U.S. yacht favored in Sydney to Hobart race
Posted: Friday December 25, 1998 02:16 PM
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- United States maxi Sayonara looks set
to continue the foreign domination of line honors in Australia's
famous Sydney to Hobart yacht race, which starts Saturday.
Sayonara, raced by American computer billionaire Larry Ellison,
has only been beaten once since it was launched in 1995 and is
aiming for its second win in the 630 nautical mile bluewater
classic.
If the 80-footer beats the local boats home into Hobart, it will
be third time in four years a foreign yacht has finished first.
New Zealand Endeavour trumped the locals in 1992, Sayonara won
in 1995 and German's Morning Glory set a race record of two days,
14 hours, seven minutes and 10 seconds the following year.
Sayonara's rivals are expected to be last year's line honors
winner Brindabella of Sydney and new Australian maxi Wild Thing.
The contest for handicap honors appears more open, but there are
many who believe Sayonara could become the sixth yacht to do the
line honors and handicap double.
Ellison believes unforeseen damage is the only major barrier to
victory.
"She is a much more modern boat than Brindabella, if we don't
break, we should beat Brindabella, we should beat anybody,"
Ellison said.
"If we hold together we should win the race, the question is if
this boat comes through and pays us a favor we would just love to
knock off the record."
Ellison says Sayonara can knock half a day off Morning Glory's
record given the right conditions.
Brindabella's captain and owner George Snow believes a new
record is possible.
"I think the front boats will be very close all the way down,
which will be a great challenge," said Snow. "We are well set up,
we've got the best crew we've ever had and I think the boat is in
great shape," Snow added.
The race is tipped to start Saturday under freshening north
easters with the prospect of showers and a thunder storm before a
southerly change of around 25-30 knots later in the day.
The southerly is expected to ease to 15-20 knots over Sunday
before swinging back to the north on Monday with a west to south
westerly change expected to move through Tasmania and Bass Strait
on Tuesday when the first yacht is anticipated to finish.
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