Sydney to Hobart yacht race weather forecast of sleepless nights and hard work
There will be sleepless nights for some, nailbiting for others and frustration all round in the Sydney to Hobart with one of the most challenging forecasts delivered for the Boxing Day race.
There will be sleepless nights for some, nailbiting for others and frustration all round in the Sydney to Hobart with one of the hardest forecasts in recent times delivered for the Boxing Day start.
The Sydney to Hobart is renown as being one of the toughest ocean races in the world but it will be for a different reason in 2023.
Tacticians, strategists and navigators will be the most sleep-deprived sailors in the upcoming race with major shifts in the weather from start to finish along with lights winds, some upwind sailing and big wind holes in different parts of the course.
For the last week the forecast has been hard to nail down but finally a clearer picture is emerging.
And it’s not what everyone wanted to hear.
Super shifty conditions in the first 24 hours will contribute to make the race one of the most challenging in recent years.
“There’s going to be a few sleepless nights for our navigators for sure,’’ said Wild Thing skipper Grant Wharington, who has extended his boat from an 80-footer to a 100-footer for the 2023 Hobart.
“It’s their turn. We’ve had sleepless nights for the last six months rebuilding the boat.’’
Current routings have the line honours favourites docking in Hobart just under two days after the start - well outside the race record of one day nine hours and 15 minutes.
”There’s the faintest chance they could get into better breeze but I don’t think so,’’ said meteorologist Roger Badham.
“This is the most tactical race I have seen in years.’’
“It’s going to be a hard race because in this situation it is very soft, very fickle the first afternoon, evening and night.’’
From light winds to wind holes, constantly shifting breeze and a fair does of upwind sailing for many, the forecast has “a bit of this and that’’.
But missing at this stage is anything too nasty - even for the smaller yachts in the 100 plus fleet.
While they are likely to encounter strong southerlies in Bass Strait and down the east coast of Tasmanian at some stage, they will not be as strong as first thought.
URM skipper Marcus Ashley-Jones was one skipper happy with the current forecast.
“Anything with a bit of S (southerly) in it will suit us,’’ said the contender for overall honours.
“But we have to be careful not to put a foot wrong in those first hours.
“Our navigators are going to be busy. Alice (Parker) is very excited.’’
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