Sydney Hobart: Wet Ride, Fast Ride

(December 28, 2016; 07:15 AEDT) – You could not wipe the grin from Jim Delegat’s face when he arrived at the dock in Hobart after skippering his Volvo 70, Giacomo, to second place on line in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s iconic Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race this evening.

Delegat was chuffed to finish 2 hours 56mins and 07secs inside Wild Oats XI’s 2012 record and to beat Seng Huang Lee’s 100 foot super maxi over the line by 2 minutes 10secs. All this with his two sons, Nikolas (20) and James (18) aboard to share the spoils.

James is the youngest sailor in this year’s race, having turned 18 on December 11 – and it is his first Sydney Hobart experience – while Nikolas has just completed his second on Giacomo.

“I’m very excited and delighted,” Jim Delegat said tonight. “We took every opportunity we could. It was pretty exhilarating out there, a typical Hobart, it had a bit of everything. It was a bit of a downwind race, so it suited us. It was a bit more wet than usual.”

“Still, we’re pretty surprised (at the result); it’s not often that a 70 footer can do this, get second over the line.

“It’s just a whole different achievement to have done it with the family, except for Kate (his wife). It adds to the excitement.”

And so it would. In the 2014 Rolex Sydney Hobart, Giacomo was dismasted on the Tasmanian coast, nearing the finish. So close and yet so far.

This time the crew of the former Groupama 4 (winner of the 2011-2012 VOR) were ashore and celebrating as Jim Cooney’s Volvo Open 70 Maserati and Peter Harburg’s modified V70 Black Jack were gliding towards the Castray Esplanade finish line in very little breeze on the Derwent.

Delegat, the executive chairman of Delegat Wines in New Zealand, is likely toasting with some of his own brand – maybe the increasingly popular Oyster Bay Wines.

Race details – Entry list – Facebook – Twitter

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, organized by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia with the co-operation of Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, is the ultimate test for skippers, tacticians and crews. The 2016 race is the 72nd edition of this 628 nautical mile, time-honoured and classic offshore race.

With 88 yachts competing for the Tattersall’s Cup and coveted Rolex timepiece awarded to the overall winner, this year’s contest looks set to uphold the reputation of this renowned event. The race starts at 13:00 AEDT on December 26, 2016.

Source: Di Pearson, RSHYR media