Last night was a harsh reminder of how a beautiful sail on the ocean can change in an instant during the 1250 nautical mile Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race (S2A), requiring quick thinking and action from crews to regain control.
On Alan Hill’s Swan 48, Cooloola, Lisa Denvir reported: “We had an eventful evening aboard. Just as we were about to have dinner, a front hit us with a vengeance. We had the A2 (Asymmetrical spinnaker) up at the time, but managed to retrieve it and everyone is safe. We saw 42 knots on a number of occasions but have moved on this sunny am.”
Geoff Hill’s Antipodes faced similar challenges. Navigator Brad Kellett remarked: “If ocean racing was easy and fun all the time, everybody would do it. Last night was a mission. Pitch black, nothing to steer to, wind shifting 90 degrees. Heading to NZ – nope. Heading to Antarctica – nope. Heading to Lord Howe Island! Anyway, we got through the night and we’re still battling to conquer the Tasman.” At 9am, he reported, “We’re currently two-sail reaching in a northerly and heading at Cape Reigna again.”
Ian Edwards’ Dehler 46, Wings, also experienced a rough night. Crew member Janease Graham explained: “We had a bit on last night. It was a very breezy, very dark night, but everyone’s still smiling. Wings is heading east under kite now, cruising with the S5 (spinnaker) now the breeze has abated.” Jana Com added, “It’s hardly stopped raining, but we’re all in good spirits.”
Leading the race is Bryon Ehrhart’s Juan K, Lucky (USA), which has made significant progress since yesterday morning. At 10am, she was cruising along at 22 knots with 465nm remaining before reaching the finish line of the 1250nm course. This grand prix Juan K 88, which has several Kiwi sailors aboard, is in pursuit of another line honours trophy, adding to her collection of overall wins and race records.
Jono Rankine from Lucky said, “A nice fast and dark night last night in 15 to 22 knots, with boat speeds between 20-25 knots at 125 True Wind Angle. It’s a little damp on deck at times and we had a small issue with one of our mainsail batten boxes which took around 30 minutes to fix. We’re expecting 20 to 25 knots gusting 30 over the next six hours. Under 300 miles to go to the Cape.”
Trailing Lucky is defending line honours victor, Antipodes, with 824 miles to go. Mick Martin’s defending overall winner, Frantic, is just 13 miles behind, still chasing Antipodes. Wings follows next with 915 miles remaining, while Cooloola is 49 miles behind Wings.
RPAYC Commodore Rob McClelland will leave his Rally entry, First Picasso, in the Bay of Islands for engine repairs, as he prepares to drive the remaining miles to Royal Akarana Yacht Club, the co-host of the race.
The S2A started at 1pm at Watsons Bay on Sydney Harbour yesterday and is co-hosted by RPAYC and New Zealand’s RAYC.
Enthusiasts can follow the fleet’s every move via the Yellow Brick tracker at: https://pro.yb.tl/S2AOR25 or download the Yellow Brick app.
For all information on the Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race, please visit: www.sydneytoauckland.com
Di Pearson/Sydney to Auckland media
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