Sydney Hobart 2010 - Too good to be true for Saies in slow boat Hobart by Patrick Tenpin Bollen
While it was, as always, a Boxing day colour spectacle on Sydney Harbour, the 65th Rolex Sydney to Hobart was an anti climax to say the least. The eight minute race to the Heads was all over in the blink of an eye.
The much anticipated clash between Alfa Romeo and Wild Oats XI was a bit of a fizzer with the former putting in a flawless performance to lead her rival to sea by ten boat lengths with the British contender ICAP Leopard, who took line honours in the 2009 Fastnet race a further four lengths astern.
Both Wild Oats and Loyal suffered early sail problems which robbed them of the opportunity to take it to the slick Alfa Romeo. As history records, the boat who gets out of Sydney first is most likely to be the first boat into Hobart.
No more is sailing a scene of traditional gleaming white hulls, varnished cabin sides and crisp white sails. Today, it is all about sponsorship and to be sure Sydney Harbour resembled an advertiser’s aquatic dream as placards of many colours with sails of cream, grey, blue and sometimes white were adorned with big, bold and brazen logos screaming loudly to all who watch that this yacht or that is backed or supported by a car company, an insurance company or a wine business.
The crew of Two True celebrate after receiving the Tattersall's Cup dockside and the Rolex Yacht-Master timepiece.“What’s that zebra all about on the sail of Loyal?” I overheard one spectator ask on board the motor vessel Commissioner as we pursued the fleet past Obelisk Beach under a foreboding cloud laden sky.
“That’s the Investec Bank logo,” came the reply, as skipper Sean Langman and his crew including seven Aussie sporting legends and celebrities chased the front runners to sea. A moment later Loyal’s crew were frantically trying to re-attach the tack of their huge headsail. Ah, the joys of ocean racing.
“We were just off the Gap when the tack fitting just blew and with no haul-down line we were forced to reach off. This cost us three miles. An hour later we had an issue with the canting keel and then off Wollongong we blew out the No 3.
“Not a good start and to tell the truth I seriously considered pulling out. As we got the boat together we started to go through the fleet. I reckon we did well considering our early problems,” said a reflective Loyal skipper.
Meanwhile back in the harbour as the bulk of the fleet was making its way to the Heads the 2003 line honours winner Grant Wharington was having more than his fair share of problems. Holy CowAfter losing his mast enroute to Sydney, Ethiad Stadium Wild Thing became the first retirement of the race with rigging issues. Wharo and his crew had worked feverishly 24 hours a day in the lead up to the start fitting a new million dollar mast, only to be forced out of contention shortly after the gun.
If nothing else Wharington deserves a trophy for winning the publicity stakes after dominating headlines not only in the pre-race build up but also for twelve hours after the start.
RanThe first night saw a close contest between the front runners in lumpy conditions lasting about 12 hours with only minutes separating the big three. No matter how they tried, neither Mark Richards on Wild Oats XI or Mike Slade on ICAP Leopard could close the gap on the polished Alfa Romeo who kept inching ahead as the fleet headed south.
“We got a good start but we made two horrible gybes going up the harbour and Neville got away from us,” said Richards.
“By morning we’d only covered about a hundred miles. In the softer nor’easterlies we fell into a hole just off Mollymook. We were in company with ICAP. Neville was on the edge of a fresher breeze and sailed away from us. We were stuck for two hours and you can’t give anyone that sort of a break in ocean racing … particularly a boat like Alfa Romeo.
“At the end of the day it all comes down to crew training and time on the water. Alfa Romeo did a great job but we will be back in 2011,” the four time line honours winner Richards said.
As the fleet slowly sailed south it was clearly apparent the race record was safely in tact. At the tail end some of the older and smaller boats including Zephyr, SES Inch by Winch, Namadgi, Seahold Perie Banou II and Polaris of Belmont were enjoying a frustrating but leisurely sail in the soft conditions.
Handicap favourite Limit became the next casualty retiring with rigging problems.
There was no way of telling who would win on corrected time but after nearly 24 hours on the water the British yacht Ran skippered by Niklas Zennstrom, last year’s winner Quest, Ichi Ban and Alfa Romeo were looking good.
The smaller yachts weren’t even considered as the big boats showed the way. However, as the race unfolded this picture would change dramatically.
2009 will be remembered as the race that seemed to take forever. The race record of 1 day 18 hours 40 mins and 10 secs was as safe as houses. There was not a hope in Hades that the blistering performance by Wild Oats XI in 2005 would be bettered.
As Alfa Romeo neared Tasman Island Wild Oats and ICAP Leopard found new breeze and made a last ditch effort to catch the leader, narrowing the gap to 20 miles. But it was too little, too late, and with good wind, Crichton and his crew drove the gleaming steel grey Alfa Romeo to victory crossing the finish line off Battery Point just after 10pm.
Hundreds gathered at Constitution Dock to applaud the victors. This win is Crichton’s second.
“The Rolex Sydney to Hobart is the pinnacle. It is right up there,” said a relieved Crichton.
Crewman Murray Spence said, “We had boats breathing down our necks all the way so no one was ever able to relax. It was an exhausting race.”
With Alfa Romeo enjoying the spoils of a well deserved line honours win and establishing a bench time to beat, the battle for the handicap prize was now on. Ran, Wicked (Mike Welch) from Lake Macquarie, Tony Kirby’s Patrice Six, Ninety Seven, Anthony Patterson’s Tow Truck also from Lake Macquarie and Andrew Saies production Beneteau 40 Two True were all in contention.
As the hours ticked by it became a nervous wait for those already in Constitution Dock. In the final stages Tony Kirby’s X41, Patrice Six looked an almost certainty to take out the coveted Tattersall’s Cup; only to be pipped by two little known yachts from Adelaide and Melbourne.
When the JV72 Ran, overall winner of the 2009 Fastnet, crossed the line in fifth place just behind Investec Loyal, covering the distance in 2 days 20 hours and displacing Alfa Romeo in the race for handicap honours by 83 minutes, a new standard was created.
Kirby took nearly four days to complete the 628nm course. He was well positioned to take the honour, crossing the line in 36th place, but just astern was a virtual unknown from South Australia who had from the start sailed what would ultimately prove to be the perfect performance.
While the front runners were savouring the delights of a well earned beer or rum in many of Hobart’s waterfront pubs and bars, the battle for handicap was taking place in the final miles between Tasman Island and the finish.
Just three hours separated a group of yachts including Tow Truck, St Jude, Patrice Six, Suesea, Imagination, Two True, Wasabi, Wicked, Holy Cow and the Sydney 38s Swish and Next.
Only one could take the prize and to his delight at 1249hrs on December 30, South Australian orthopaedic surgeon Andrew Saies and his crew aboard the new Beneteau 40 Two True slipped into the Hobart history books. Fifteen minutes later Mike Welsh and Wicked would sail into second place and five minutes on Ian Mason would secure third place with Next.
Only one thing stood in Saies’ way. He had yet to survive a meeting with the International Race Committee after learning that a protest had been lodged following an incident at the first rounding mark in Sydney on Boxing Day that forced the Tasmanian yacht, She’s The Culprit to retire with minor hull damage.
Two True did execute a 720 degree penalty turn following the incident.
“I am absolutely thrilled with the boat and my crew and obviously very happy with the International jury’s decision to exonerate us of any wrong doing,” an elated Saies said.
“It was a pretty straight forward race as far as weather and conditions go and the light winds slowed the big boats so that gave us a shot. We didn’t go into the Hobart expecting to win,” said a humble Andrew Saies. “We just put in a steady performance and it wasn’t until we got to Tasman Island that we realised we were in with a chance. Our rating was good. All we had to do was stay out of trouble and finish well.”
“This is an iconic yacht race and every yachtie in Australia wants to win the Hobart. I am very proud to have achieved this once in a lifetime.”
Two True’s win is the fourth by a South Australian boat. The first was Colin Haselgrove’s Nerida in 1950 then Ingrid in 1952. The last win was SAP Ausmaid (Kevin Pearce) in 2000.
Of the 100 starters all but five completed the passage.

