Sydney to Hobart yacht race: Fears Covid will infect fleet before Boxing Day start

It’s rampaging in the suburbs and Sydney to Hobart sailors believe Covid will also impact their crewmates in the 2021 race - but have a plan to ensure they can race on.

The crew of Alive, a former overall winner of the Sydney to Hobart.

Sydney to Hobart sailors are planning for the worse but hoping for the best as the countdown to the 2021 race ticks down, with emergency replacement crews “on ice” to fill any voids left by positive Covid cases.

Multiple crews have additional sailors on standby to cover any of their crew members getting infected as case numbers soar across the country in the final lead in to the race on Boxing Day.

Fears Covid-19 could decimate Sydney to Hobart crews have already seen race officials put a stop to social function associated with the race., including a crew party and skipepr event, and the famous tradition of farewelling the fleet from the dock on Boxing Day.

The race to Tasmania was cancelled last year for the fist time in history.

Now it has been revealed many boats in the 2021 fleet, including supermaxis Scallywag and LawConnect, each have five or six sailors ready to answer an SOS call.

This call is expected to be made sometime from December 23 onwards as sailors receive their results from a compulsory pre-race Covid test that every sailor must do to be compliant for the race cancelled last year due to the pandemic and to get into Tasmania which only recently reopened its borders.

“We’d have to be super lucky if no one in the fleet got it,” said LawConnect tactician and multiple Olympian Chris Nicholson.

“We know of several people around if needed.”

Nicholson, who lives at Lake Macquarie, has not been with any of his Sydney to Hobart crewmates since December 12 to help prevent Covid destroying the boats campaign if anyone contracts the virus in the lead-up.

Ichi Ban’s Matt Allen on Sydney Harbour before the latest Covid threat.

The crew on the supermaxi Black Jack were sent into isolation after a Covid scare in early December.

URM skipper Marcus Ashby-Jones, one of the overall contenders, said he is also preparing for the worse with a back-up plan.

“We have people we can call,” said the Sydney to Hobart veteran from the Eastern Suburbs.

“We have a few spares up our sleeve.”

Former overall winner Matt Allen also has “five or six’’ backup crew ready to race on his overall honours contender Ichi Ban if required by a positive Covid test or close contact with one.

Crews most at risk of having their campaigns destroyed are those in the new two-handled division.

The victorious crew of Rani, the first winners of the Sydney to Hobart back in 1945.

A positive test from one of the two sailors on any of the 18 yachts setting sail and their campaign is over before it begins.

The 2020 Sydney to Hobart was cancelled less than a week out after a coronavirus outbreak on the northern beaches.

This year every yacht has a Covid safely plan in place for the race, crews must fill out documents required by the Tasmanian government to enter before they leave Sydney.

The host club, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, is also banning spectators from the dock before yachts leave on Boxing Day around 11am.

Each boat will be restricted to just three support crew to reduce the risk of a late infection before the 1pm start.

SPECTATORS, FAMILIES KEPT AT BAY FOR SYDNEY TO HOBART RACE DEPART

DECEMBER 16: Family, friends and general spectators will be unable to farewell their loved ones before the start of the 2021 Sydney to Hobart yacht race from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia marina as part of Covid safety measures.

CYCA commodore Noel Cornish said plans continue to forge ahead for the 1pm start of the annual Boxing Day race which was last year cancelled just six days out due to a cluster on Sydney’s northern beaches.

Scallywag, skippered by David Witt, racing down the harbour during the 2021 SOLAS Big Boat Challenge.

“I’m not nervous person,’’ he said on Wednesday as the border with Tasmania reopened.

But restricting each boat to just three support crew on the dock at the CYCA is one of the measures being enforced to help ensure the race is run without Covid dramas.

The dock, which houses the majority of the fleet, is traditionally brimming with family, friends and spectators eager to farewell the fleet as its heads out to the Sydney to Hobart starting line.

Cornish said the dock will reopen once the fleet has left for the start of the race.

The edict is just one of the measures in place to help protect sailors who must be double vaccinated to race but also have a negative Covid test result 72 hours before the start.

“We are trying to do whatever we can. At the clubhouse we are trying to minimise the activities of people coming in,’’ said Cornish.

“On Boxing Day we are only going to allow crew and a limited number of support crew for each crew until 10am on the marina.

