Sydney Hobart - Go Wharro!!

10:56 PM Fri 25 Dec 2009 GMT

'Etihad Stadium’s Skipper Grant Wharington (left) with navigator Graeme ’GT’ Taylor. - Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race 2009' Teri Dodds &copy

Fifteen days ago when the 40 metre mast on Grant Wharington's Etihad Stadium supermaxi came smashing down with a shower of carbon fibre shards, one of his supermaxi competitors said. 1000-1 against Wharington making the start line.

Just four hours before the 2009 start, even though Wharington's Etihad Stadium still has not been for a sail with her new mast, the question was still unanswered.

However Grant Wharington and Graeme Taylor (GT) announced their intentions after the morning weather briefing.

Wharington with his trademark grin said 'We will be on the start line!

'It has been an enormous effort by the whole team, 50 people involved in this project and last night we had five hours sleep, the longest in the last 15 days.

'Everything above deck is new for us. Thankfully we have been able to purchase sails from Neville (Crichton) he has been very helpful. So too have been our insurers Club Marine who expedited the claim.'

Graeme Taylor, who has sailed tens of thousands of sea miles with Wharington in boats large and small, has been in charge of operations and logistics. This morning he summed up 'Below decks the boat is fine, all systems go. We still have more to do before we hit the start line but I am pleased with just how well prepared we are.'

With his familiar optimism, Wharington added 'Actually we are expecting to be very competitive. With a lighter mast, 125kg less and additional sail area, we will be faster than before.

'Our main weakness is the lack of a big reaching spinnaker, the kind that Alfa Romeo and Wild Oats XI have (a Cuben fibre North Sails R1).

'We just got a message from Don Jones, (the Etihad Stadium designer). It said, 'Good luck and we hope you have light winds'. He is right, if we have light winds we can have a great race.

'Right now we just need to tick off the milestones. We have 12 milestones. The first is get to the start line, and then the seamark .... number 12 is having a beer in Hobart.

'See you all there!'

by Rob Kothe

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