Women’s pro crew will be absent from 75th Sydney to Hobart yacht race
Last year they came close to pulling off a major ocean racing sting but this year Stacey Jackson and her all-female pro crew will be on different Sydney to Hobart yachts.
Wentworth Courier
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Last year they almost stole the show in the Sydney to Hobart but the professional women’s crew who sailed Ocean Respect Racing to second overall in 2018 will be absent from the 75th edition of the bluewater classic.
Skipper Stacey Jackson has confirmed she and her teammates will be split across the fleet on different yachts this year as she was unable to secure full backing in time for a second campaign in time for the 2019 race.
Jackson will instead be racing aboard Chinese Whisper, a Sydney yacht already considered a major contender for the overall honours this year.
Last year Jackson and her team, which included Dutch World Sailor of the Year Carolijn Brouwer, Sydney to Hobart veteran Vanessa Dudley and round the world sailor Sophie Ciszek, finished a close second behind Tasmanian yacht Alive.
The first fully professional women’s team in the famous 628 nautical mile race, the crew raced aboard the Oatley family owned 66-footer Wild Oats X.
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This year the boat’s bigger sister, the 100-footer Wild Oats X1, headlines a fleet already in excess of 150 with entries for the race closing this Friday.
Other supermaxis competing for the fastest time honours include the Hong Kong entry Scallywag, former winner Comanche and the Queensland entry Black Jack.
The fleet is one of the biggest since the 50th anniversary where 371 set sail from Sydney Harbour at 1pm on Boxing Day.
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