PSP Logistics Dominates Sydney Hobart Race Start

PSP Logistics has dominated the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, which doubles as Race 5 of the Clipper 2017-18 Race.

There were two early wins for PSP Logistics, with the team first around the mark and also first out through the heads.

Another who had a strong showing was Australian Skipper Wendy Tuck, who is competing in her eleventh Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Wendy and her Sanya Serenity Coast team were the third out of heads, despite a slow start across the start line on Sydney Harbour.

IMAGE: Clipper Race fleet starts Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Speaking before race start, Wendy, who won the Clipper 70 Class and was the first female Skipper across the line in the 2015 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, said: “I love the race the whole fanfare of it, the busy start the excitement when you finish and all the different conditions we are going to come across on the way down to Hobart.

“I want to win this race but the rest of the Clipper Race fleet won’t make it easy for me.”

IMAGE: Sanya Serenity Coast during the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

As well as the eleven Clipper Race 70 foot yachts, Clipper Ventures worked with the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 to train 16 veterans from the UK and Australia to crew two Clipper 68s in the race to Hobart. Clipper Race founder and Chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo and nonstop around the world in 1968-69, is the Navigator on board Invictus Games 2018 GAME ON (CV10), which was first across the start line, closely followed by Clipper Race teams Dare To Lead and Visit Seattle.

IMAGE: PSP Logistics leads Clipper Race fleet out of the Heads.

PSP Logistics was the third of the Clipper Race fleet to cross the starting line but ten minutes into the race, it had taken the lead. PSP Logistics, Skippered by Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race veteran Matt Mitchell, continued to lead the Clipper Race fleet around the first mark, followed by Qingdao and Dare To Lead.

The strong start was completed when PSP Logistics also took bragging rights as the first Clipper 70 out of the heads. Dare to Lead was second and despite not featuring in the top half of the fleet for much of race start, Wendy Tuck used her knowledge of the local waters to guide Sanya Serenity Coast out of the heads in third place.

IMAGE: PSP Logistics races Dare To Lead on Sydney Harbour during Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

All eleven Clipper Race 70s and the two Invictus Games Sydney 2018 crews were clear of the heads within an hour of race start, and now will get stuck into the 630 nautical mile race to Hobart.

The overall leader going into Race 5 is Qingdao Skipper Chris Kobusch who at Race Start said: “Hopefully we can stay on the top of the leader board it’s a really tough race though as it’s so short anything is possible; one small mistake and you fall back and you can never recover.” Sanya Serenity Coast is currently in second but sits on equal points with third placed Dare To Lead, all that is separating the two is the number of higher place finishes.

IMAGE: Visit Seattle and GREAT Britain during the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

A total of 102 boats are taking part in the 2017 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. The eleven 70-foot ocean racing yachts are expected to arrive in Hobart by Saturday 30 December and will be berthed at the King’s Pier Marina. After ringing in 2018 in Hobart, the teams will then turn their attention to the final stage of the All-Australian Leg 4, from Hobart to Airlie Beach, where the crew will be welcomed by the Whitsundays Clipper Race Carnival, which will run from 13 to 29 of January. For more information, see the Clipper Race Carnival website.

Click here to see more images of the Clipper Race fleet during the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, and to follow the progress of the teams to Hobart, keep an eye on the Clipper Race Viewer.