Launceston to Hobart - Three leading yachts neck and neck

9:58 AM Mon 28 Dec 2009 GMT

'Dianne Barkas at the helm of Sullivan Cove Whisky negotiating the narrow reaches of the Tamar River after the start of the L2H race - Launceston to Hobart' Peter Campbell &copy

Less than two nautical miles separated the three leading yachts in the 285 nautical mile Launceston to Hobart Yacht Race as they sailed slowly down the Tasmanian East Coast last evening.

So far the lead has changed three times since the 35 boat fleet set sail from Beauty Point on the Tamar River yesterday afternoon, but with less than 80 nautical miles to sail, Gary Smith and Geoff White's Bakewell-White 45,
The Fork in the Road, regained the lead as she sailed past Orford.

The Derwent Sailing Club's yacht tracker, OceanTrack.com.au at 7.30pm placed The Fork in Road four nautical miles south-west of Maria Island, sailing at 6.5 knots after a slow passage from Shouten Island and through the inside of
Maria Island, a designated mark of the course.

She was about a mile ahead of 42 South, Mark Ballard's Stompcraft 38, which had led the fleet down the East Coast for most of the day. Line honours favourite, Mr Kite, Andrew Hunn's state-of-the-art, canting keel Cape 40, was less than a mile astern, all three boats on course for Tasman Island.

OceanTrack.com.au predicts that The Fork in the Road should finish shortly after 6am tomorrow morning if the present and predicted weather conditions prevail. The yacht, under another name, took line honours in last year's
race.

Earlier, the three yachts were less than half a mile apart as they ran down the coast past Bicheno under spinnaker before a fresh nor'easter, but since then the fleet had encountered light and variable winds.

About ten miles astern of the leaders, and still north of Maria Island came Whistler, skippered by David Rees, followed closely by Cyclone (Stephen Keal), and the Launceston yacht Blue Sky, skippered by Richard Fisher.

The main group of boats in the L2H race were sailing in light winds between Bicheno and the Freycinet Peninsula, with the tailenders north of St Helens.

by Peter Campbell

Newsfeed supplied by

#News #Sailing #North

Launceston to Hobart - Three leading yachts neck and neck

Sports/News

Weather Forecasts & Live Reports

Buy & Sell/Classifieds