Royals Yearbook 2019/2020

LAUNCESTON
HOBART
TO
up to 40% stronger than forecast just
be
they say on the BOM website. A good
like
was opening for December 20th
window
some risk of 25 to 30 knot SW winds
with
the later part of the passage. As it
in
out we ended up with 30 to 40
turned
on the beam for about 8 hours.
knots
the worst of the weather was
Fortunately,
daylight hours and, as we had the wind
in
slightly ahead of the beam, we were
only
to coast through the worst of it with
able
#5 jib and the delivery main lashed to
a
boom. Vertigo handled the rough
the
very well. She would happily sail
weather
6.5 knots on a TWA of 60 deg under J5
at
which makes steering very easy and
alone
a lot of stress off the helmsman and
takes
boat. After several hours of 35 to 40
the
the seas grew to around 3 or 4m
knots
we shipped a bit of water as some 4-
and
green walls slapped us on the
meter
Some of those on deck ended up
beam.
to the end of their tethers which
washed
excellent validation of our practise of
is
shore team met us at Beauty Point
Our
help dry out the boat and put her in
to
configuration and we said
racing
to our delivery crew of Simon
goodbye
Simon Harvey and Gabby
Olding,
It was Gabby’s first offshore
Olding.
and she treated the
experience
of being washed around the
experience
on the end of a tether as part of
cockpit
fun. the
Launceston to Hobart Race is a 285 Nm
The
(Cat3 plus life-raft) race which starts
coastal
the very tidal Tamar River, heads East to
in
Island, through Banks Strait and then
Swan
to pass between Maria Island and the
South
before rounding Tasman Island and
mainland
the bulk of the Sydney to Hobart Fleet
joining
the march across Storm Bay and up the
on
It is a very coastal race with lots of
Derwent.
points, tidal gates and shore-based
turning
features to negotiate.. Local
weather
is a key component, so we
knowledge
Hobart sailors Greg Rowlands, a past
enlisted
member, and Stu Addison alongside
Royals
regulars of Clare Olding, Richard
Vertigo
Richard Tate (R1&R2), Ian McGrath and
Gates,
R Y C V Y E A R B O O K 2 0 1 9 / 2 0 2 0
AND
ROUND
THE
BOTTOM
The Race
always being clipped on when at sea.
Paulina Hryniewiecka.
P A G E 2 6