A trip down memory lane- To Hobart on Wild Honey by Ian Griffiths

It was a rather nervous and tentative crew which left the CYCA at Rushcutters Bay on Boxing Day morning to approach the starting line for the 1990 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

The all-Mooloolaba Yacht Club crew was Ian Griffiths (skipper), Peter Willey (navigator), Kevin Foran, Leith Goulter, Reg Robinson, Karen Talbot, Trevor McDonagh, Graham Harvey and Gary White.

Only Peter Willey had ever experienced a Sydney to Hobart race previously and, having heard the stories about the usual conditions to be experienced in Bass Strait, we were somewhat intimidated at the prospect.

However, we achieved an average start and by the time we passed the seaward mark, we were within the first half of the fleet.

The weather forecast was for a moderate south-easterly turning north-easterly and freshening during the first night to be followed by a west to south-west gale in Bass Strait, which was generally the weather which we experienced.

By nightfall we had worked our way up towards the head of the one tonner fleet, but unfortunately had no answer to the incredible boat speed displayed by the eventual IOR winner, Sagacious, Beyond Thunderdome and a New Zealand designed and built Melbourne to Osaka entrant, Rattle and Hum.

The wind changed to the north-east during the first night provided us with some of the most exhilarating downhill rides we had ever experienced. Starting with our 1.5 ounce ‘bullet proof’ kite, after breaking spinnaker halyards and watching other boats around us shredding their kites, we thought it prudent to run with a poled-out headsail, but the wind increased to the mid-forties and our boat speed increased until we finally cracked the magic 20 knot barrier down a wave to great jubilation from the crew.

Our most significant and telling breakage occurred during this period, when we took our first and only serious broach which backed the poled-out headsail and broke the spinnaker pole cleanly into two pieces.

Fortunately, the promised low-pressure system arrived as we entered Bass Strait and we began close headsail reaching across the Strait in 25 to 35 knots with large, although reasonably regular seas.

The wind dropped significantly and backed to the west and then the north-west as we approached and sailed down the Tasmanian coast.

It was at that time when we began to desperately miss our spinnaker pole. Harv and Leith fashioned a temporary repair to the pole in the manner of a splint, utilising the jockey pole, the emergency steering arm and a couple of aluminium oars along with a great deal of light dinghy braid and cloth tape.

However, in the still sloppy conditions, as soon as we hoisted our kite, the pole looked as though it was about to revert to its former two parts and we decided that discretion was the better part of valour and went back to a headsail for the next 16 to18 hours or so until the seas calmed down sufficiently to enable us to use the patched-up spinnaker pole with any confidence.

However, that decision was to be our undoing as some of our immediate IMS competitors who were placed in varying positions behind us soon caught us up and by Tasman Island were some 20 miles in front of us.

After experiencing the usual drifting conditions across Storm Bay we had a slow spinnaker run up the Derwent to cross the finishing line in Hobart in the early 30s across the line out of a fleet of some 109 boats. We eventually finished eighth in our IMS division.

The Mooloolaba crew, without exception, performed faultlessly throughout the whole range of tasks necessary to keep the boat racing, ranging from Peter Willey’s constantly accurate navigation through to our cook, Reg Robinson’s ability to serve hot meals in some very adverse conditions.

Our courage award for the trip went to Harv for going up the mast to re-lead the spinnaker halyard entering Bass Strait in winds in excess of 40 knots and rough seas.

All the crew declared that they had thoroughly enjoyed the experience of competing in the race, although we were all a little disappointed at the loss of our spinnaker pole which we estimated cost us some four to five hours in the end result.

Talking to the crews of other boats in Hobart, we found that we had probably been over cautious in the stronger conditions experienced prior to and across Bass Strait. Although we held a position well towards the front of the fleet until the wind lightened near the Tasmanian coast, in retrospect, Wild Honey needed to be driven harder than we were prepared to risk at the time in order to provide us with a cushion or a buffer against those yachts behind us which we needed to beat and outperformed us in lighter airs, particularly when we were unable to fly a spinnaker.

As those who have completed the race previously will know, the reception in Hobart is like no other race any of us had experienced.

The warmth of the welcome into Constitution Dock is quite astounding and it was interesting to note that the usual drunken hooliganism customarily evident at the end of other medium to long ocean races is simply non-existent in Hobart perhaps as a result of the degree of dedication, planning and sheer effort required to complete the race.

There is no doubt that, if the opportunity presented itself, we would all have no hesitation in doing it all again with the wisdom of the experience of our first Sydney to Hobart race behind us.

TWO PHOTOS

Ian Griffiths’ former yacht Devil Woman.

Ian Griffiths.