January 2015 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 7. SUPER-MAXI COMANCHE 2ND AT SYDNEY-HOBART RACE
Most sailors in the United States have heard of the 630-mile Sydney Hobart Race, hosted by the Cruising Club of Australia. Many learned about this when a severe storm moved through the fl eet and the event became headline news in 1998. Five boats were lost, numerous were damaged and six lives were lost despite the heroic efforts made by rescuers. This year there was special interest generated from the State of Maine as one of the racers, Dr. Jim and Kristy Clark’s 100-foot maxi COMAN- CHE, nicknamed “the aircraft carrer,” was built at Hodgdon Yachts in East Boothbay. Early reports said that this high-tech racer had the speed, but she would have some stiff competition from Bob Oatley’s WILD OATS, which had taken line honours the last seven races.
Before the start of the race the weather forecast called for a southerly front to pass by an hour before the fi rst gun. This meant that the racers would begin with spinnakers up in a 15 knot southerly that would increase the further they head south. The fi rst over the line will be the fi ve 100 foot maxis and it was thought that once they turn the fi rst mark they would have to decide where they can push the limit. The last part of the race will be light and not offer many places to make a gain. A few days later a northerly is scheduled to push through and this will push the smaller racers towards the front and could create a great battle for the winner on corrected time. The 50 footers have been the dominate winners on corrected time, but this year it could be a 40. The consensus was it would be a fast start, but that would not hold and the record for fastest fi nisher would not be in jeopardy.
The skipper of COMANCHE was Ken Read and before the race he said, “We’re
ready. To me it looks like a nice sailboat racing day. A little breezy, a little lumpy, but if our boat can’t handle 25 knots and a little bit of bump then something’s wrong. We’re pretty psyched with this forecast; we’ll do a little bit of reaching across Bass Strait, which is quite good for us. It’s really the end of the race that looks a little diffi cult, a little bit light.”
Read added, “The design concepts were built for two very different reasons. COMANCHE is meant to reach across the oceans - to break Trans-Atlantic records - to take advantage of cracked-sheet conditions. Did we try to design something that would go upwind? Of course, but she’s not de- signed specifi cally for this race.” Another well-known person on board was Jimmy Spithill. Most know him as the man behind America’s come back in the last America’s Cup races held off San Francisco. Initially he would be grinding or whatever is needed, but he does have an elbow tendon issue that will need surgery at some point. He had turned down a spot on RAGAMUFFIN, but with surgery postponed until after the fi rst of the year and receiving treatments he began working with COMANCHE a few weeks before the start. Spithill said, “I love technology, and this boat is the latest. It’s a lot less loaded. In the 72-foot cats we’re bearing away doing 50 knots of boat speed so they get incredibly loaded when they’re on the foils. A boat like this, when you’re sending it hard on the waves, it gets some load as well, but I’m amazed at how much feel and how responsive COMANCHE is, it’s just a really well balanced boat. It’s quite rare for a boat of this size and magnitude to use the Sydney Hobart as a test for the boat, but Jim Clark isn’t afraid of a challenge.” Spithill will alternate with Ken Read
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COMANCHE screaming along at the 70th Sydney-Hobart Race. Photograph by Carlo-Borlenghi
and Kelvin Harrap at the helm during the race.
Following a parade out to the startling line, COMANCHE had a great start and rounded the fi rst mark in record time. The wind had increased to 25-plus knots with steep waves, testing each and every compet- itor. Soon those retiring from the race began to return.
Seven hours into the race COMANCHE
had a one mile lead over WILD OATS. The race would come down to who could keep their boat moving best in the coming light air. During the night the two battled and COMANCHE still held the advantage when just northeast of Green Cape on the New South Wales south coast. The forecast was for the wind to continue to drop and come
Continued on Page 21.
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