Sydney - Hobart

[Daddles]

Them demmed Kiwis is leading at the moment in Konica. :mad: Skandia, the Aussies (as in 'the good guys') is just 0.7nm behind them. :D Hell, that's close enough to spit on the leader's sails. :eek:

Go Skandia!

Cheers
Richard
when I finish my eight footer, we're going to go in the Sydney-Hobart. :D

[Daddles]

Hmm, Konica's now 1nm out in front. Them Kiwi's must be farting on the sails or something.

If you're interested, the Sydney-Hobart mob have, on their website, a thing they call yacht tracker. It gives you a map of where the yachts are NOW. It's great, especially for a boat nut who's trying to avoid the vacuuming.

http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/yacht_tracker.asp?key=522

Cheers
Richard

[Gumby]

Skandia seems to be behind but further up wind so the actual difference between them may not be that great. I'm surprised that Nicorette has dropped back that far overnight, she was supposed to be really quick but probably needs some more fine tuning. It makes a difference once they hit that south-westerly. That really sorts out the men from the boys.

Even though I'm an Aussie, I have great respect for the Kiwis as sailors. Since travelling around in NZ and especially Auckland, I'm jealous of all that great sailing water they have. Not like old Port Phillip Bay, which is too open and blowing the clappers most of the time. It's OK for keel boats, not so great for off the beach dinghys. Unfortunately sailing is dying here on the bay.

[Daddles]

Now Skandia's in front. It's a pity they can't have a live telecast of all this isn't it. But don't worry, it'll come. Mind you, it'll be on FOX where you can only see if you've got the money ... unless they get everyone to dress in coloured pyjamas and carry bats, then Channel 9 might put it on (they sure as eggs don't know cricket).

Cheers
Richard

[Gumby]

I don't know how reliable that site is. Often, when I choose to zoom in, it loses all the boats completely and I get a nice blue sea with not a yacht in sight. Then I get error loading messages too.

I followed the Americas Cup on a system which basically played the race live on the computer. They were computer generated images but you could watch the whole thing live. It was fantastic. Much better than this.

[Daddles]

I've never had a problem with yacht tracker, and I used it extensively last year. But what the heck, it's fun.

Richard

[Landseka]

Gumby, make sure you put the zoom square on a area where there are some yachts, also make sure you are not filtering anything out.

It works fine for me.

Regards

Neil

[Daddles]

And now the Skandia and Konica are out. That'd be a first wouldn't it? Losing both leaders within hours of each other? Must have been fun out there.

Richard

[RETIRED]

A little on the "hilly" side maybe? :D

[Gumby]

And Skandia is now abandoned and drifting..............
These new Hi-tech boats are too light and flimsy. It's rough, but not storm proportions. I said at the beggining they'd have trouble with those canting keels and guess what.........it happened. :(

[bitingmidge]

And Skandia is now abandoned and drifting..............
These new Hi-tech boats are too light and flimsy. It's rough, but not storm proportions. I said at the beggining they'd have trouble with those canting keels and guess what.........it happened. :(

What a wise old profit you are Gumby! .... and did you also say they'd have trouble with masts as well?? Ragamuffin has lost hers!

(I am always comforted that it is possible to lose something so big on something as small as a racing yacht...makes me feel better looking for a pencil or tape in the shed!)

Interesting press release:
The 16 crew of the Melbourne super maxi Skandia have been transferred by liferafts to the Police launch Van Dieman off St Helens on the far north eastern coast of Tasmania and are being transported to St Helens.

The Chairman of the Race Committee Tim Cox said Skandia had not technically not been abandoned and*its position is being monitored.
So apparently you can now (obviously through a loophole in maritime law and tradition?) completely vacate a drifting yacht, and it is not "technically" abandoned?? Or is it at anchor??

Tilting keels are not new, I would be guessing that they've been used along with water ballast in single handed racing for over ten years. Some have featured in "round the world" races. The technology is well proven, but in any racing craft, boat or car it's part of the nature of the beast to keep pushing the construction envelope till something breaks.

Leaving the ship on the other hand is interesting, if it "hasn't been abandoned"... all hands are apparently safe, so what gives???


P

[journeyman Mick]

My father was a captain in the Dutch merchant navy and sailed all over the world. He reckons the Sydney to Hobart is lunacy bordering on the criminal as the Bass Strait is among the worst stretches of water in the world and these blokes in paper mache boats go racing through it during bad conditions. I'll have to quiz him about abondoning a vessel in a shipping lane, I thought you were required to scuttle it so it wouldn't be a danger to other shipping. If it's not safe enough to stay on board of it should be scuttled I reckon. Just rich men's toys that people are risking their lives on (their choice I know) and then other people have to risk their lives to rescue them (not their choice). With so many of these boats breaking up, losing rigging or rudders or keels I think it's high time the organisers required more robust construction and rigging as well as some form of compulsory insurance to cover the cost of rescue. If I drive up Cape York in a "softroader" (one of those urban all wheel drives) and it falls to piesces on the corrugated roads I'd have to pay for a towtruck to come and pick me up. But these people risk their lives in boats not suitable for the conditions and the taxpayer foots the bill for the rescue missions. :mad:

Mick

[Daddles]

The interesting thing about Skandia is that apparently she hit a sunfish earlier in the day which sort of gives a reason for the canting keel to pack it in. Hell, she was probably lucky to still have a keel at all.

