Rolex Sydney to Hobart: PredictWind prognosis shows record unlikely

12:55 PM Wed 24 Dec 2008 GMT

'Position projection after 24hrs 2008 Sydney to Hobart Race. 24hrs after the race start the VOR70 is the green dot positioned by the Furneaux Group. Strong winds are indicated by the red patch to the east of the fleet.' PredictWind/Expedition Click Here to view large photo

Latest weather and course projections show that despite strong running conditions for the race start and first 12 hours, light winds later in the race show that a new race record is unlikely.

Although the fleet will start in strong northerly winds, and that as the leaders enter Bass Strait the winds will remain in a Westerly direction, the stronger pressure will pass to the east and as the competitors have to leave the optimal route to make a landfall at Tasman Island, lighter winds will kill any chance of a race record.

Using wind data from PredictWindand then running a Volvo 70 down the optimal route calculate by the Expedition.comsoftware Sail-World can predict likely race outcomes and finish times. Given that a Volvo 70 is reasonably close to a supermaxi in running and reaching conditions, it is possible to accurately speculate on race outcomes.

The prognosis above is based on the GFS weather feed from USA, however running weather data from the CFC Canadian feed produces a similar result.

Sail-World will keep updating this prognosis as the race start approaches.