The weather forecast for this year's Sydney to Hobart offers something to all the skippers of the 100-foot super maxis competing for line honours, with the exception of InfoTrack's Christian Beck.
Leading yachts emerging from the harbour will be greeted with fairly light 10-15 knot winds, which will turn north to north easterly and build to 15-25 knots by the first night, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Eyes on the prize: (left to right) Mark Bradford of Black Jack, David Witt of Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag, Mark Richards of Wild Oats XI, Jim Cooney of Comanche and Christian Beck of InfoTrack.Credit:AAP
There are five super maxis in contention for line honours this year: Comanche, Wild Oats XI, Scallywag, InfoTrack and Black Jack.
"We've got a very nice new wardrobe of sails that are ideally suited to this weather forecast, so we're obviously pretty happy about that," Wild Oats XI skipper Mark Richards said.
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"But things can change. This is going to be a tough race as usual and we're looking forward to the challenge."
Beck, however, was not quite so pleased.
“Its a great forecast for a passenger. Its very pleasant,” said Beck. “But (for) a big heavy boat like InfoTrack, we really need a lot of wind, so its a bit disappointing for us really.
“We can sort of bash through the really heavy stuff, but there is nothing to bash through in this forecast really.”
But the software entrepeneur, who says he bought his boat because it was cheap for a supermaxi, has not given up all hope.
"[Sailing] is a little bit like playing a game of backgammon, when you're behind you can take risks," Beck said.
Comanche holds the race record of just over one day and nine hours. With lighter winds predicted this year than last, that record is unlikely to be challenged.
"We're going to see some kind of transition that is at this point forecast at some point between perhaps Jervis Bay and Montague Bay. Somewhere we will see it go a little bit quieter and the wind shift a bit," Comanche skipper Jim Cooney said.
Wild Oats skipper Mark Richards is content with forecast conditions.Credit:Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.
"That is an area where the race could be easily won or lost."
Scallywag skipper David Witt was more taciturn.
"Five boats could win and the weather is not really going to change that," Witt said.
Of the smaller boats, Witt tipped French entrant Teasing Machine, Cooney felt last year's overall winner Ichi Ban was likely to repeat its feat and Black Jack skipper Mark Bradford suggested a boat in the 60-to-70 foot range was best-placed to claim handicap honours.
Nick is a journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald.
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