The 80th Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is here and as always weather conditions will play a critical role in determining the outcome.
Australia’s most famous open water yacht race begins on Sydney Harbour at 1:00pm (AEDT) on Boxing Day, with the 129-yacht fleet making its way 628 nautical miles (1,163 km) south to the finish line on the River Derwent in Hobart.
The race record is held by super-maxi LDV Comanche which took line honours in just 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, 24 seconds in 2017—although based on current forecasts that’s highly unlikely to be broken this year.
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As it does every year, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) is monitoring weather conditions closely to provide vital information to all crews and navigators before and during the race.
In the first of three pre-race weather briefings earlier this week, the BoM explained strong southerly winds were likely to begin the race with swells of 1-2 metres during the early stages.
The fleet was also told there is also the slight chance of showers at the start.
BoM senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury added that winds are expected to ease as crews make their way down the New South Wales and Tasmanian coasts on Saturday and Sunday.
“It will still be fresh at times but gradually we’ll see them easing back along the east coast,” Bradbury said.
‘Cold, wet and bumpy, people will get seasick’
The southerly winds on Boxing Day should make for a spectacular spinnaker start coming out of Sydney Harbour while 20-30 knot upwind conditions (~37-55km/h) mean crews could face heavy seas on the first afternoon and night of the race.
“It’s going to be cold, wet and bumpy, people will get seasick,’’ explained Lee Goddard, chairman of the race committee and veteran of three Sydney to Hobart races himself.
Traditionally some of the most challenging sailing conditions come towards the end of the race as the fleet stretches out across the exposed Bass Strait, followed by often light and variable winds along the Tasmanian east coast and River Derwent.
The first yachts are expected to reach Constitution Dock in Hobart late on Sunday, or early Monday morning.