2024 Sydney Hobart – Game Time!
by John Curnow, Editor, Sail-World AUS 25 Dec 2024 10:53 PST
26 December, 2024
78th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race start © Andrea Francolini
Did someone say TV? Must have. Apart from not offering up the über-glamourous kite start, things look pretty good. Bright sunshine, and a Nor’easter of 12-15 knots for start means a tacking duel out of Sydney Harbour. Once around their respective turning marks off South Head, the fleet can pop the ‘chutes, and then settle in for the sleigh ride.
Not too long after the camera person steps off the back of the front runners to be collected by the waiting transport, we should see it go through to firstly 20-25 as it goes left, then 30-35 very much from due North when it is well dark (call it 0200hrs over the race area), and it may even punch into 40 knots at say Montague Island, and certainly dear old Gabo Island. That’s the drag race component.
Best of the East Australia Current was out a fair way to sea, but you won’t want to be out there for too long, as you’ll need to be back East by the time the Westerly arrives into your patch of turf adjacent to the rhumbline.
Change. The quintessential ingredient of this race. It has lessened in ferocity, but it will still have venom in its fangs. Having blasted through Bass Strait proper, the hot air will be the harbinger of the new Sherriff in town. It will go Nor’west at first, and then West Sou’west at 25-30 knots. Now just like Tim Shaw, you get to say, ‘But wait, there’s more!’ There’s a front behind the trough and it will be genuinely Sou’west, residing in the 30-knot bracket. At least it will be daylight for this event, and the sailors will be happy to have got the layering correct, as the temperature change will be felt in the bones.
We won’t be there as such, but they will feel Nor’easterly waves clashing with Westerly ones, as they will be in the 2.5-4m bracket. This will make for turgid affair. Lucky them, huh?
That’s the leaders and the rest of the fleet back up off the NSW coast will have the dawn of their day even more Southerly in the 20-25 knot range, possibly even being due South later on that day at up to 35 knots before abating. Tail gunners may have seen a bit of rain out of it.
The Low itself gets to 964 hectopascals, but passes quickly, and also slides out under Tasmania smartly, leaving an almost due Westerly flow in behind it, with some associated rain for Saturday morning. I just saw the River Derwent unpack a fresh deck of cards, and it could be laced with Aces. Expect to see the fourth start of the race, the Iron Pot at the mouth of the river, become crucial.
N.B. There is still the matter of the lee trough off the East coast of Tassie, but does not have the same impact as earlier, albeit it will have some varying effects over 27, 28, and 29 December.
Late on Saturday, rain will be a feature off the coast of Tasmania, and at basically the same time a centre of low pressure will be evident in wilderness country, but it is only at 1000 hectopascals, and pretty much evaporates faster than it took you to read this sentence. After that it goes light, as a High takes over whilst the Sherriff has a nap. Painstakingly slow will be the order of the day, and those in Constitution Dock by then will be happy to have a time recorded, as the overall winner chat rules the bar at the Customs House Hotel.
As for elapsed times? Well, the Gen1 TP52, Ocean Crusaders J-Bird could be anywhere from eight hours under, to just on two days. Something like Kanreki, the Cookson 12 might be three days, with a J/99 as per Disko Trooper, more like three and three quarter days. That will be the effect of the Christmas food coma nap the Sherriff is enduring.
Oh yes. Race record is in the mix...
Please enjoy your yachting, stay safe, and thanks for tuning into Sail-World.com
What else have Sail-World.com written about the 2024 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race?
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