Sporting disaster

Epic yacht race 20 years on

The gruelling Sydney to Hobart blue-water classic will take a poignant turn this year when it marks two decades since six sailors died in a horror storm – one of Australia’s worst sporting disasters.

Wild weather is a regular hazard in the epic contest, in which a fleet of yachts depart Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day December 26, in a 628nautical-mile (1,163km) dash down Australia’s east coast towards Tasmania.

But the 1998 edition of the annual race, held since 1945, had particularly adverse conditions, with mountainous seas and roaring winds in the treacherous Bass Strait tossing vessels around like rag dolls.

Six men died, five boats sank and 55 sailors were rescued when the deep depression exploded over the Tasman Sea. While 115 boats started the race, only 44 finished.

To mark the occasion, there will be a minute of silence among competitors on the second day of the race.

“It’s not just this moment of silence, we think about it every year,” Mark Richards, skipper of eight-time line honours winner Wild Oats XI, said.

Competitors have hailed sweeping changes since put in place. Back then, there was no GPS and boats reported their positions twice a day via radio, with the storm hampering communications and the location of distressed vessels.

Yacht tracking was introduced in 1999. New rules on crew experience and training and mandatory safety equipment were also implemented.

Armed with more accurate and timely information about weather conditions, sailors say they are better prepared, but with the volatility of the weather a signature part of the race, it is impossible to remove every risk.