Sydney Hobart - Can Wharington get Etihad Stadium to the startline?

6:25 AM Sun 13 Dec 2009 GMT

'Etihad Stadium following its dismasting in Bass Strait en route to Sydney for the Boxing Day start of the 2009 Rolex Sydney Hobart' Etihad Stadium Click Here to view large photo

One of the six supermaxis listed to start in the 628 nautical mile Sydney to Hobart race, Etihad Stadium, the former Skandia Wild Thing was dismasted in Bass Strait on her delivery run to Sydney.

The wounded 98 foot supermaxi has now motored into Sydney Harbour and is heading for Noakes Boatyard at North Sydney, where it will be based whilst plans are put together for the next week.

There was no day of rest in Victoria today, as Etihad Stadium Supermaxi owner and skipper Grant Wharington and a number of people from his crew hooked up on a conference call with the New Zealand based Southern Spars team, a world leader in the design and construction of carbon fibre masts.

One of the engineers gave up his Sunday morning to overlay the boat rig plans of the mast that is now at the bottom of Bass Strait and the replacement mast belonging to Alfa Romeo's Neville Crichton to determine how the replacement mast can be worked into the Etihad Stadium Supermaxi layout.

At this stage, the tired but ever optimistic Wharington, believes that it could be do-able.

"Based on what we saw with the rig plans today, there are no insurmountable problems with the use of the replacement mast at this stage" he said.

"Our next challenge however, is the transport, and we have a few people working on some possible solutions to that problem - we'll know more later tonight"

Southern Spars will be working overnight on their report and assessment of the situation and the timeframe available, and will deliver their findings early tomorrow.

"The Southern Spars team will come back to us tomorrow with an analysis and recommendation - as well as some very tight timelines should we be able to go ahead with getting and installing the replacement mast" said Grant.

Grant and Etihad Stadium’s Ian Collins before the boat left Melbourne. -

Should all logistics swing in the favour of the Etihad Stadium Supermaxi, and the mast can get here in the timeframes required, she may be back sailing on Sydney Harbour in a little over a week's time - and be race ready by Boxing Day to line up with the other 6 supermaxis to start in the 2009 Rolex Sydney Hobart.

All of the pieces of the logistical puzzle will start to come together over the next 24 hours, and timing is critical.

"As soon as Europe wakes up from the weekend and returns to work, we will start to form some solid plans and be able to make some definite decisions"said Grant.

And then the work really begins....

by Jody O'Brien