, which augurs well for the 100-foot supermaxis – Andoo Comanche, Black Jack, Wild Oats and LawConnect – among the 109-strong fleet.