Sydney to Hobart

[Go_The_Mighty_Magpies]

Skandia is favourite

Fox Sports


SHE carries the weight of a nation's aspirations on her sleek deck and has the bookies behind her.

SportsTAB yesterday installed Grant Wharington's 98-footer Skandia as outright favourite to become the first Australian line honours winner of the Sydney to Hobart since 1997.

At $1.65, Skandia is the shortest-priced yacht in years in the 627 nautical mile annual classic which begins at 1pm on Boxing Day.

But down on the waterfront the scuttlebutt has her main rival, the New Zealand super maxi Zana as the boat to beat.

SportsTAB has Zana, the yacht which had to sail more than 1200 nautical miles from Wellington just to be on the starting line, at $2.45.

Sean Langman's Grundig, a 66-footer which has a history of hoodwinking her rivals, is at $8 with former line honours winner Nicorette at $11 and 1997 winner Brindabella at $26.

SportsTAB is also taking money on the fastest time for this year's race, offering $201 for the winner to complete the journey in under 24 hours.

SportsTAB's Glenn Munsie said the big boats had stifled betting, but shrewd punters would come waving their cash with predicted conditions to suit the smaller yachts.

"Skandia is the shortest-priced favourite in a long while and betting has been slow, but you'll see interest will hot up from (today)," he said.

[Donny]

'Minnow' up with the big boys

Fox Sports

MORE than 10 hours outside record pace and pounding into steep, sharp seas on a roller-coaster ride across Bass Strait, two giants and a little upstart last night were engaged in a three-boat struggle to claim line honours in the Sydney to Hobart.

Bashing and crashing across one of the most infamous stretches of water in the world, the super maxis Skandia and Zana, and the "mighty minnow" Grundig AAPT were on the same mission - to emerge from Bass Strait unscathed and to claim the fastest time honours in Australia's premier ocean classic.

And if they maintain their 10 knot-plus pace, the fastest time winner of the Hobart could be known as early as tonight, with the Victorian yacht Skandia last night still maintaining her narrow lead over New Zealand rival Zana and both hounded by Sean Langman and his team on the 66-footer Grundig AAPT.

"It has become an incredible match race in the open ocean," said Zana sailing master Peter Sutton of their tussle - which began seconds after Friday's start - with Skandia.

Smashing across the strait towards the east coast of Tasmania the fleet frontrunners were taking a pummelling as they ploughed into short, sharp seas and bounched off them.

"It's pretty nasty out here. We're falling off waves every 30 seconds or so. It's going to be a real test out here tonight," said Andrew Short on the former round-the-world racer Andrew Short Marine, which was in a group behind the leading three yachts.

Brindabella crewman Geoff Cropley had a similar story to tell.

"It's uncomfortable and we've got a lot of water coming over the boat but everyone is fine," Cropley said.

"We're expecting it right on the nose all night."

Grant Wharington and his crew on Skandia are bidding to end the long domination of the Sydney to Hobart by international yachts by defeating Zana and at the same time claiming another slice of history as the first Victorian yacht in 59 years to secure line honours.

Langman and his seven-strong team on Grundig AAPT simply want to claim the bragging rights of having beaten two yachts over a third bigger than themselves, while Zana wants to claim the Sydney to Hobart as her first race victory after only being launched in October.

"It's pretty rough out here. We're hitting our heads on the roof a fair bit," Wharington said.

"And it looks like we are going to get these upwind conditions all the way to the finish."

The last Australian yacht to win the race to Hobart was George Snow's Brindabella back in 1997.

Since then the American maxi Sayonara, the Danish yacht Nokia, Swedish boats Nicorette and Assa Abloy and the New Zealand maxi Alfa Romeo have claimed the fastest time prize.

To date not one yacht has retired from the 2003 Sydney to Hobart, with all 56 yachts still racing towards Hobart.

Mid-fleet another great battle was being waged between three Sydney 38 yachts.

Sydney skipper Rupert Henry said his Team Lexus was racing "shoulder to shoulder" with Victorian yachts Another Challenge (Lou Abrams) and Chutzpah (Bruce Taylor) with the trio having expected to enter Bass Strait earlier today.

"We've got both Another Challenge and Chutzpah here, so it's great racing," said Henry.

[The Prototype]

Nicorette is out of the Sydney to Hobart after ruining it's hull, 2 other yachats are out aswell.