Slingsby Smashes Sydney To Hobart Race
For someone who doesn’t like offshore racing very much, Oracle Team USA tactician and sailing team manager has a strange way of showing it.
For the past several Christmas breaks, Slingsby has raced in one of the offshore classics – the Sydney to Hobart Race – which starts from Sydney Harbour in Australia on Boxing Day every December.
This year, as co-skipper / tactician on board Perpetual LOYAL, Slingsby was part of the crew who smashed the previous race record by nearly 5 hours, winning the race in a shockingly quick time of 1 day, 13 hours and 31 minutes.
“It was a huge achievement and we are all still on a high,” Slingsby said the day after finishing. “This year we had a great team, great boat and a great forecast. Everything fell into place.”
Slingsby had told the New York Times earlier this month that he wasn’t too keen on offshore racing, preferring to sleep in his own bed each night, as he does in Bermuda with the Oracle Team USA America’s Cup campaign.
“I actually don’t enjoy ocean racing,” he said. “I’ve been pretty open about that. It’s just not my cup of tea. A lot of people love it. I just prefer the in-shore-course-get-your-races-done-and-sleep-in-your-own-bed type of program.”
And perhaps you couldn’t blame him. Previous Hobart races had not always gone well. While his first effort, in 2013, resulted in a second place result, he did not finish the race in 2014 or 2015, his team forced to retire with damage to the boat.
“The last two years, we haven’t gotten through the first night,” he said. “I think it’s just a bit of hard luck, but I think we had a bit of a chip on our shoulder to make sure we did well this year. However to win and break the race record is still hard to comprehend.”
A favorable forecast leading up to the Boxing Day start meant a record run was a possibility and Slingsby, along with Perpetual LOYAL owner and co-skipper Anthony Bell, guided the 100-footer to an early lead off the starting line.
Midway through the race their fierce rivals on Wild Oats retired with damage, and the path was clear for both the win and the astonishing record.
Slingsby, Bell and crew kept pushing and now a new race record stands that should be difficult to beat.
And with the race finished in a day and a half, Slingsby only had to miss sleeping on shore for one night!
He says although offshore sailing is very different from what Oracle Team USA does in Bermuda, this record-breaking experience in the Sydney-Hobart race will be something he can bring back to the America’s Cup team.
“Whenever I race outside of Oracle Team USA I bring back what I have learnt. This of course is racing on a very different type of boat, but teamwork and helping team members to perform at the highest level is something I will take out of this campaign when I return to Bermuda in about a week to start the final push for the America’s Cup.”
But the Perpetual LOYAL campaign isn’t only about performance on the water. Each race, Perpetual LOYAL raises money for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation, a charity that donates medical equipment for children, and Slingsby contributes what would be his standard race fee to the cause.
Rules of the sea are for safety at sea for all vessels.
Rules of the road are for the safety for all who use the roads.
In all sports, the Olympic games for example, there are rules to promote fair play.
The game of chess the ultimate mind game is subject to rules.
When it comes to racing sailboats there are rules, those are for safety at sea and also include I.S.A.F. Racing Rules of Sailing which are some what similar to those which define “right of way” or “give way” for road users.
You may ask why all these rule.
The primary reason for the creation of all guidelines is to prevent collisions on our roads and at sea, which could invariably result in damage to others property including injury and loss of life.
When people conduct them selves out side of the guidelines they become liable for damages.
Racing sailboats is more that a game like all other sports for the fun and enjoyment for every one,never the less a battle between man and mother nature.
Bermuda has arrived,here we are, its 2017 the year of the America Cup the most prestigious trophy through out history, the participants for that trophy will have played the game by the rules, the competition will be outstanding .
We are about to see the fastest sailboats on the planet,however there is more to it, than just speed.
In order to enjoy the America Cup racing events to the fullest a commentator will explain the rules as the events progress for our added benefit .
I.S.A.F. International sailing federation.