Sydney to Hobart yacht race: Shock result, record was on cards before cancellation

If the 76th Sydney to Hobart had gone ahead on Boxing Day a record and a big shock was on the cards in the race for both the line and overall honours.

The former round the world racer Willow before the Sydney to Hobart. Pic: Andrea Francolini

Most years the Sydney to Hobart frontrunners would be plotting an early morning arrival on Monday and big celebrations on the dock.

But if the race had gone ahead this year it is likely the contenders for the line honours win would have all been showered, shaved and sitting down to dinner in a restaurant by Sunday evening.

But the crew celebrating might not have been the one we were expecting.

Maserati during the start of the 2016 Sydney to Hobart. Pic: Brett Costello

A yacht 30 foot shorter than the two 100-foot supermaxis could well have pulled off a major sting by beating them to the finish line on the Derwent River.

Top yachting metrologist Roger Badham said the conditions on Sunday could well have suited Jim Cooney and his crew on Willow, the round the world race yacht formerly known as Maserati, rather than the supermaxis InfoTrack and Black Jack.

But even if the supermaxis were able to hold her out, Willow would have been looking strong for the prestigious overall honours.

Badham said the Sydney to Hobart frontrunners would have flown across Bass Strait and down the east coast of Tasmania well ahead of record pace.

“It would have been scary fast,’’ said Badham, working with the New Zealand America’s Cup team in Auckland.

The supermaxi InfoTrack training before the race.

“At times today they could have got 30 or 40 knots downwind. That’s fast, really fast, but you can’t get the record unless you are fast.

“I’ve never seen a better forecast for the big boats. The timing was just perfect.’’

Best guess is the frontrunners would have carved around four hours off the race record of one day nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds set by LDV Comanche back in 2017.

Key to winning would have been the teams ability to keep sail and human damage to a minimum with record-breaking speeds notorious for resulting in boat and sail breakage along with crew injury.

LDV Comanche set the race record in 2017 when she arrived in Hobart after just a bit over one day and nine hours at sea.

“It would have been about who held it together and made the least mistakes,’’ Badham said.

While the big boast would have had a dream run, smaller yachts would have experienced a real Hobart, complete with some nasty upwind sailing.

“It wouldn’t have been all good for them,’’ Badham said.

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