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| December 29, 2001 | Saturday | Shawwal 13, 1422 |
German boat Illbruck leads as finish looms
SYDNEY, Dec 28: German boat illbruck led five Volvo round-the-world boats as they closed on the finish line in the Sydney-Hobart late on Friday after crossing Bass Strait in a race dominated by a violent early storm and tornado.
By about 9 p.m. (1000 GMT), illbruck only had about 62 nautical miles left in the gruelling 630 nautical mile race south down Australia’s east coast.
With U.S. skipper John Kostecki at the helm, illbruck had opened a lead of about two miles over Tyco of Bermuda.
Tyco, however, will not have her finishing position recorded after failing to make a mandatory radio call to alert race officials as she entered Bass Strait, traditionally the toughest section of the race.
Eight state-of-the-art Volvo-class 60 footers (18 metre) are competing in the Sydney-Hobart as part of the third leg of their race around the world.
Sweden’s Assa Abloy was another three miles astern of Tyco and just ahead of Australia’s News Corp and djuice of Norway after the lead boats had spent most of the day swapping the lead in light and flukey winds.
Race spokesman Peter Campbell said the wind picked up to about nine knots and the first boat could finish any time between 3 a.m. (1600 GMT Friday) and 6 a.m. (1900 GMT Friday) — well outside Danish-Australian boat Nokia’s 1999 race record of one day 19 hours 48 minutes and two seconds.
Pre-race favourite Nicorette had closed steadily on the lead Volvo boats after a torrid two days at sea but still had 70 miles left late on Friday.
The Swedish maxi and defending champion was in the lead when she was knocked on her side by a tornado on Wednesday.
Wednesday’s freak tornado and heavy weather in Bass Strait between mainland Australia and the island state of Tasmania continued to take their toll on the fleet, with 15 yachts withdrawing from the starting fleet of 75.
Swedish Volvo entry Team SEB was forced out when her rudder came loose and the boat began taking on water.
Australian Skandia, which was second to Nicorette last year when she was known as Wild Thing, was the first headline casualty when she suffered extensive sail damage in Wednesday’s storm.
Skipper Grant Wharington’s maxi had been expected to challenge Nicorette for line honours in one of the world’s toughest ocean races but it was the Volvo yachts which made most of the running in difficult headwinds on the first two days.
Illbruck, which won the first two legs of the Volvo race from Southampton and Cape Town, led the fleet past Green Cape, about 400 km (248 miles) south of Sydney, into Bass Strait on Thursday.
Tyco, forced out of the second leg of the round the world race with a broken rudder, fell foul of race officials for being seven minutes late in making the radio call demanded of all boats within an hour of them passing Green Cape.
Race official Peter Campbell told Reuters the action against Tyco did not constitute a disqualification and would not affect her standing in the third leg of the round the world race.
Team spokeswoman Elsa Butler said Tyco has protested against the decision. She told reporters the crew was unable to check in within the seven minutes because they were battling rough conditions but called in not long after.
Race officials will not fire the finish gun to recognise Tyco if she crosses the line first. Her protest is likely to be heard as the Volvo boats make their way from Hobart to Auckland.
The so-called “Green Cape” rule was one of a raft of safety rules brought in after the tragic 1998 race when six sailors died after a weather “bomb” exploded over the fleet in Bass Strait.
This year’s fleet was the smallest in 28 years, due in part to the rising costs in insurance and mandatory safety equipment which stem from the 1998 race. —Reuters
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