Three generations of the Kurts family have now skippered the almost legendary Love & War (NSW) in the Sydney Hobart, after Phil Kurts completed the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race yesterday.
Kurts brought the 51-year-old S&S 47 into Hobart in 40th place on line honours, continuing the tradition of his late grandfather Peter, who had the boat built in 1973, and won twice, and his father Simon. Lindsay May skippered the classic S&S47 to her third victory in 2006.
It was Kurts’ first time as skipper, though he has completed seven previous races.
‘It was definitely not an easy race … but then there are no easy Hobarts,” Kurt’s said.
“But this one was hard.”
Kurts was sent on his way out of Sydney by his father Simon, who fired the starting cannon on the Harbour to get the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s race under way.
“Our boat, the crew got here in good shape,” Kurts said.
“On that first night it was just one thing after another … the boat is not suited to those conditions.
“It became a case of keeping the boat upright… sail very carefully to keep things under control.”
He said they were conscious of other boats around them on the Derwent in the run in to the finish.
“But we were more concerned about where we were overall and in division, not challenging others around us… but they were good feedback on how we were sailing, taking the right course or not.”
He said having Paddy Broughton as navigator had been critical. “He mapped out the course to a tee … I have never sailed a race where the navigation was so good. Sometimes we split from the other boats, and it paid off.”
He said at one stage in the race he was making a headsail change. “And this huge pod of dolphins got involved … the crew could hear them hitting the hull and laughing.”
As to what the best part of the race was: “The finish is always the best part … and being a skipper for the first time.”
Joker X2
Peter Dowdney, co-skipper on the double handed Joker X2 (VIC), was still lamenting dropping their A5 sail at 1730 hrs on the first afternoon.
“We dropped the A5 in the drink. I had to cut the thing in half (a brand-new sail) … I had wiped us out,” he said dockside in Hobart.
“After that, blowing 35 knots downwind, we decided to do it without a kite. We had three reefs and a heavy weather staysail.
“We kept sailing like that and eventually ran out of breeze off Eden … and then ran into a 45-knot southerly.”
He said the sailing got easier off the Victorian coast, “so we rotated every two hours and got some sleep”.
Asked whether there were any breakages, co-skipper Grant Chipperfield was succinct: “I broke my soul at the bottom of Tasman Island.”
Dowdney was full of praise for the crew of Love & War. “I saw the best display of downwind sailing I’ve seen in years on Love & War. They sailed right around us, the boat was so stable … left us with our mouths open,” he said.
For Vaughan Lynch, skipper of Tenacity (TAS), the best memory was back in Sydney.
“Getting around the top mark in front of the others after the start … a real highlight. It was a real ‘Hobart’,” he said of the race.
“The crew was fantastic, and we didn’t break anything that was going to cost me more than $20.”
Lynch said the racing was great. “We had a great match race with Quantock and Love & War up the Derwent … sensational.”
Di Pearson & Steve Dettre I RSHYR Media
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