The largest fleet in a decade is how the Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia described this year’s entry list when he announced the forthcoming Rolex Sydney to Hobart fleet for Australia’s premier blue water yachting event, regarded as the toughest ocean race in the world.
  One hundred and twelve yachts have nominated for this year’s gruelling 628 nautical mile sailing challenge past the majestic cliff-lined Heads of Sydney Harbour to the picturesque waterfront docks of Hobart town on the Derwent River.  “I am delighted with the entry level for this year’s race.  We have high quality applications spread across many divisional bands which will lead to excellent racing,” said CYCA Commodore Matt Allen.
  “To have all six states of Australia represented is a great feature of the race and the event’s international flavour and reputation is greatly enhanced by the number of foreign visitors including a strong contingent from Europe including entries from France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Russia and the United Kingdom along with one entry from the USA, two yachts from New Zealand and one from New Caledonia.”
  This year’s fleet truly is an impressive one bringing together the absolute best there is in Australia to contest this often punishing ocean classic. 
  The Hobart race is definitely not for the faint hearted. From the always glamorous and colourful carnival-like atmosphere of Sydney Harbour through the grand cliffs of North and South Heads then down the trying waters off the New South Wales coast and across the eastern edge of the notorious Bass Strait and then negotiating the tricky Tasmanian Coast to the wild waters of Storm Bay and finally the fluky tidal flows of the River Derwent – the Hobart race is a true test of stamina, courage and patience in more often than not extremely miserable conditions enduring the cold, the wet and most of all sleep deprivation.  But hey, that is the sport of ocean racing and believe it or not some of us actually consider this fun.
  In the quality mix of entries comes many tried and tested campaigners featuring past winners including Bob Steel, Ed Psaltis and Bob Thomas, Syd Fischer, Geoff Ross and Bob Oatley just to mention some of the sport’s great names who have been fortunate enough to wrap their arms around the coveted Tattersall Trophy which is presented each year to the overall winner of this great ocean race.
  Then there are all the others owners, skippers and crews who rise to the occasion annually in the hope of achieving victory be it overall or in their respective divisions.
  Owners like West Australian Alan Brierty, who after a big spell away from the Hobart rhumb line course is back this year with Limit, a new Reichel Pugh 63 which was recently completed by Mornington boat builder Mal Hart. While Limit will have only raced the Rolex series which precedes the Hobart race, sailing master Roger Hickman has high expectations for the new yacht.
  “We have a terrific crew including Greg Prescott, who has sailed the course 23 times, Peter Inchbold and Barney Walker with Alan calling tactics,” said Hickman who will be starting in his 32nd Hobart.
  Brierty loves the race.
  “It’s all about the challenge and the personal bonding with your mates. It’s a great way to go to a party,” said the affable Limit owner.
  While the race for line honours each year is the duel that attracts most of the media attention the real race is generally fought out in the group of competitors chasing the big boats and the middle of the fleet, however, much depends on the conditions.
  The contest to watch will be that between a number of boats including the Reichel Pugh TP 52s, Quest (Bob Steel), Ragamuffin (Syd Fischer), Cougar II (Alan Whiteley), Wot Yot (Graeme Wood, skippered by Bill Sykes) which will be crewed by a team of youth sailors from the CYCA and Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, the new Judel Vrolijk 52, Wot Now (Graeme Wood), the Cookson 50 Quantum Racing (Ray Roberts), Yendys (Geoff Ross) and the Farr 55 from Victoria Living Doll (Michael Hiatt).
  Graeme Wood from Wot Now is quietly confident of a good result. However, he admits that his crew hasn’t spent much time on the water in the lead up.  “I’ve got a good bunch of yachtsmen on board including the highly experienced and talented Julian Freeman from Hobart. Stiff competition is always good. We’ll give it a good shake,” said Wood.
  Quest’s Bob Steel says his boat is very fast, however, it is always a testing event when in the company of such high competition.
  “Our rivals will push us hard especially Ray Roberts with Quantum which sports a canting keel and is dynamite.
  You gotta be prepared for anything as the weather is so changeable,” Steel said.
  “[Weather] conditions are so unpredictable in this race.
