Sydney Hobart retirement reasons

[Concerto]

This is a complete list of the 37 retirements across all classes for this years Sydney Hobart race. Source rolexsydneyhobart.com.

• Alive - Retired - hull damage
• Ariel - Retired - Mainsail damage
• Blink - Retired - torn main sail
• Chancellor - Retired - sail damage
• Crystal Cutter III - Retired - Mainsail damage
• Denali - Retired - damage to hull
• Enchantress - Retired - broken forestay
• Eora (TH) - Retired - broken backstay
• Extasea - Retired - engine issues
• Gun Runner - Retired - time constraints
• Gweilo - Retired - Forestay damage
• Hells Bells (TH) - Retired - engine issues
• Hip-Nautic (TH) - retired - damaged mainsail
• Inukshuk (TH) - Retired - autopilot issues
• Kayimai (TH) - Retired - engine issues
• Khaleesi - Retired - forestay damage
• Kialoa II - Retired - Rigging damage
• King Billy - Retired - chain plate damage
• Mako - retired - damaged mainsail
• Maverick (TH) - Retired - rudder damage - in Eden
• Mille Sabords - retired - torn mainsail
• Minerva - retired - mainsail damage
• Moneypenny - Retired - Broken Headstay
• Nautical Circle - retired - rigging issues
• No Limit - retired - heading to Sydney
• Oskana - Retired - broken forestay
• Oz Design Patrice Six - Retired - engine issues
• Patriot - Retired - rudder bearing damage
• Philosopher - Retired - heading to Sydney
• Rogue Wave (TH) - retired - autopilot issue
• TSA Management - retired - mainsail damage
• URM - retired - damaged mainsail
• Wax Lyrical - Retired - Equipment damage
• White Noise - retired - window damage
• Wonderland - Retired - equipment issues
• Zara - Retired - time constraints
• Zen - Retired - injured crew member

Summarised the retirements were caused as follows.

Autopilot 2
Backstay 1
Chain plate 1
Engine issues 4
Equipment damage 2
Forestay 5
Hull damage 2
Injury to crew 1
Mainsail 9
Other 4
Rigging 2
Rudder 2
Window damage 1

So in this tought race the major problems were sail damage (9) and rigging problems (9).

 

[Bobc]

They got absolutely slammed the first night. Big winds over tide with steep seas.

 

[kof]

They got absolutely slammed the first night. Big winds over tide with steep seas.

Yes. That first night did a lot of damage. Cruising boats would have said, sod this I’m packing this in and putting on the kettle, but the racers keep pushing until they win or break. All powered up and bashing into those steep seas will find a weakness.

 

[dunedin]

They got absolutely slammed the first night. Big winds over tide with steep seas.

Agreed. Most of them were going very fast upwind into that wind against tide plus ocean swell - even the biggest boats said it was one of the most brutal they could remember
The autopilot failure ones will be from the two handed fleet - bit tricky to race on competitively if that failed

 

[Motor_Sailor]

Half the retirees with sail damage and rigging damage. This will have been exasperated by modern high modulus materials and cordage.

We've known for a long time that the peak loads on sheets, blocks, reefing pennants, sail corners, etc are massively increased when there's no 'give' anywhere in the system.

Cruisers need to think carefully before slavishly following the 'dyneema is better' mantra, as the energy in the system has to go somewhere. If this bit doesn't give, will the next link in the chain handle it or break?

 

[mjcoon]

Yes. That first night did a lot of damage. Cruising boats would have said, sod this I’m packing this in and putting on the kettle, but the racers keep pushing until they win or break. All powered up and bashing into those steep seas will find a weakness.

It could be said, just as it is for racing cars, that countermeasures tested by racers will "trickle down" to get used by the common man for cruising...

 

[Sandy]

Another reason I don't race.

 

[Neeves]

Thanks Concerto.

I had not thought to check to see if anyone had made a summary.

The reason we stopped racing - could not continue to afford it.

Jonathan

 

[john_morris_uk]

Thanks Concerto.

I had not thought to check to see if anyone had made a summary.

The reason we stopped racing - could not continue to afford it.

Jonathan

My feelings exactly. Kit would break and the crew just looked at me to go and get a new one. That and the only way to be competitive was to buy new racing sails regularly. Racing seriously is beyond my budget I’m afraid.

 

[Neeves]

Cruising is so much more relaxing

Jonathan

 

[capnsensible]

Another reason I don't race.

Nothing to do with age then?

Was for me.......

 

[Boathook]

My feelings exactly. Kit would break and the crew just looked at me to go and get a new one. That and the only way to be competitive was to buy new racing sails regularly. Racing seriously is beyond my budget I’m afraid.

