Veteran sets sights on 50 Hobart races

THE sailor with the record for completing the most successive Sydney to Hobart races is looking for even more landmarks.

Veteran navigator Lindsay May will extend his record for consecutive passages to 46 on Boxing Day when he sails south on 1971 line honours winner Kialoa 2.

May enjoyed handicap wins on Indian Pacific (1984), Atara (1991) and Love & War (2006) and a line honours victory in 1997 aboard Brindabella. Only six other sailors had done the race more times and just two had reached the half-century mark, which had become a target for May.

“It’s certainly on my horizon. I’d like to think I’ll have the opportunity,” he said.

May has no plans to stop sailing the race any time soon. Only once in his record run did he contemplate not doing it and, ironically, it turned out to be one of his best years.

“In 1984, I was intending to have a family Christmas in Western Australia,” May said.

“About December 10, I got a call-up from a bunch of mates, who I’d sailed with many times, to go on Indian Pacific. And ’ 84 was a very very tough race, there was huge retirements from the race and we ended up winning the race on handicap.”

He would like to see Kialoa 2 beat her own personal best time for the race, which she set last year, despite a broken boom on the first afternoon.

For all his wins and records, May endured one especially torturous passage to Hobart.

“In 1974, I finished at 4am on New Year’s Day on a little half-tonner and I don’t ever want to do that again,” he said.

“We were out drifting in the river going nowhere, watching the fireworks. We got to the dock and we were greeted with three people and a dog and they were all intoxicated!”