Sydney-Hobart preview

James Boyd looks at what's going on for this year's annual blast south to Tasmania

"There used to be the adage that there were three things you could be certain of in life: death, taxes and getting the s**t beaten out of you on the way down to Hobart," comments Grundig Xena skipper Sean Langman of the infamous annual Sydney-Hobart race he will be taking part in next week.
Australia has the world's most poisonous snakes and spiders and the biggest most agressive marine life and until the 1979 Fastnet Race the perception of this 630 mile ocean racing classic, that involves crossing Bass Strait and diving south into the Southern Ocean. was it too was the offshore race most likely to make the hardiest seadog quake in his Magisters.

If the 1979 Fastnet knocked the stuffing out of the fleet that year, causing several fatalities, the equivalent happened in the 1998 Sydney-Hobart race when the worst storm in the history of the event struck the yachts as they set off across the mouth of Bass Strait. Competitors reported west and south westerly winds of up to 80 knots and 15-20m high seas as an intense (982mb) depression known locally as a 'Bass Strait bomb' exploded over the fleet.

The result of the awful conditions were that six people lost their lives including Britain's Glyn Charles. Of the 115 boats taking part, five sank, two others were abandoned and in total 55 yachtsmen and women were rescued, mainly by helicopter. Prior to the 1998 event, there had only been three recorded deaths in the event - one person washed overboard in 1984, and two others who suffered fatal head injuries when they were hit by broken running rigging.

Today the Australian yachting community and the Sydney-Hobart race organisers are still reeling from the effects of the 1998 race. Following the deaths an inquiry was held and responding to the Coroner's Report the organisers, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia were forced to improve their safety requirements for the race. This covered every aspect of the race from boat and personal safety, to crew experience and training to race management and weather forecasting. Probably the worst weakness highlighted by the Coroner's Report was the standard of lifejackets and liferafts used. More stringent standards have been introduced since then.

In light of this background 'quality not quantity' is the message that the ad men might pin to this year's Sydney-Hobart Race, the 57th running of the event.

While the race had a record entry of 391 for the 50th anniversary race and in recent years the race normally attracts 120-150 entries, this year just 76 boats will take the Sydney Harbour start line at 1300 on 26 December.

The reasons mooted for this downturn in entries are the added hassle of the revised entry procedure and requirements following the Coroner's recommendations and the sorry fact that insurance premiums for those wanting to take part in the race have in many cases almost doubled.

The pill has not been sweetened by the CYCA having found no sponsor for this the 57th running of the event following the end of Telstra's six year sponsorship last year. Saying this the CYCA should be congratulated for keeping this classic offshore race going and hopefully after the 1998 disaster becomes a distant memory (like the 1979 Fastnet) a sponsor will return and numbers will increase.