he Sydney Hobart race remains one of the great iconic races in the yachting calendar and the sight of the huge fleet powering out of Sydney Harbour bound to Hobart on Boxing Day – just as most of us are recovering from the effects of too much Christmas cheer – always elicits a tip of the hat. This may be the antipodean summer but the Bass Strait is always capable of dishing up the sort of conditions to send a shiver down the spine of even the most experienced sailor. This year was no different and a 103-strong fleet enjoyed a relatively light weather crossing of this notorious strait, yet this came with a sting in the tail for sailors towards the back of the fleet who, when almost within sight of the finish line, were clobbered by a savage weather system off Tasman Island which dished up gusts of up to 60kts as the smaller