And so it looks like the race will go to Nicorette - a new boat in her first race. You'd have to feel good about all the money you spent.

I still reckon I'll take the 8 footer in it when I've finished her. Trouble is, the only one mad enough to go with me is Christopha ... and he'd insist on taking scotch and ... hang on, what am I complaining about?

Richard

[Iain]

Saw a Matilda cross Bass Strait, buggered if you would get me in it though.
The two S-H's we did were in a 38 footer and it was like a mill pond.

[Gumby]

Just rich men's toys that people are risking their lives on (their choice I know) and then other people have to risk their lives to rescue them (not their choice). Mick

I agree mick. the same applies to those idiots doing the solo round the world races. Half the time they end up upside down in some remote part of the southern ocean. They should be forced to pay for the rescue themselves.

[bitingmidge]

Aww come on guys!!!

Firstly the rescuers not their choice what rot!!

Mick, you wouldn't be a fireman if you didn't like putting out fires, and that's why some of us volunteer to be Air Sea Rescue or Coastguard chappies as well, we actually like getting out there and doing that stuff.

A couple of the guys I work with are Chopper pilots and I have to tell you they are scared out of their wits landing on ships in huge seas in the dead of night to evacuate injured sailors, but wouldn't give it up for anything.

Next:
Half the time they end up upside down in some remote part of the southern ocean Now I'm no authority on Solo round the world racing, but in twenty years or so I can remember two (2) boats that ended up being rescued in the southern ocean, one of them upside down. Most if not all of the others have been rescued by other competitors. Idiots they may be, but they are supremely fit and clever idiots!!

If you guys are going to get all excited about the costs, how about we ban private boats altogether...the cost of normal weekend SAR services is far greater than the occasional yacht race disaster (which forms part of a training budget for the services involved anyway).

Or better still.... if it really is a user pays thing...the victims of any home workshop accidents should pay their own way as well...after all dangerous machinery has no place in the recreational lives of decent folk.....

Apparently.


:confused: :confused: :confused:

P (grumpy cos he's at work!)

[Gumby]

I usually agree with you BM but I think the risks these guys take and the gung ho attitude is a worry. It's only a matter of time before there are more deaths out there. Having said that, you do have a point about the rescuers. They also choose their professions, and we should thank them for that.

Haver a nice day at work............I'm off to the garage to play with my toys. :D :D :D :D

[Daddles]

(grumpy cos he's at work!)

Grumpy, the midge grumpy? Nah. Don't believe it. Couldn't be. :D

Richard
at home ... with the kids down at the school wearing out the new cricket bat ... so I've got a chance to do some ... wait for it ... WORK! :mad:

[Iain]

I'm entirely with BM on this, nothing like a hands on rescue for training which they do anyway.
If we adopted this philosophy for all emergency services the police, ambulance and fire brigades would cost everyone a fortune.

[journeyman Mick]

Midge,
yes, I enjoy fighting fires but I weigh up the risks. There's one property owner who has an access that I can barely get the appliance through, with no space to turn when you get to his dwelling. There's long grass, dead trees and dry paper and cardboard "mulch" everywhere. We've told him that we won't respond to a fire at his dwelling unless he clears it up. Better one house gone and possibly its occupant than that and a truck full of fire fighters all gone.

A lot of these yachts are sacrificing seaworthiness for speed. If they want to go flat chat under sail in an eggshell maybe they should do it in safer waters. Reguarding user pays, I'm not suggesting that the rescuee meets the full cost of the actual rescue, just that for this race each entrant pay into an insurance fund which would roll over each year to help meet the cost of any rescue. I don't know about the other states but in Qld people pay a fire levy and an ambulance levy. The fire levy doesn't cover the costs involved when the fire brigade attends a motor vehicle accident, this is paid by your insurance company. Also in Qld if you live outside of an urban fire brigade area and your house catches fire (or is threatened) and the urban brigade responds you will be charged.

Yeah great, the yacht race rescues are good training but the taxpayer is still footing the bill. Surely if they can afford to build a bloody huge (and expensive) carbon fibre/kevlar etc toy to go racing in they can pay into an insurance fund to help defray rescue costs.

Mick

[Gumby]

Did you notice that Skandia is uninsured!!!!!! That's unbelievable!! :eek: :eek:

[bitingmidge]

And from the Australian:

GRANT WHARINGTON broke down and wept late yesterday when he flew to his abandoned $4million super-maxi Skandia in Bass Strait and discovered it was floating upside down.

If there was any consolation it was his decision to abandon the uninsured racer was justified. He and his 15 crew are safe. And in his mind he is also ahead financially. He raced without insurance because of the $700,000 premium demanded.

"It's probably going to cost a few hundred thousand dollars to get the yacht back," Wharington said. "And a few hundred thousand dollars more to repair it. Add that up and I think I'm still ahead."

Back with more argument tomorrow!!

(I'm still at work so I can go away next week!!) :D :D :D

P

[Gumby]

Regardless of the cost, it means he wouldn't have 3rd party insurance either. Even my off-the-beach Sabre had 3rd party insurance in case I hit some poor clod swimming when I came in. Not to mention hitting other boats. In the context of what this thing costs and the damage it could do, I think he's taking way too big a risk.