Slippers and cocoa? Ha! See you in Hobart

They’re one of the oldest partnerships, chartering one of the oldest vessels in this year’s Sydney to Hobart, but Bridget Canham and Kathy Veel aren’t looking for any faux praise or sympathy.

Age be damned: Bridget Canham, 62, and Kathy Veel, 70, aren’t daunted by being the first female two-handed crew to compete in the Sydney to Hobart. Picture: John Feder

They are one of the oldest partnerships, racing one of the oldest ­vessels in this year’s Sydney to Hobart, but Bridget Canham and Kathy Veel aren’t looking for any faux praise or sympathy.

When the starting cannon fires in Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day, the veteran sailors will ­become the first all-female, two-handed crew to compete in the Sydney to Hobart, with their 9m 1974 yacht, Currawong, one of the oldest and smallest in the fleet of 118 contenders.

“The race is demanding and unpredictable at the best of times. You barely sleep for five or six days, so if we weren’t competitive about it, we’d just go on a cruise,” said Ms Veel, 70, who is sailing in her third Sydney to Hobart.

“I always felt that age and gender is no reason not to do anything, and I see a lot of people at my stage of life shrinking their expectations and I still feel like I can do this and I still want to do it.”

The sailing duo met in the 1990s at a sailing training camp for the Sydney to Hobart. At the time, Ms Veel was a teacher and had already been sailing for 20 years, while Ms Canham was a nurse and a self-confessed “late-starter”, who has since made up for it with eight Sydney to Hobart races.

“It’s about the adventure and the challenge of doing it,” said Ms Canham, 62.

“The competitive edge creates a demand for you to meet, and (going) faster is very satisfying.

“The most exciting moment is when you round Tasman Island and into Storm Bay because that’s famous for its volatile conditions, but you really know you’re on the home stretch then.”

But the pair aren’t taking any chances, especially when it comes to crossing the Bass Strait, where the fleet can be exposed to the greatest risks.

“The Bass Strait is the most dangerous part of the race. When you go past Gabo Island, that’s the last of the mainland and you know it’s going to be at least 24 hours until you see land again, so there is a sense of being on your own and dealing with whatever is thrown at you,” Ms Veel said.

“We’ve got everything we need on here. We’ve got a little galley, a two-burner stove, plenty of storage, sleeping area, and a toilet.”

Ms Veel said the pair would be changing watch every two hours over the course of the race.

“We’ve pre-cooked a lot of our meals and as they defrost we’ll eat those and there is plenty of fruit and snacks because your diet is very important when you’re two-handing because it is so exhausting that you’ve really got to make sure you get enough calories,” Ms Canham said.

All things going well, the co-skippers anticipate the Currawong will round Iron Pot and roll down the Derwent River to the finish line less than six days after leaving Sydney.