5:18 AM Thu 18 Dec 2008 GMT
The PBO (Poor Bloody Owner) has decided, 'Right, we are going to do the Sydney - Hobart, and I want some moveable ballast'. This immediately lets me out of that position as I am not that heavy, however, we are up and planning and doing all the things required to take on, arguably, the toughest annual ocean race in the world.
The Rolex Sydney to Hobart starts at 34' south and goes to 43' south, into the roaring 40s.
The great thing here is, I live in Melbourne, (VIC), and the boat lives in Sydney (NSW), the trade off is, I am also consigned to do the delivery trip back to Sydney, no wuckers errrm problem!!
Let's fly to Sydney on Christmas Day.
So what is it like when dawn breaks on race day, Boxing Day, when the gun will go at in 7 hours time at 1300?
First thought when the alarm goes off is 'oops', reach for the Bedrock's (TM), ahh thats better, now for breakfast. Hmm well toughen up lad, eat!
Next the check list of all the last minute fresh food and other assorted, 'oh bugger, I am glad I thought of that' items, packed into the car (bump huh? apparently next door neighbours damn cat is always under the car), we are off to the club.
This is where you have been lucky, as the yacht is moored in a bay called Mosman at the best kept secret of Sydney, a yacht club called the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club.
The SASC, cannot be confused with the CYCA (Cruising Yacht Club of Australia) the organising club of the Sydney to Hobart, mainly as its absolute mayhem and organised chaos (on the part of the individual yachts not the CYCA)
Over at the CYCA, people are everywhere!!! All in various states of mental disposition and geniality. There are people up masts, yelling instructions below, meanwhile the boat next to them, also has someone up the mast. Well of course, the instructions get mixed up a bit between the two boats (heh, I think you can see where this going!),
 | Boxing Day crowds at the CYCA - before the start of the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race- Crosbie Lorimer |
Flags are flapping in the wind, skirts are lifting in the wind, (uummm sorry I meant the ends of sail bags flapping while draped over the boom while someone is doing a last minute snap self imposed safety check, turns out the new storm sails are apparently in driveway at the place you left, the bumps that you were told belonged to the next door neighbours cat, were actually the new storm sails, well not so new now. Glad the 'old' ones are still on board!)
Did I mention the skirts? Someone has just decided to check if their spinnaker is dry, by hoisting it whilst in the marina pen, ( a loud and angry PBO voice is now heard, 'Where the XXXX is the sail repair kit') Four X is also a known brand of beer. I don't think that is what was meant.
What else? Oh yes, wheelbarrows, legions of them, (I think they have a breeding nest somewhere close) you can see them wheeling up and down the marina arms taking out the last minute food items ( well dried dog and cat biscuit packs for some yachts, who think they are going to break the race record).
The major problem with this particular snapshot is that you desperately need a wheelbarrow, and can't find one for the love of your best mate's girlfriend, or boyfriend, (I don't need to know the details)
Then there is the cacophony of ring tones from mobile phones, (cell phones) that threatens to drown out the CYCA public address system.
(They are in constant use, even by fish and other aquatic life forms. They do have a problem though with the keypads. A recent SMS (text message), was recently sent to all yachties world wide, by Zeus, asking that all yachties buy voice activated phones, to give at least the ordinary fish a chance at modern technology.)
And that brings us to one of the more valuable apparatus on a yacht, the boat hook. This oft overlooked stick with a funny bit on the end plays a most incredible role in the CYCA marina on Boxing Day, rescuing sunglasses.
The boat hook has also been known to be of use at sea. I am not sure how many boat hooks the CYCA recovers the day after Boxing Day, they have not released the data.
On your yacht, its serenity, oops wrong yacht.
On your yacht, well not really your yacht, the skipper has just done a war dance, followed by an apoplectic fit, the cat he had thought he had run over, was actually the new mainsail, (not the storm sails, as they were always perfect , lets not go there either)
What's worse, he has left his reading glasses next to the fax machine with the latest CSIRO East Australian Current predictions!
Now this is really serious, No reading glasses for the skipper, (several fish offer some prescription sunglasses as an alternative, well try to, as they can't operate the keypads).
Its 1200 hours , the gun goes at 1300., everyone just wants to leave the marina, no matter which club they are at, to establish some order.
Quick lingering and fast goodbyes to those not coming with you. Cast off all lines, motor in reverse, spin on the keel, motor out of the marina. Hoist the mainsail.
It's at this moment the butterflies kick in, they have always been there, pushed to the background.
The weather forecast is for balmy 2 to 4 knots gusting 6 knots. The maxis yachts are steaming through at three times our speed god their trisails are fast. Why have they their storm sails up? OPPS !! That's 20 to 40 knots gusting 60, damn glasses, where is that fish. (We need someone to come up with sails, that explode and rebuild at will, nano like, oh seven of nine).
The crew has all their gear on. Well, make that me, I have my gear on, where the hell is my hat, bugger, and where my sailing gloves, ahhhhh got them.
 | December 26 tradition - the Rolex Sydney Hobart start - Daniel Forster |
11 minutes to start, GUN!! make that 10 minutes, hit the stop watch, and boat timer for good measure, along with 1000 other yachties who do the same thing on their wrists and nav stations on the other 90 yachts.
GUN!!!!!!!!!!!! 5 minutes
Down! Down! , Up! Up! SKIRTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT! are the shouts, (where?) Water over the deck, ahh Sheer Bliss, nothing like leaving your wet weather gear open so you get wet before the start.
GYBE!!!! GYBE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! . WTF a 720!! ? Are you nuts!!!? XXXX!!! Sure glad that winch was there to crack my knee, and that other winch was able take the blow for my elbow FOR XXXX SAKES TRIM FOR SPEED!!! (More beer? now?)
BANG CRACK
HOLED!!! Wallowing away from the start line.
WASN'T US! spin, tack, gybe again, XXXX, trim for speed , WEIGHT UP (hey!!, I am not the moveable ballast!
GUN!!!!!!!!!!!! It's a start!!!!!
The butterflies are still with me, 12 going 13 times now or is it 13 going 14, it doesn't matter, the butterflies: STARBOARD!!!!! : The butterflies will not go away till we clear the heads.
PS The SASC has reported the recovery of one boat hook, a pair of sunglasses, 2 mobile phones and the receipt of a really weird SMS about a cat.
(ED: Trevor is a Technical Editor for Sail-world, and has done all bar two of his 14 Sydney Hobart's on Mark Twain, an S&S 39 which was the first yacht to do 25 Sydney - Hobart's, and was a member of the crew when this occurred in 2002. Thank you Hugh).
by Trevor Walkley
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