Sydney to Hobart

December 26, 2018 brings the next chapter in Prospector adventures when the silver canoe crosses the start for the Sydney to Hobart race.  

Australia’s Great Race is 628NM long down the southeastern coast of New South Wales, across the Bass Straight and ultimately up the Derwent River to the finish at Constitution Dock in Hobart.  The race renowned for challenging, changeable conditions across a tough patch of water.  It can be either a downwind or an upwind race, though typically it is downwind with a shift to upwind as the fleet crosses the Bass Strait and approaches Tasmania.  To cap it off, the race is often won and lost in the last 40 miles from Tasman Island up the Derwent River to the finish at Hobart as teams that had previously seen upwards of 30 knots content with light, localized breezes.

While the usual stars will all be in attendance - no doubt Australian TV’s will flicker images of Wild Oats XI, Black Jack, Scallywag and the current race record holder LDV Comanche (1 day 9 hours 15 minutes and 24 seconds), Prospector will line up against a strong fleet of 60 to 70 footers.  Whether Winning Appliances, Naval Group or the extremely skilled ladies on Wild Oats X, a strong challenge will arise somewhere, and it will take all of the Prospector crew’s talent and dedication to reach the podium.

As of writing, the weather models are still waffling through various states of disagreement, so our ETA is a bit up in the air.  Fans can follow our progress on the tracker. 

As usual, watch this space for updates and photos for life on board!