Army Offshore Sailing Team sets sail in Rolex Sydney - Hobart 2009
by Capt T Causer On 26 December 2009, a long way from home, 14 members of the British Army set sail in the 65th Rolex Sydney - Hobart Race aboard the 67ft Challenger of Hornet. The Rolex Sydney - Hobart has become an icon of Australia’s summer sport, ranking in public interest with such national events as the Melbourne Cup horse race, the Davis Cup tennis and The Ashes. No yachting event in the world attracts such huge media coverage! The 628 nautical mile course is often described as the most gruelling long ocean race in the world, a challenge to everyone who takes part. It is a race unlike any other, a truly egalitarian event, attracting yachts from small steel 30-footers to the carbon fibre and Kevlar 98-footers sailed by crews who range from weekend club sailors to full time professionals from the international yachting circuit.
From the spectacular start in Sydney Harbour, the fleet sails out into the Tasman Sea, down the south east coast of mainland Australia, across the Bass Strait (which divides the mainland from the island State of Tasmania) then down the east coast of Tasmania. At Tasman Island, the fleet turns right into Storm Bay for the final sail up the Derwent River to the historic port city of Hobart. People who sail the race often say the first and last days are the most exciting. The race start on Sydney Harbour attracts hundreds of spectator craft and hundreds of thousands of people lining the shore as helicopters buzz above the fleet filming for TV around the world. The final day at sea is exciting with crews fighting to beat their rivals but also looking forward to the traditional Hobart welcome in time for New Year’s Eve Celebrations. During the race, many boats are within sight of each other and crews listen closely to the information from the twice-daily radio position schedules or “skeds”, facilitating the competitive spirit which lies at the very heart of this race. The winds are often fickle and can vary in strength and direction within a few miles and the sailing becomes very tactical requiring difficult decision making from the boats’ navigators.
The Rolex Sydney - Hobart 2009 saw headlines being grabbed by the Playboy- owned, Formula One vehicles of the Ocean racing World with a four way fight expected. One of the four never made it out of the harbour (despite last minute repairs totalling some $500,000), leaving a three way race. However, of more interest, was the three way race going on about 60 places further back
The Mercian Eagle October 2010 61
in the pack between three 67ft steel hulled monsters which had been sailed all the way from Portsmouth. Three identical boats each manned by serving regular members of the Army, RAF and Royal Navy took part in their own race competing for the Oggin Cup (awarded to the first armed services boat to cross the line). The Army team had representatives from nine different units across the full spectrum of age, rank and cap badge. Capt Tom Causer flew the flag for 3 MERCIAN taking part in his first race for the Army Offshore Racing Team. The race got off to a great start as the Army team took an early lead over the first 5 hours before the team made the decision to pull away from the Royal Navy and RAF and find wind inshore as the fleet headed further offshore. This proved to be a fatal move as the team suffered at the hands of the notoriously fickle winds and the boat made little or no progress allowing the RN and RAF to build
an 84 mile lead. 36 hours later and the winds were finally found, the crew picked itself up and set to overturn the significant lead the other two teams had established. The winds remained light, which did not suit these 47 tonne, steel-hulled cruisers; with some good, hard sailing the Army made a quick come- back and closed in on the Royal Navy. As the RAF approached Tasmania, they had built their own lead and looked to have the Oggin Cup within their grasp; the Royal Navy, however were well within the Army’s reach but it proved to be a step too far for the gritty Army team and, as the line was reached at 0433 hours on 31 December 2009, the RAF had taken first place but the Royal Navy’s 84 mile, seemingly insurmountable lead had been eroded to only 150 minutes! It is an event which encapsulated the Armed Forces’ spirit of Challenge, Adventure and Discovery and, for those soldiers who took part, it will long stay in their memories.
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