For the first time in 50 years Syd Fischer watched from the dock as Ragamuffin left to start the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. While he had a very important role for the start – firing the cannon – it is a different feeling as his boat arrived in Hobart without him onboard.
Grandson Brenton Fischer has taken the reigns of the TP52 and with the help of an extremely talented crew got the boat into Hobart early this morning. He explained the feeling of finishing the race without having his grandfather here. “It is weird being down here without him. It is what it is.”
While the forecast wasn't ideal for the boat he still enjoyed the race south. “It was Interesting. Not the ideal conditions for this particular boat. All in all it was a good ride. We blew up our A4 on the first night, I’m pretty sure we saw one of the other competitors do the same thing next to us.”
Navigator Adrienne Cahalan was pleased with the race and how they shaped up, “We had a bit of sail damage the first night so that put us on the back foot but we sailed the second half of the race well and we are happy with that.”
The Ragamuffin crew took a gamble and went up the Bruny shoreline, “Traditionally it doesn’t work but it worked for us. We actually caught up places. That’s the thing about this race it is so different each time. Part of it works part of it doesn’t work,” Cahalan explained.
Ragamuffin was the 19th boat to cross the finish line. To follow the rest of the fleet head to the tracker or standings.
– Kimberley Wilmot in Hobart
