As every year in December, the sailing season in France is very quiet, boats are in dry dock and sailors are more concerned with where the snow will fall...
But December in Sydney, on the contrary, is a time of excitement! It's Indian summer, the long vacation, and on the quays of the CYCA, the famous club that organizes the Rolex Sydney Hobart, boats and sailors, both Australian and international, are appearing to take part in the 80th edition of this legendary race, the Fastnet of the Antipodes.
This year is my sixth time participating in this race, but my first time in double-handed sailing, my favorite category. I will be on Jiang Lin's JPK 1030 Min River. I arrived on the 18th, and the plan is to train, do our qualifying race (a 24-hour sail), prepare the boat—which is already in great shape—and, of course, refine the weather forecast as the days go by.
This year, we're rubbing our hands with glee, as it looks to be favorable for small ratings, which is quite rare in this race. The classic pattern is to start downwind and finish upwind in the often very strong southerly wind. And often the big ratings take the lead before this tedious tacking. This year it's the opposite, with two days of upwind sailing followed by downwind sailing at the end after crossing a high-pressure zone halfway through the race. The big ratings will do a lot of upwind sailing and we will come back downwind, with potentially 30 knots at the end of the course, which is ideal for the planing hull of the JPK1030. On the other hand, if we lag too far behind, the southerly will eventually arrive to catch up with the stragglers... Of course, we're talking about offshore racing, so anything can happen, and in this race, the end of the course takes place in “Storm Bay,” a bay that sometimes lives up to its name but is especially feared for its calm waters and contrary currents. Every year, this bay dashes the hopes of some contenders for the overall victory, whether in class or overall.
Most of the 142 entrants are in the same marina, and I am delighted to meet the regulars of this race, as well as sailing legends such as Dean Barker, winner of the America's Cup (among other things), and Lijia Xu, double Olympic medalist in Laser and double world champion in Optimist (among other things).
In terms of our direct competitors in the double-handed category, there are around 20 boats, including SF3300s, J99s, and above all two big favorites that I know particularly well. The first is Mistral, a 34-foot Lombard prototype, three-time winner of the double-handed event, skippered by Rupert Henry, its owner, who knows the race and the boat inside out, and by the formidable Spanish devil (but above all a very good friend) Pablo Santurde, a skipper with an impressive track record on many different boats. A few pontoons further on is the other bogey boat of the double-handed fleet (if not the overall fleet), which I know very well, having helmed it since its inception and sailed it in the Sydney Hobart in 2015 and 2017. This is the Caledonian JPK 1080 BNC my Net / LEON, led by the famous Michel Quintin, two-time world windsurfing champion, and Yann Rigal, with whom we shared a few Tour de France à la Voile races in the good old days. These two know each other as well as they know their JPK 1080. They have been training together for this race for five years. We spend a lot of time together before the start, from a little aperitif at the end of the day to the traditional Christmas Eve dinner, and we even prepare the weather forecast together with Christian Dumard.
December 26 is the day of departure, the famous “Boxing Day.” For your information, the Sydney-Hobart is one of Australia's most watched sporting events. The media turned out in force, along with supporters, families, and friends. There is also a certain amount of tension, as we know that the first two days will be tough, with close-hauled winds of 20 then 30/35 knots and rough seas, reaching 4 meters in places. Hobart has to be earned!
The start is marked by four parallel starting lines according to category, and the entire fleet is released at the same time, with hundreds of spectator boats on either side of the bay.
Min River is ready to go, and we are particularly motivated and focused on doing well. Jiang hasn't sailed for a long time, but his willingness to learn is as strong as his motivation. We get off to a good start downwind, in the middle of the line. The wind is very choppy, but we manage to get out of the bay in a good position. Ahead of us are Léon and Mistral...
Upwind, there's no contest, they're both like planes and we're struggling to keep up, even with our ballasts. The first night, we attack a little too close to shore, we find the expected right-hand swing but the wind drops and we take a beating. The next day, the conditions are pretty cool, 15 knots, sunshine. In the evening, the wind gradually picks up, the sea rises, and during the night it's war. The 35 knots are there. In sail configuration, we have 1 reef in the mainsail and J4, the boat is super balanced, but it's not pleasant. The sea is rough, with breaking waves in places. 34, 36, 37 knots, luckily it doesn't get any higher than that. During the night, many boats abandon the race. Torn sails, structural problems, rigging problems, injuries, the list goes on. Unfortunately, Mistral also abandons the race, Rupert has broken ribs.
After this eventful night, things calm down and we return to a “normal” pace. Léon is in the lead, 25 miles ahead of us. Around us, the fleet is compact, with the J99s and SF3300s still with us. We arrive in the dreaded Bass Strait, famous for its strong winds, huge waves, etc. This year, it's 8 knots, bright sunshine, and the sea has become flat... Everything is lost and there's no season anymore!
We negotiate the high pressure fairly well, gaining miles on Léon and distancing ourselves from our direct opponents. The wind picks up, Code Zero, then A3, the boat glides along on its own, we can feel that the 1030 loves its reaching speeds, and we rest as best we can and also realize that the arrival estimates are very favorable for boats in our category. We push hard for the finish. The wind is still favorable, we are now under S2, heading for Tasman Island at the entrance to the bay, well known for its jagged coastline.
Day 3, the boat continues to eat up the miles under a large spinnaker along Tasmania. There's life around here, majestic and curious albatrosses, schools of playful dolphins, clearly great hours at the helm surfing the boat and catching every wave. During the fourth and final night, we're sailing hard downwind. We sail under cape spinnaker, the boat is still going fast and is much more maneuverable. A few gusts of 30 knots, but the boat is sailing perfectly. We are back within 10 miles of Léon, an hour behind, which is quite far behind but still dangerous. It's going to be a close call.
At dawn on the fourth day, we sail around Tasman Island. After a few minutes in 35-40 knots due to the site effect, the wind drops again. Storm Bay? We find a few crewed boats that have been stuck for a while off Cape Raoul, but no sign of Léon. They managed to get through this windless zone. They are definitely too strong! It's going to be tough for us, with the rating difference we only need a one-hour gap.
The wind finally picks up for the whole fleet and we finally cross the finish line. For the moment, we are IRC 6 winners, second in the double-handed category and overall behind Léon! JPK double??? We dare to believe it, because this double would be so magical! Of course, we have to wait for the smaller ratings to arrive, but it's looking very good!
Hugs with our Caledonian friends, we replay the race with the different crews present. We are more than tired, but the atmosphere in Hobart is, as always, incomparable!
Unfortunately, BNC Léon, who had an incredible race, will be penalized for a rule violation involving the use of a spinnaker pole and asymmetrical spinnaker, and the penalty will ultimately reverse our positions. So we'll remember this JPK double victory, in the only race that the shipyard was missing from the overall victory! Cocorico!!!
Thank you Jiang for your trust, thank you Michel and Yann for this incredible battle, bravo Jacques the magician and bravo JP and the whole JPK Composites team for these perfect boats.
— Alex
