10:29 PM Sun 25 Oct 2009 GMT
The Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, often described as 628 nautical miles of sheer torture, has again attracted an international standard fleet including Bob Oatley's record breaking super maxi Wild Oats Xl.
Owner Bob Oatley and principal helmsman Mark Richards will fly the new Hamilton Island Yacht Club burgee when they go head to head with England's ICAP Leopard and New Zealand born skipper Neville Crichton's impressively fast Alfa Romeo.
This clash, like all previous races in recent times, will command the space on the daily news bulletins while the smaller entrants duel for the honours of winning the corrected handicap and overall class honours.
The start line set on Sydney's spectacular harbour, represents an irresistible challenge for a wide range of sailors including Olympic Medallists, America's Cup winners, Volvo sailors and a group of equally determined club sailors, who relish the chance to compete in one major blue water marathon every year.
These sailors, some of whom struggle to complete the financial commitment to compete by racing with a set of race weary sails, are realistically the heart and soul of this physically and tactically demanding ocean sailing classic.
Whitsunday Sailing Club skipper Leo Rodriguis and his Telecoininabox crew are among those 'Aussie Battlers'.
Interestingly Rodriguis and his tropical shirt sailors upstaged the Sydney Hobart Race elite by winning the 2008 Performance handicap class trophy after completing a dramatic rescue of the Victorian crew on Georgia before the yacht sunk.
Officially they are yet to lodge their race documents however skipper Leo Rodriguis and crew of experienced sailors believe they have unfinished business and would like to record a Hobart race finish without a dramatic mid-race pit stop. But they would never hesitate to answer another call to stop racing and offer their help if a rival crew were floundering at sea.
The Whitsunday sailors received a memorable welcome for the call of duty and feat of outstanding seamanship when they eventually completed that race in 3 days 1 hour 58 minutes 58 seconds on the 29th of December last year.
They received a traditional Hobart Race hero's welcome offered to all sailors who look after their mates at sea.
Technically Telecoininabox finished 20th on provisional corrected handicap however officials granted the crew an 18 hour adjustment to their time after considering the nature of the rescue, which ultimately placed them as the overall winner of the Performance handicap division.
It's a costly commitment to even reach the start line but skipper Leo Rodriguis and his crew are determined to make the Boxing Day start to defend their trophy and enjoy the atmosphere of celebrating New Year's Eve at the historical Constitution Dock in Hobart.
by Ian Grant
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