Skandia capsized

More detail on the maxi boat breakdowns in the war-torn Rolex Sydney Hobart race

Harsh weather continues to take a fearsome toll on the fleet in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. After leaping on to a life raft yesterday evening (GMT) with the rest of his crew, Skandia skipper Grant Wharington is mounting a rescue operation for his super maxi. No sooner had he made it ashore aboard a police launch, than Wharington boarded a plane to fly over the yacht. At this stage the boat had capsized, after the damaged canting keel had finally broken away from the hull.

In Hobart later Wharington was remarkably composed, relieved that he and his 15 crew members had escaped alive and unscathed. "It wasn't what we planned for the day," he said, with typical Aussie understatement. "Canting keels are at the cutting edge of technology and ocean racing is a dangerous sport. We are like test pilots in Formula One and at this level things can break. We are fortunate to get away with our lives, and to be able to sail another race."

Helmsman Gavin Brady was similarly thankful to have got away unharmed after the New Zealand maxi Konica Minolta he was helming suffered a structural failure. With a westerly chop riding on top of a southerly swell, he said the seas were desperately confused. "Unfortunately we got one wave with the chop and the swell coming together, and our bow stuck in the middle - and that was it - all over. I thought when I heard the bang, and the boat came down off that wave, I thought I was looking at another OneAustralia. I thought the crack was going to go down the side of the boat, and it was going to break in half. It was pretty scary. Luckily it stopped where the windows are. We were definitely going to snap the boat in half if we carried on."

With those twin retirements, the sole remaining super maxi Nicorette is making slow and careful progress towards Hobart where she could take a classic double win of line honours and IRC handicap.

The co-designers of this brand new and untested Maxi are waiting nervously in Hobart. "I hope to see them coming round the corner here," said Maarten Voogd. "We just hope to get the boat in one piece into Hobart. I think it's fair to say we have the same chance of structural damage as they've got. The boats are really highly loaded. There is no give in carbon, so if it gives, it breaks. There is no margin for error."

While many have wondered if Nicorette's lack of proven sailing miles would be her undoing, Voogd's co-designing colleague Alex Simonis offered an alternative theory. "It may be to their benefit that the boat is so new, because the guys didn't know how hard to push the boat, so they were not going as hard as the others. That may be what has saved them so far."

Of the 116 entries, 53 skippers have now confirmed their retirement to the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. more retirements are expected as although the wind is forecast to drop it will still be upwind and the left-over sea will remain. Sailors are beginning to realise that simply getting to Hobart in one piece is likely to bring them a good overall result. The race has become a test of seamanship above all else.

While a number of the leading boats are following Nicorette's philosophy of tacking close to the Tasmanian coastline to avoid the worst of the waves. Two notable exceptions are the Farr 52 Ichi Ban and the Angl-Greek 55 footer Aera. Nick Lykiardopulo and his experienced crew on Aera are lying in sixth place overall. In these conditions Lykiardopulo will be thankful that he can rely on some round-the-world racing veterans such as former Team News Corp skipper Jez Fanstone to give Aera its best chance of reaching Hobart intact.

Despite the brutal conditions, few sailors have a bad word to say about this race. Asked if he'd be back next year, Stewart Thwaites replied: "Every year I say it's my last one, but probably I'll be back." Even for Grant Wharington, with his boat capsized and uninsured many miles out to sea, his enthusiasm for the Rolex Sydney Hobart remains undiminished. "I'll be back," he promised. "This is a great race, isn't it?"