G'day,

Nothing good to report. 

I arrived at 7 am, crew slowly appear until 10.  Safety inspection still happening.  22 crew, 8 of whom were "experts" who had sailed on the boat before and were working for the owner.   Crew meeting where we are told only the experts sail the boat, only the cooks go in the galley and only the navigators go in the nav station.  3 watches, 3 hours on, 6 off. 

Near last to leave the marina, hoist the main, then the jib and a winch lifts off the deck.  ("Oh yeah, forgot to tell you, don't use that one").  Then a spi sheet gets wrapped round the prop, stalling the engine.  We got a pretty good start, but got rolled by a couple of 52'ters by the Heads.  Up with the spi and head south.

Breeze up the bum, and slowly building, but not strong enough for first timers to fly the kite.  We were trucking along under the big (600 sq m) assymetric spinnaker a couple of hours after the start and the crew were not at all keen to try the kite (420 sq m).  Peter, (the charterer) getting increasingly irritated, then finally tells us there is a chopper coming out to take pictures in 30 minutes, get the kite up.    None of the crew move, I start setting up the lines, they start telling me why the lines can't go where I want them.  Eventually get their attention when Pete demands the spi be dropped, which it is, with the chopper now buzzing around us.   

We had agreed to drop the main to make the first kite fly easier, but the helmsman reckons he can handle the boat with the main sheeted amidships, so it stays up. 

No time for my customary spiel on who does what and why, so up goes the kite.  With a twist, which is unusual, but eventually it blows out.  We then have a discussion about what "main sheeted amidships" actually means, and it eventually is.    I call the kite trim, but the crew are not trying very hard (not helped by not being able to hear my calls), takes 10 minutes to get it half way out (usually takes about 2), and the retrieval line, which must remain slack, is not being eased so the kite is not flying properly.  Eventually the helmsman gets the boat not pointing dead down wind, the main fills, the vortex behind it rotates the kite which collapses and falls in the water.  Quick crew work and we get it out, and up goes the spi, accompanied by unbridled derision. 

I bite my tongue, explain to Pete why it didn't fly, and spend the next 2 days listening to tedious kite jokes.

Later on the breeze was plenty strong enough, but the guys were not interested, so the kite stayed in the bag.  2 am on the second night, the breeze gets up to 30-35 knots, our heroes drop the spinnaker and decide to "wait and see what the breeze does next".  As always when this is the call, the helmsman and main trimmer  stop racing.  Predictably,  the main flogs and rips in two.  We eventually get the pieces down, the heavies decide to wait a bit longer, eventually put the trisail up (takes over an hour) and we sail with this for 10 hours (breeze dropping and going aft all the time) at about 70% of the speed we should have.  Eventually shame the heavies into hoisting the cruising main (another hour+), speed picks up and we bash across Storm Bay (the only tacks since Sydney Harbour) to finish with the 40 footers.  19th out of 100, in the 5th biggest boat.  By far my worst performance in 7 Hobarts.   

Also, by far, the most benign Hobart I have done.  Shorts and bare feet until the last night, 35 knots max breeze, very little upwind, one gybe, small waves, one mild southerly change, which died almost immediately,  a dozen or so sail changes. 

I ss&s, jump on a plane and am back home 82 hours after leaving.  All my prejudices against monos (slow, tippy, cramped), stayed rigs (dangerous, expensive, difficult) and old maxis (accidents waiting to happen) are still intact. I had a few ideas on proa layouts and one of the non expert crew may end up with one, so not a total loss, but in terms of flying the kite, winning the race or having a fun time with like minded people, it was not very successful.

Top speed was 26 knots surfing down a largish wave, 40 degrees off course, which apparently cracked the deck near the mast.  Average speed under spinnaker was about 13 knots, with 15-30 knots of breeze on the quarter,  a knot of current going our way and easily surfed waves.  Requires a helmsman, and trimmers on both main and spin sheet, plus grinders to trim them for every wave.  Compares very poorly with Rare Bird in cruising mode doing 15 knots in 15 knots of breeze with sheets cleated. 

The motor had to be run one hour in 8 to provide electricity for the hydraulics, which control everything except the sheets and halyards.  Rig loads are measured in 10's of tonnes, crew and all sails have to be as far to windward as possible, at all times.  Not just uncomfortable, but unsafe, when the only thing keeping 80% of the crew on the boat is a 10 year old 4mm/0.15" thick stainless wire lifeline. 

The first boat to retire broke it's rudder shaft, filled with water and sank.  Says it all about in hull rudders, mono safety and the much vaunted safety rules in place for the race.

Lessons?  Same as always.  Don't fly kites for the first time in marginal conditions, don't let knockers trim them, don't fly them with the main up until the crew knows how to fly them.

regards,

Rob

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