The Sydney to Hobart is shaping up perfectly for the super maxis amid favourable wind conditions during the first two days.
Forecast north-easterly winds should provide a good start on Monday afternoon when more than 100 yachts leave the harbour for Hobart, about 630 nautical miles south. Those winds are expected to pick up on day two.
Navigators Stan Honey of Wild Oats and Justin Shaffer of Andoo Comanche say the weather conditions for the Sydney to Hobart will benefit their larger boats.Credit:Salty Dingo
“Through Tuesday and into Wednesday, we’ll see northerly winds right along the NSW coast and down to Tasmania, and see some of those winds starting to increase and freshen,” Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Gabrielle Woodhouse said.
Wind speeds are also expected to pick up on Tuesday and Wednesday, supporting the larger boats as they travel down the coast.
“At this point, it does look like it could be a big boat race,” Hamilton Island Wild Oats navigator Stan Honey said. “It looks like the big boats will be able to do most of the race in the nor-easterly.”
If the forecast is accurate, it will be a late Christmas present for Wild Oats helm Chris Links, who on Tuesday added those weather conditions to his wish list.
“I’d love a downwind nor-easter, 20-25 knots,” he told the Herald . “Downwind is our ideal conditions.”
The changed conditions may prove a struggle for crews on mid-sized and smaller boats. A trough will shift winds to south and south-easterly on Wednesday, creating a challenge for boats that haven’t reached the Derwent.
The slower boats will struggle to “try and stay dry”, said Michael Bellingham, who will navigate the mid-sized TP52 yacht Patrice.
“The issue for us is that the big boats will possibly do this in one weather pattern,” he said. “How this change pans out on Wednesday will affect how the mid-fleet do in this race.”
The weather conditions for this year’s Sydney to Hobart are set to favour bigger boats such as LawConnect.Credit:Mark Evans/Getty Images
Big boats complete the race in one weather system, while smaller boats will “probably go through three”, said Duncan McRae, who will navigate the S&S 34 yacht White Bay 6 Azzurro.
But there is more than a week before the smaller boats are expected to dock in Hobart, leaving plenty of time for new weather systems to roll in.
But what is the Sydney to Hobart without a few challenges along the way?
“It’s one of the few races where you’re going into bad weather. You’ve really got to tough it out,” McRae said. “There are some very tough moments where you bond with the crew and have some great friends.”
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