Sydney to Hobart 2016: where to watch and who to watch out for

Last year’s Sydney to Hobart handicap winner Paul Clitheroe doesn’t sugarcoat the appeal of the most famous offshore ocean race in Australia, arguably the world.

“There’s a ‘no pricks rule’ in sailing,” says the skipper of Balance. “In Hobart particularly at night we depend on each other for our lives. I tell you right now if one of these guys has a problem and I hear a call come out, or if I’ve got a problem, I know these guys will stop racing and come to me as I would come to them.”

Danger, daring, mateship and glory – the Sydney to Hobart race delivers it all.

Seamanship is always front of mind – particularly after the fatal 1998 race – but racing and winning is still of paramount importance according to Australian Sailing president and Hobart veteran Matt Allen.

“All the sailors are good mates at the dock. It is only when the gun fires that we become – maybe not enemies – but we are fiercely competitive,” says the skipper of Ichi Ban.

For 71 iterations boats from all over the world have journeyed to the start line on Sydney Harbour – ready to usher in their Boxing Day celebrations with a 628 nautical mile race south to Hobart’s Constitution Dock.

This year 89 boats – ranging from custom-made 100 foot carbon fibre creations to nine metre creaking timber marvels – will all hope to tame the danger that lurks in the uncertain wind and wild waters along the east coast of Australia in an almighty oceanic marathon.

In 2015 line honours winner Comanche limped home after two days and nearly nine hours at sea. The last boat to complete the race Myuna III dribbled along the Derwent River just shy of the six day mark.

Finishing the race is not guaranteed – safely negotiating the bashing of Bass Strait is a tough assignment even for the saltiest of sailors – last year 31 yachts retired including eight-time line honours winner Wild Oats XI. It is a battle of mind, strategy and survival – even if the forecast weather conditions for the 2016 race are expected to be milder than 12 months ago.

American behemoth Comanche hasn’t returned to defend her 2015 crown leaving Wild Oats XI as the benchmark of the four super-maxis – the futuristic Formula One boats of the sport.

With the passing of their team patriarch Bob Oatley earlier this year, the Mark Richards skippered entrant says the former wine baron’s presence is still strong in the crew.

“We have always had a fantastic vibe in our team around Bob and his passion for the whole thing. The fact that he isn’t here is no different to us,” says Richards, “we talk about him every day and so he is definitely here in spirit.”

Fellow hundred-footer Perpetual Loyal – a boat skipper Anthony Bell insists “has never fulfilled her potential” – is looking to end a run of consecutive early retirements. While Loyal’s crew knows Wild Oats is the benchmark, they have little knowledge of the remaining super-maxi entrants in Scallywag and CQS.

As Olympic Gold medallist and America’s Cup sailor Tom Slingsby tells the Guardian: “CSQ is an experimental boat. It is a bit hit or miss. Nobody knows what it is going to be. It could be a rocket ship or a pig, nobody will know until Boxing Day.”

While there are only a handful of boats that can gun for the glory of first over the line, every boat in the 89 strong fleet competes on an even footing when handicap calculations come into it – their prize is the glittering Tattersalls Cup trophy for a win on corrected time and a sparkling new Rolex.

For the runner-up of last year’s handicap crown Shane Kearns it’s been a torrid 12 months wondering ‘what if’.

“My doctor was going to give me anti-loser pills because I was so depressed. My wife said every morning she was going to work because she had bet a lot of money on us winning,” Kearns says in jest.

Kearns is looking to go one better this Boxing Day, and he isn’t shy with regards to his aspirations.

“Unfortunately for my crew I am supremely confident … my crew is slowly starting to come together – they are drinking the koolaid,” quips Kearns.

The time for joking around however is almost over with the 1pm Boxing Day deadline for the 72nd edition fast approaching.

Places to Watch

Sydney:

Head to the Cruising Yacht Club (Rushcutters Bay) to see the farewells and the last minute tweaks to most of the boats in the morning between 9 and 11.

While the best place to soak in the pre-race action is from a spectator boat on the harbour (outside the exclusion zone) if you can’t get on the water then catch the start of the race at Nielsen Park or Camp Cove on the south side or from Clifton Gardens to Middle Head on the northern side. Most of the boats are on the water from noon so there is plenty of jockeying for position early on – it is one of the more tense moments of the race.

If you want to catch the boats as they turn to Hobart then South Head and North Head provide terrific views of the yachts as they really start to open up.

If you are at the beaches between Bondi and Cronulla soon after the start, you might spy sails in the distance as the yachts pass by – if they aren’t too far offshore.

Hobart:

You really can’t beat getting out on the water to watch the boats make their way to the finishing markers but Constitution Dock is a nice second bet to watch the entrants come home – some of the boat captains might even let you have a look around the yacht once they have finished packing up.

To hear some tall stories, head to the Customs House Pub. The sailors will be sharing a drink and their insight into the race with more imagination as the hours drag on.