New South Wales boat Whisper staged a neck-and-neck race down the coast with rival No Limit before closing out fourth place on line in the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race on Saturday.
Owner/skipper, David Griffith, a director of race organiser, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, was full of praise for the David Gotze owned and skippered No Limit, a Reichel/Pugh 63 compared to Griffiths’ Judel/Vrolijk 63.
“We had a neck-and-neck race down the coast with No Limit (a Reichel/Pugh 63). They passed us and our A5 (spinnaker) blew up and they were screaming down the coast – and good on them – we always have such good racing against them,” Griffith said.
Gotze returned the compliment to Griffith after finishing fifth over the line.
“We had our usual good race with Whisper. We always have good, friendly competition with them,” Gotze said.
“We gave them a cheer when we got in. That was a hard race, but it’s so good just to get here in one piece. We made it.”
Griffith said the first night was “horrendous”.
“But I couldn’t ask for a better crew – they did all the right things, got sails up and down and did their jobs and kept the boat going in those conditions,” Griffith said.
Caro
In a repeat of their duel during last year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Sebastian Bohm’s TP52 Smuggler and Max Klink’s Botin 52, Caro, kept sailing fans intrigued from the first starting cannon on Sydney Harbour.
Caro crossed the finish line in Hobart at 18:40pm on Saturday, 2 days 5 hours and 40 minutes out from Sydney and after a tough day of navigating the Tasmanian coastline in little to no winds at times.
The challenges of the last leg of the race knocked Caro down the Overall standings, from third to sixth, but they sit ahead of Smuggler which is due to cross the finish line at nightfall.
Caro’s navigator Adrian Stead reflected on the frustrating weather situation as the yacht neared Tasman Island earlier this morning.
“We had 35 knots down to zero wind for about an hour or so,” Stead said.
“And this morning we were becalmed off Tasman Island as well, for good measure.
“We were watching our lead [over Smuggler] get eaten into.”
Caro attempted to “wriggle away and run” from these conditions which ultimately put them ahead of Smuggler Overall.
Di Pearson & Greta Quealy I RSHYR Media
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