  I don’t know how I got talked into this one. I should’ve gone down last year. It was a pearler.”
  Australia’s most prolific ocean racer Syd Fischer says Ragamuffin is now stiffer after making some changes to the bow configuration to eliminate slamming and, like Steel, can’t quite pick the weather.
  “Buggered if I know. The weather is so changeable you have to be ready for anything and be prepared to go hard all the way, day and night.”
  Fischer, who is lining up for his 40th Hobart will be joined by his loyal mate Tony ‘Grumpy’ Ellis (who will notch up his 43rd race), principal helmsman Matt Hayes and a strong and experienced bunch of Kiwi sailors.
  This year’s fleet will enjoy a strong international entry including the famous Californian downwind flyer more suited to Transpac racing than the unpredictable waters of the Tasman sea. Ragtime (Chris Welch), a Spencer design 65ft sled is as synonymous to American ocean racing as Ragamuffin is to Australian offshore racing.
  Intrepid round-the-world sailor Jon Sanders from the Royal Perth Yacht Club is returning to the fray for another crack at glory with his famous S&S 39, Seahold Perie Banou in which he circumnavigated our planet three times without stopping.
  David Pescud owner of the eight-year-old Lyons 54, Kaz - Sailors With Disabilities has a passion for the Sydney to Hobart yacht race equal to that of his fervour for giving disabled people a go at offshore yacht racing.
  Pescud, who will be sailing his 17th Hobart race, these days spends much of his time on his property at Tahmoor near Picton. He loves being at sea but when asked why he continues to pursue the Hobart dream said:
  “It’s a good question. I can’t give you a definitive answer but you know it’s ocean racing’s holy grail. It’s all about the challenge of seamanship, the competition and for me the opportunity to build a team; especially about what focused disabled people can achieve when they all work together in testing conditions. Through the media I am able to bring this to the attention of the whole country. It’s bloody good fun!”
  Ian ‘Captain Clean up’ Kiernan has entered his stunning 50-year-old classic yacht, Sanyo Maris. Originally built for renowned marine artist Jack Earl this beautiful 12 metre Tasman Seabird, designed by the late Alan Payne Sanyo Maris recently won the 414 nautical mile Lord Howe Island race and by doing so became the oldest yacht to win a major ocean race in Aussie waters in modern times.
  Kiernan will skipper the boat with a world class crew including Hugh Treharne, and Ian’s new partners in Maris: Lord Howe Island resident John Green, Tiare Tomaszewski and Ben Hawke. Ben and Tiare are grandchildren of the yacht’s original owner, Jack Earl, and children of Jack’s daughter Maris, for whom the boat was named.
  The 38-year-old Alan Payne design Polaris of Belmont (Chris Dawe) is another classic entry sailing the course to Constitution Dock this Boxing Day; and of course the old man of the sea,
  John Walker from Middle Harbour Yacht Club, now in his mid-80s, he can’t resist one more crack at the ‘Grail’ and has again entered his 33 foot Peterson design Impeccable.
  At the big end of town the race for line honours will be a hotly contested affair between the maxi big boat champion, three time line honours winner and current race record holder Wild Oats XI (Bob Oatley) and the older former line winner Skandia (Grant Wharington) from the Mornington Yacht Club.
  These two will be pressed by Andrew Short with his latest yacht the magnificent Reichel Pugh design Shockwave and possibly by the littleknown Russian entry Trading Network Alye Parusa skippered by Oscar Konyukhow.
  “I think we’ve got it this time. She is a beautiful boat and delivers the goods every time we go out,” said Short when I caught up with him at the CYC.
  Other boats tipped to do well include Peter Harburg’s new Reichel Pugh 66 Black Jack named after former Formula 1 motor racing world champion Sir Jack Brabham, Stephen Ainsworth’s Loki, and Commodore Matt Allen’s Jones-design 70 footer Ichi Ban whose crew includes former Hobart winner Michael Spies.
  Big or small, new or old, fast or slow it doesn’t matter that much really as the Hobart Race has always been about the adventure, the challenge, the teamwork and the bonding of men and women who choose to tackle this quest that has become an Australian sporting icon revered the world over, and that captures the imagination of people everywhere.