Kings Pier overflowed with spectators on Monday, all vying to get a prime view of the latest finishers in the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and among the arrivals was Double Handed entry Disko Trooper_Contender Sailcloth.
Unphased by a gaggle of curious onlookers, the boat’s owner and co-skipper, Jules Hall, sat on deck digging into a hot cheeseburger and chips.
The treat was well-deserved, considering that for the past three-plus days Hall and co-skipper Jan ‘Clogs’ Scholten have been on a diet of mostly dehydrated food. It tastes like cardboard, but Hall said is convenient at sea, as it’s easy to make and “gets all the calories in quickly.”
“I could not face another bag of dehydrated food. Anything but the beef curry,” Hall said.
Apart from the food, the experienced Double Handed duo had a cracker of a race, with several challenges along the way.
Hall said he experienced “nervous energy” on the first night of the race, with the wind instruments picking up gusts of 35-40 knots at times.
“And then we got through that [wind], and we had the southerly, and the southerly, and the southerly…” Hall said, in reference to the struggle of sailing upwind. “So, we were basically either underwater going downwind or underwater going upwind.”
Until the final night, when the yacht “fell into a hole for four hours”. This cost Hall and Scholten the win in IRC Division 5 to the S&S 47, Love & War. However, they scored second in the division and second in the Double Handed Division to Mistral.
“That’s the way it goes sometimes,” Hall said.
Theirs was the third Double Handed yacht to cross the line, out of 14 (some of which are still racing). Rupert Henry and Corentin Douguet’s Mistral was the first to cross the line yesterday afternoon, followed by Grant Chipperfield and Peter Dowdney (Joker X2) earlier today.
Nine Double Handed yachts retired from the 628 nautical mile race due to a range of issues.
The duo last raced in the Sydney Hobart in the inaugural Double Handed Division in 2021, where they won on Double Handed IRC, PHS and ORCi. Since then, Hall has witnessed the growth in popularity of the Australian Double Handed fleet, .
“It’s such an awesome group of people – pioneering, learning how to build this part of the sport – and being so supportive. And also, so competitive,” Hall said of his double handed peers
“I think the depth and breadth and capability in the fleet is growing exponentially. It’s amazing to see.”
Peter Elkington and Scott Cavanough sailed Pacman into Hobart at 10:53:13am yesterday to be provisionally 42nd Overall and seventh Overall in the race. It was not what the experienced sailors wanted.
“We finished but it wasn’t a great race for us. We missed one weather window and were caught up by everyone,” Cavanough said.
“Two years ago we missed out beating Rupert as we had a massive lead on him but…. and again this year, some silly mistakes by us. He gave us all a lesson in the double handed fleet.
“I am happy to say that he’s still yet to beat my time in the Normandy Channel Race in Class 40,” Cavanough ended.
Greta Quealy/RSHYR Media
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