What coverage?

Television coverage of the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race was far from impressive.
Apart from the actual vision of the start on Boxing Day, one could be excused for thinking that Channel 7 played any part at all in bringing news of the race into our living rooms.
Channel 7 currently holds the rights to broadcast the event. Yet prior to the start who would’ve known that there was a major international yacht race about to take place.
7’s coverage of the race itself was to say the least, very thin indeed.
The best, most comprehensive and up-to-date reporting of the yacht race was on Sky News National who provided constant and immediate news updates every half hour of the pre-race build up, the race itself, the finish and the final wrap.
This major iconic international sporting event can be covered more thoroughly and the public, not just those who are passionate about sailing and matters of sports aquatic, but all people, can be better served not only by the television networks but also the daily newspapers.
There once was a time not that long ago when the media thrived on this great sporting tradition.
Patrick Bollen

Results

IRC Overall:    Two True (SA) – Andrew Saies Corrected 4d 07h 57m 43s; 2nd Wicked (VIC) – Mike Welsh;
3rd Next (NSW) – Ian Mason.
IRC Div 0:    Alfa Romeo – Neville Crichton (NZ).
IRC Div 1:    Ran – Niklas Zennstrom (UK).
IRC Div2:    Tow Truck – Anthony Paterson (NSW).
IRC Div 3:    Next – Ian Mason (NSW).
IRC Div4:    Two True – Andrew Saies (SA).
PHS Div 1:    Wasabi – Bruce McKay (NSW).
PHS Div 2:    She – Peter Rodgers (NSW).
Sydney 38:    Swish – Steven Proud (NSW).
ORCI:    Two True – Andrew Saies (SA).
Cruising:    Holy Cow – John Clinton (NSW).
Line Honours:    Alfa Romeo (NZ) – Neville Crichton 2d 09h 02m 10s.