I met someone many years ago, possibly 20, who was into serious racing and he decided to do the European circuit for a year. He had a budget of around 100k for the season. Sails, moving boat and crew plus accommodation at various locations all mounted up. I don't know whether he was good at racing but he enjoyed it!

 

[Sandy]

Nothing to do with age then?

Was for me.......

I gave up mountaineering due to age and the toll on the joints.

 

[E39mad]

Another reason I don't race.

I certainly wouldn't do an offshore race these days (done RORC and JOG in the past) but racing around the cans with a beer in the club or pub afterwards is pleasurable for me and many others.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

My feelings exactly. Kit would break and the crew just looked at me to go and get a new one. That and the only way to be competitive was to buy new racing sails regularly. Racing seriously is beyond my budget I’m afraid.

I used to race as crew a lot on two boats both owned by very wealthy men who did exactly that and spent a lot of money, I periodically moved the boats around with a short crew to await the arrival of the owner and the rest of the crew, before doing so the owners would give me a load of cash just in case or to get the boat lifted and scrubbed at the other end and to buy the crew beer and food. We slept on the boat, one was completely stripped out and not at all comfortable, the owners slept ashore. When I finally bit the bullet and bought my first boat I determined there would be no racing in it because I knew what would happen and I wouldn't be able to afford it. Years later I relented once and it cost me dearly, a new forestay, lashed up repair of the furler and a sail repair of new headboard and luff tape on the headsail and repair of ripped spinnaker all 1000 miles from home, never again I vowed.

 

[Sandy]

I certainly wouldn't do an offshore race these days (done RORC and JOG in the past) but racing around the cans with a beer in the club or pub afterwards is pleasurable for me and many others.

I am sure it is. I did that once. The skipper morphed from being a delightful individual to a bawling tyrant in eight nano seconds. I've never stepped on a racing boat again and as for the ex-racing skipper on a cruise 100 miles down the coast - I had never seen anybody continually tweak the sails for 18 hours until that trip.

 

[Wing Mark]

I raced on some bigger boats in my 20s, but by the time I was 30 I'd grown tired of the whole 'crew of 10' game.
Because I was sailing dinghies as well, I wasn't committed enough to get on the very top boats, and most of the others seemed to have a lot more cash than talent. I used to enjoy the passage races a lot more than the overgrown dinghy round-the-cans in the Solent, although I 've kept doing the occasional low key Friday night club race.
Racing is better in smaller boats, one design, unless you're really competing against the ocean rather than against one another.

 

[Concerto]

I met someone many years ago, possibly 20, who was into serious racing and he decided to do the European circuit for a year. He had a budget of around 100k for the season. Sails, moving boat and crew plus accommodation at various locations all mounted up. I don't know whether he was good at racing but he enjoyed it!

In the late 1960's and into the 1980's, we raced fairly competitively on the East Anglian Offshore circuit. Rarely did we break anything or damage a sail.

By comparison a nephew about 6/7 years ago was paid to look after a Swan 44. The owner raced and cruised it in the UK, Med and Caribean. He had a shipping container that contained either his race gear or his cruising gear and it went where the yacht went. The Atlantic crossings were by ship, but the others were by delivery crew. Annual budget for sailing was £250,000!!!!! Some people are just very wealthy and can afford it. He currently works for someone else who has 12 boats and he looks after 11 of them, the TP52 is the one he does not handle although he has raced on them.

 

[E39mad]

I am sure it is. I did that once. The skipper morphed from being a delightful individual to a bawling tyrant in eight nano seconds. I've never stepped on a racing boat again and as for the ex-racing skipper on a cruise 100 miles down the coast - I had never seen anybody continually tweak the sails for 18 hours until that trip.

I can see why that put you off. I prefer the skippers who brief the crew beforehand if not raced with them before as to their job and expectations. Whilst I rarely skippered I would talk to the less experienced race crew to prepare well in advance for their next action. Shouting was not needed in these circumstances as everyone knew what to do. A much more pleasant environment. I have raced with "shouty" skippers before and it rarely helps.

 

[jamie N]

Back in the day, I raced dinghies competitively, starting in Cadets, then Hornets/Fireballs etc.etc. around & about Chi harbour. The racing was normal, but the sailing wasn't enjoyable, unless I won.
Fortunately, my career & life kicked in, and I hardly sailed at all for 30 years, not really missing it terribly much.
Now sailing again for the past decade, without any intention of ever racing again, just loving the sailing for the sake of sailing.
Golfer's are the same aren't they, with a "Good walk spoiled".