1995 Race Recap

Terra Firma, Overall Winner in 1995

Telstra-MobileNet 51st Sydney to Hobart

The overall win by Terra Firma was only the fourth by a Victorian yacht in the history of the race, while Sayonara was the first US yacht to take line honours since 1977.

Race Program

Prior to each race Cruising Yacht Club of Australia publishes a separate official race program (with details of competing boats, the results of past races and articles about the race and its participants and other important events).  The 1995 Edition is here.    

Weather

After the record fleet for the 50th race, entries were down dramatically for the 51st race and, as the small number of retirements indicates, they had an easy, at times frustrating, sail to Hobart. The race began in a moderate nor'easter giving a windward start followed by a fast spinnaker dash down the NSW coast on the first afternoon and evening.

Overnight, the wind backed to the SW. There was some hard reaching in the south-westerly in Bass Strait, the strongest gusts reported being 43 knots. Once the fleet reached the lee of the Tasmanian east coast, the breezes were generally light and flukey. While the leaders had a record within their sights halfway across Bass Strait, their prospects died with the breeze north of Tasman Island, as did the corrected time chances of some of the grand prix IMS boats.

Race reports

After each race, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's magazine Offshore contains photo galleries, reports and articles on the race.  Read on to access them.

February / March 2004 Offshore - see pages 8 to 18 and 22-23