Sydney to Hobart race Boxing Day fleet ready to race on

The Sydney to Hobart fleet will set sail after Tasman­ia announced it would reopen its borders to fully vaccinated travellers on December 15.

Skipper-owner Matt Allen and crew take 2019 Sydney to Hobart overall and handicap winner Ichi Ban for a pre-race spin in Sydney Harbour. Picture: Ryan Osland

The Rolex Sydney to Hobart fleet is set to surge through the heads on Boxing Day after the Tasman­ian government announced it would reopen its borders to fully vaccinated travellers on December 15, removing the final hurdle for the race to proceed.

While no official announcement has been made, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia said it had received 99 entries and was ramping up for the race to go ahead as long as Covid-19 restrictions in NSW and Tasmania permitted.

Last year, for the first time in the race’s 76-year history, Sydney’s northern beaches Covid-19 outbreak saw the Tasmanian government shut its border and the race was cancelled one week before it was set to go ahead.

At the weekend, CYCA commodore Noel Cornish said preparations were in full swing and excitement was building as the return of the race neared. “We are encouraged by the way NSW has dealt with the easing of restrictions in recent weeks and it is particularly pleasing to see Tas­mania’s plan to reopen their border to fully vaccinated travellers from December 15.

“The Rolex Sydney Hobart offers so much to the Hobart community and the Tasmanian economy, so we look forward to returning this year.”

Training for the race resumed this week after restrictions on community sport were lifted when vaccination rates in NSW and Victoria met their 80 per cent thresholds.

The crew of the Ichi Ban at work on Sydney Harbour on Sunday. Picture: Ryan Osland

While there will be an absence of international crews this year because of Covid-19 border restrictions, three supermaxi yachts have entered – InfoTrack, Black Jack and Scallywag.

Sailing has been prohibited during the Sydney and Melbourne lockdowns, but many crews have taken the opportunity to revamp boats and undertake essential maintenance work.

InfoTrack owner Christian Beck has invested in a new ­bowsprit for his supermaxi that he says will make the boat faster and more competitive than ever.

“We will have it all ready to sail in late November, and by that time one of our key crew members, Tony Mutter, will be able to come over from New Zealand so the timing of it all has worked out pretty well.”

Wild Oats XI, one of the most famous yachts in the race, will not participate this year, the team unable to get the boat ready in time with no firm confirmation the race would go ahead.

After Friday’s announcement from the Tasmanian government, the crew is now considering entering the smaller Wild Oats X before entries close on October 28. “There is a move to take Wild Oats X as it’s much easier to get that boat prepared, so we will consider that during the next week or so,” a spokesperson said.

Preparations are also ramping up for several maxi yachts including Stefan Racing, URM, Alive, Moneypenny, Willow, Whisper and No Limit.

Ichi Ban skipper-owner Matt Allen, the overall and handicap winner in 2019, took his boat out for the first time in four months on Friday for a practice run.

With a new sail and fresh rigging on board from Spain, the crew seamlessly switched into gear.

On a stunning spring day on Sydney Harbour with a perfect breath of wind, the crew — clad in white Ichi Ban sailing uniforms — tacked and weaved out to the heads, showing no sign any of them had lost their sea legs.

The memory of the Sydney to Hobart’s last-minute cancellation in 2020 is still raw. Picture: Ryan Osland

For Mr Allen, the promise of the race going ahead again this year is particularly invigorating, with the memory of the race’s last-minute cancellation in 2020 still raw.

“We were all pretty gutted,” he said. “ We were keen to go and defend our win from 2019 and to not do a Hobart on Boxing Day was a very empty feeling.”

For the sailing community, the Rolex Sydney to Hobart yacht race is as good as it gets, a uniquely gruelling, thrilling and often unpredictable journey across the Bass Strait.

While the race is held in summer, southerly buster storms are common, with crews enduring three days or more of wild weather and sleepless nights.

After a few consecutive years of uncharacteristically smooth sailing, Mr Allen said the law of averages meant crews were due for more of an “old-fashioned” race this year.

Mr Allen said the Sydney to Hobart was uniquely special and unlike any other sailing race in its ability to capture the hearts and imagination of the wider general community.