For anyone interested here is how Michael (Pla Loma IV) is going so far.
Dave
Thanks for posting those Dave!
Well, we made it. Wasn't our best effort, placing mid-field and a bit back on where we should have been relative our peers. We sailed into an absolute hole in the middle of Bass Straight of all places and were as good as parked all night on the 27th. Ended up arriving at Constitution Dock at 2:00am almost to the second on the 30th. 3.5 days all up.
Wasn't the most taxing of Hobarts either, but you'll never sail a Sydney-Hobart that doesn't at least have a few little surprises for you. Despite the relatively disappointing performance, we still all had a great time and relished the experience. Here's a quick synopsis:
Fri 26th
Uneventful kite run South holding the 1 Assy early then pealed to the 2S. Ran well South making 10-12 knots of boat speed on the rum line. Held the 2S through the night without too much hassle. Were at Eden before we knew it and it was shaping for the quickest Hobart ever.
Sat 27th
The next morning it started gusting into the mid-30's and the guy driving the Boom Vang got a bit lazy and we rounded up a couple of times in quick succession so decided to drop the 2S kite and put up something a tad smaller. We threw up the old reacher but wrapped it around the fore stay and ripped it in half so dropped it immediately. Then threw up the 3A on the pole like a symetrical kite and it held very nicely. We'd been told by the guys at Norths that the 3A could be flown like a Symmetrical and they were on the money. The breeze progressively fell until we ended up with the Jib Top (JT) up, flogging around in a big hole making 1 knot of boat speed, stuck in the middle of Bass Straight. We didn't have internet so couldn't check Yacht Tracker. Turns out the boats a bit further East had much more favourable breeze but we were stuck in a hole. Our navigator took us East, but not quite far enough. At least we had almost 2.5 knots of current at 190 taking us in the right direction and at least the stars were an absolute sight to behold with not a cloud in sight and on a mill pond.
Sun 28th
The breeze built from the West into the morning so we spent most of the day reaching with the JT in some pretty stiff breeze. Held it through the night pulling 6s and 7s of boat speed and thinking we were doing pretty well. The breeze kept gusting around and because we were reaching it was tough to keep pointed forward. Again, hard work driving the Vang and a few times shaking reefs in and out. Lost the second reefing line out of the boom when someone (me) forgot to close the clutch after we shook it out for the umpteenth time. I also pulled a triple shift that night from 10pm to 8am as every time I went to get some kip, the call came to put in a reef or switch from the JT to the No.4. A painful heavy night of hard sailing. This was the night where it became clear which crew members were there to put in the hard yards when needed and which ones were trying to spend as much time as possible in their bunks and just get carried to the finish line. Won’t name names, but it was pretty obvious where the demarcation was. Those up top at least figured all the hard work would pay off with some headway against the rest of the fleet.
Mon 29th
Next morning's 0800 nav call said otherwise with the peer boats pulling away yet again. Couldn’t believe it! Starting to get a bit P'd off with not making the boat speed we should. Ah well, at least we were still making 7 knots of boat speed and looked like rounding Tasman Lighthouse by Noon. That was, until we sailed into another hole around 10am and spent until 4pm trying to keep anything up and keep moving forward. Spent the entire day of the 29th staring at Tasman Light and wanting to get around the mark into Storm Bay. Made worse by another peer boat sailing under us and picking up a shore breeze and pulling away and ahead. Had sailed past them until they were a speck behind us on the horizon until we stalled and they returned the favour. We eventually rounded the mark around 7pm and spent the next 5 hours or so beating across Storm Bay towards the Iron Pot mark in some pretty fierce wind. Must have put the reef in and shook it out again at least 5 times. I wish the brains trust down the back of the boat would make their bl@@dy mind up!
Tue 30th
Made it to the mouth of the Derwent around midnight and the Nav call in to Constitution Dock is an estimated 1:20am arrival. I call Kay on the mobile and drag her and Aden out of bed to meet me. I say 1:00am to be on the safe side. Of course, that turns out to be a mistake and we cruise across the finish line at 1:59.40am on the 30th. My Mum and Dad, Kay and Aden are all there to meet me. As soon as I jump off and secure the mooring lines, Aden jumps into my arms and attaches himself to my neck like an octopus. Fantastic feeling. We all crack an ice cold beer and sit on the back of the boat at the mooring and soak it all in.
I'm hooked now. Can't wait for next year's race and the boss is already talking about trading up to a Rogers 46, but don't tell anyone I said that...
Cheers,
Michael
