Fleet of 83 boats for Telstra Sydney to Hobart

by Peter Campbell on 29 Nov 2000 The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia announced today that it had received 83 final formal entries for the 2000 Telstra Sydney to
Hobart Yacht Race which starts from Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day, 26 December.

The fleet is down only six from the original 89 applications to enter the 630 nautical mile ocean classic received in early November,
and includes the largest line-up of big boats since the 50th race in 1994.

The fleet ranges from 30-footers through to the Italian Navy’s 90-foot sail training ketch Orsa Maggiore and includes three of the
world’s fastest racing 80-footers as well as five Volvo Ocean 60s built for round-the-world racing.

The first of the 10 overseas yachts entered are already in Sydney, with the Volvo 60 Tyco from Bermuda and the 80-footer Nicorette
from Sweden arriving this week.

The race record-holder, Nokia, the water-ballasted VO60 that sailed the course in a remarkable 1 day 19 hours 48 minutes last year
is due by ship from Denmark early next week.

Last year, fleet of 80 boats headed south in the tough ocean race and the CYCA expects the final line-up on Boxing Day will be
around the same.

“It’s a most exciting fleet, one that will focus worldwide attention on the race, particularly in the lead-up to the 2001-2002 Volvo
Ocean Race, which will include the Sydney to Hobart as a leg of this round the world race,” CYCA Race Director Phil Thompson
said today.

“Here we have three of the world’s fastest 80-footers in Nicorette from Sweden, Shockwave sailing for New Zealand, and the
extended Wild Thing from Melbourne, together with our local flyers Brindabella and Xena.

“We can expect boat-for-boat racing to Hobart between the Volvo 60s from Bermuda, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong and New
Zealand.

“But right across the fleet, it’s an outstanding line-up of ocean racing yachts with strong overall and division IMS and IRC handicap
contenders from all States of Australia, Britain and New Zealand.”

In the lead-up to the Telstra Sydney to Hobart Race, the CYCA will conduct the Telstra Cup and the Australian championship for Farr 40 One Design yachts from 13-17 December and the spectacular Canon Big Boat Challenge on Friday, 15 December.