Quick Guide To 63rd Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

By Rob Kothe

Quick Guide to 63rd Rolex Sydney Hobart Race

Course: Starting near Steele Point on Sydney Harbour, the boats will sail 628 nautical miles south down the south-east coast of Australia, crossing eastern Bass Strait and down the east coast of Tasmania, rounding Tasman Island and crossing Storm Bay, past the Iron Pot Light house to the finishing line in the Derwent River, Hobart.

The fleet: 82 Boats - you can read about the fleet here http://www.sail-world.com/get_s2hBoats_2007.cfm

Start 1300 Wednesday (local time), December 26 2007. 0200 GMT/Zulu time

Race record 1 day, 18 hours, 40 minutes and 10 seconds set by Wild Oats XI (Bob Oatley/Mark Richards in 2005. To break this record a boat will need to finish this race by 07:40:09 on Friday morning December 28th 2007

First Race Winner (1945) Rani (Captain - John Illingworth RN (UK)). Design: Barber 35' cutter. Line honours and handicap winner.

Last Year's Winner (2006) Line Honours: Wild Oats XI (B Oatley/M Richards). IRC Overall: Love & War (Lindsay May). Design: S&S 47.

Most Line Honours Wins: One boat has won the race seven times, she sailed as Morna winning in 1946, 1947 and 1948, then as Kurrewa IV in 1954, 56, 57 and 1960.

Handicap systems: IRC (International Rule Club) and PHS (Performance Handicap System).

Viewing: There will be large crowds on the Sydney Haerbour foreshores. Neilsen Park, North Head and South Head will be amongst the favourite locations.

Large numbers of sailing boats and powerboats will take to the water, they have to stay outside the exclusion zones. Cruising Yacht Club of Australia vessels will be granted access close to the starting line.

Tickets aboard the official starting vessel, Aussie One, are $195 per person, or aboard the catamaran Aussie Legend, $175 per person. Both vessels depart from the CYCA marina at 11am and return about 2.30pm. Phone the CYCA.

Television: Coverage starts at 12:30pm on Channel Seven.

On the Internet: Follow the fleet via the largest sailing website in the southern hemisphere www.sail-world.com. There are links there to Google Earth view and the Yacht Tracking.

Sail-World's reporting will come from Peter Campbell, Crosbie Lorimer, Rob Kothe, Al Constable. Images will be provided by Andrea Francolini, Crosbie Lorimer, Rob Kothe and Daryl Krasu. Additionally Sail-World will run reports and images from the entire Rolex Sydney Hobart media team.

Sailors Radio - Starting at 11:30 am until 2:00pm on Sydney's 107.3FM. The fastest woman circumnavigator and legendary navigator: Adrienne Cahalan will join Olympian, sailmaker and world champion yachtsman Nev Wittey, old sea salt John Sturrock and sailing broadcaster Andrew Powell.

The three hour show is syndicated to stations around Australia and will be streamed world wide on Sail-World.com

www.sail-world.com

ENDS

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