“We want minimal contact for them so there will just be three support crew for each boat.’’

COVID SEND FRIGHT THROUGH SYDNEY TO HOBART FLEET

DECEMBER 10: Numerous skippers have decided to complete their preparations for the Sydney to Hobart race weeks – rather than days – in advance – and have asked sailors to stay away from social events or gatherings.

The famous ocean race was last year cancelled for the first time due to a coronavirus outbreak on the northern beaches.

This year a fright has been sent through sailing circles with the crew on the super maxi Black Jack currently in 14 day isolation after a positive test in its crew late last week.

Sydney to Hobart yachts racing up the harbour during the 2021 SOLAS Big Boat Challenge.

Scallywag skipper David Witt confirmed his crew will be wrapping up preparations for the 628 nautical mile race much earlier than ever before to increase their chances of avoiding any Covid related issues.

He and fellow sailors, all double vaccinated to do the race, will also be staying away from mass gatherings and minimising the social that is usually part and parcel of the Sydney to Hobart.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, which runs the race, has already cancelled the annual Sydney to Hobart crew party which is traditionally attended by hundreds of the skippers and sailors.

The crew on the former Sydney to Hobart overall winner Alive. Pic: Mark Evans/Getty

A corporate Sydney To Hobart lunch was also cancelled last week.

Witt, a former Sydney 18-foot skiff sailor and round the world skipper, is still recovering from contracting Covid-19 in Malaysia this year.

“It’s the sensible thing to do. One gets it, it’s likely you will all get it,” Witt said of keeping mass crew training sessions to a minimum in the final countdown to the race.

Many yachties have expressed the concerned that if one crew contracts the virus or was a close contact of someone with it, their Sydney To Hobart campaigns could be over before it begins.

So instead of spending hours in close confines with each other ahead of the December 26 start to the race, crews like Scallywag and fellow line honours favourite LawConnect are completing their preparations early and not taking their boats out for training or racing again until race day.

The bowmen on LawConnect working overtime during a race on Sydney Harbour.

Christian Beck’s Law Connect and Scallywag raced each other for the final time on Tuesday in the annual Big Boat race on the harbour.

Law Connect strategist Chris Nicholson said only limited sailing will now be done by the crew ahead of the December 26 start of the race.

“It’s the best way to keep everyone safe, not being together so much,” said the former Australian Olympian, multiple 49er will champion and round the world racer.

Currently 103 yachts are slated to start the race on Boxing Day.

SYDNEY TO HOBART CREW IN COVID SCARE JUST WEEKS OUT

December 7: Crew members for one of the favourites for Sydney to Hobart have been plunged into isolation following a Covid case.

However, Black Jack owner Peter Harburg has said he’s confident his supermaxi crew will be on the start line come December 26.

Harburg and 18 of his fellow sailors are in isolation after one of the crew contracting Covid.

Harburg and his team were notable omissions from the annual Big Boat Challenge on Sydney Harbour and will not be out of isolation until just days before the December 26 start of the Sydney to Hobart.

Supermaxi yacht Black Jack is one of the line honours favourites.

“We are all casual contacts because we were outside on the deck but as a precaution we are all isolating,’’ the veteran sailor said.

“All the crew have now had two tests and are all negative which is good. All the boys are double vaxxed.

“The boy with Covid has no symptoms at all.’’

Harburg, whose 100-footer is skippered by Mark Bradford, said once they finish the 14 days of isolation select crew members will take the yacht for a 24 hour qualifier on December 21 or 22.

“At this stage we will be on the start line,’’ he said.

All sailors must have a negative Covid test 72 hours before the 1pm start of the race on Boxing Day.

Black Jack has missed all the last-minute racing ahead of the Sydney to Hobart.

They must all be double vaccinated to compete.

The Sydney to Hobart race was cancelled last year due to an outbreak of the virus on the northern beaches. It was the first time it has been cancelled in its history which dates back to 1945.

More than 100 yachts have entered the 2021 Sydney to Hobart, including 19 two-handed boats.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia confirmed that a positive Covid case had been at the club on Friday.

In a newsletter to members, the club, which runs the Sydney to Hobart, said it had been advised on Monday that a Covid case visited the clubhouse on December 3 and was potentially infectious at the time. The person was not a member.

The club was then advised that a close contact of this person, who had been on the ground floor of the club on Sunday, had also tested positive.

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