Nicorette battles gale in Storm Bay as she nears finish of Telstra Sydney to Hobart Race

by Peter Campbell on 29 Dec 2000 Telstra Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race leader Nicorette is battling galeforce winds reaching 50 knots as she sails across Storm Bay this morning to claim line honours in the 630 nautical mile ocean classic.

The Swedish 80-footer, owned and skippered by Ludde Ingvall, rounded Tasman Island (41 miles from the finish) at 10.47pm last night and at 1.20 am today Ingvall estimated he would cross the line off Hobart's historic Battery Point at 3am (Friday, 20 December 2000 AEST).

At midnight Nicorette was sailing across Storm Bay and heading for the
finish in the Derwent River off Battery Point, Hobart, with Wild Thing some
30 nautical miles astern.

Winds were blowing from the south-west at 30 to 40 knots, reaching 50 knots with very rough seas and a heavy swell in Storm Bay.

Skipper Ingvall reported that the water-ballasted maxi yacht was averaging 14 knots as Nicorette raced the 30 nautical miles from Tasman Island to the Iron Pot at the entrance to the River Derwent, from where it is just over 11 miles to the finish.

Following Wild Thing came the first of the Volvo 60s, the Bermudan boat
TYCO, skippered by Kiwi ace Kevin Shoebridge, with illbruck (John Kostecki)
and News Corporation (Jez Fanstone) further astern.