1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

54th Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
Date	26 December 1998 – 3 January 1999
Defender	Brindabella
Number of Yachts	115
Coordinates	33°51.35′S 151°12.40′E / 33.85583°S 151.20667°E / -33.85583; 151.20667Coordinates: 33°51.35′S 151°12.40′E / 33.85583°S 151.20667°E / -33.85583; 151.20667- 42°52.7′S 147°19.58′E / 42.8783°S 147.32633°E / -42.8783; 147.32633
Winner	Sayonara

The 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race was the 54th annual running of the "blue water classic" Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. It was hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia based in Sydney, New South Wales. It was the most disastrous in the race's history, with the loss of six lives and five yachts.

The 1998 race, like every other edition, began on Sydney Harbour, at noon on Boxing Day (26 December 1998), before heading south for 630 nautical miles (1,171 km) through the Tasman Sea, past Bass Strait, into Storm Bay and up the Derwent River, to cross the finish line in Hobart, Tasmania.

1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race Tragedy

The 1998 fleet comprised 115 starters. Of these, only 44 yachts completed the race, after severe weather conditions struck the fleet off the south-eastern Australian coast. An unusually strong low pressure depression developed which resulted in mid-summer snow across parts of south-east Australia. The weather system built into an exceptionally strong storm with winds reaching up to 70 knots, similar in strength to a lower-category Tropical cyclone. The rising storm produced an enormous waterspout perilously close to one yacht, and ultimately caused the sinking of five boats and the deaths of six sailors.^[1] Additionally a record 66 yachts retired from the race, and 55 other sailors had to be airlifted from their yachts by rescue helicopter. Overall, the rescue efforts involved 35 military and civilian aircraft and 27 Royal Australian Navy vessels, and proved to be Australia's largest ever peacetime rescue operation.

As a result, the crew eligibility rules were tightened, requiring a higher minimum age and experience.

A coroner's inquest into the deaths was critical of both the race management at the time and the Bureau of Meteorology.^[2]

The results of the inquest were released on 12 December 2000, NSW coroner John Abernethy finding that the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia had "abdicated its responsibility to manage the race". He wrote: "From what I have read and heard, it is clear to me that during this crucial time the race management team played the role of observers rather than managers and that was simply not good enough." But he acknowledged the club's actions to upgrade safety precautions and sailor qualifications.

Abernethy also criticised the bureau for making no effort to inform race officials of a dramatically upgraded weather forecast about the severe storm developing south of Eden, when it was common public knowledge the race was scheduled to begin. As a remedial measure, he required the bureau to add maximum wind gust speed and wave height to its forecasts.

The day after the coroner's findings, the club's race director, Phil Thompson, resigned his position. According to the coroner's report, "Mr Thompson's inability to appreciate the problems when they arose and his inability to appreciate them at the time of giving his evidence causes me concern that (he) may not appreciate such problems as they arise in the future."

Three books have been written about the race, The Proving Ground by G. Bruce Knecht, Fatal Storm by Rob Mundle, and Knockdown by Martin Dugard.

Deaths

The six sailors who died were: Phillip Charles Skeggs (Business Post Naiad, drowned, 27 December 1998); Bruce Raymond Guy (Business Post Naiad, heart attack, 27 December 1998); John Dean, James Lawler and Michael Bannister (Winston Churchill, all drowned, 28 December 1998); and Glyn Charles (Sword of Orion, drowned, 28 December 1998).

1998 Fleet

115 yachts registered to begin the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht race. They are:

Yacht	Nation	Owner	Skipper	Launch Year	Line Honours Position and Finishing Time
ABN AMRO Challenge			Ray Roberts
Adiago			Peter Williams
Aera			Nick Lykiardopulo
AFR Midnight Rambler			Edward Psaltis / Bob Thomas
Alexander of Creswell		W. Hellwig	Royal Australian Navy
Allusive			John Smith
Antipodes Sydney		Geoff Hill	Geoff Hill
Antuka		Raymond Semmens	Raymond Semmens
Aspect Computing			D. Pescud
Assassin		R. Roberts	R. Roberts
Assassin			R. Crawford
Atara			H. Cudmore / J. Storey
Aurora			Jim Holly
Ausmaid			G. Gjergja
Avanti			Chris Mooney / John Mooney
B52		Wayne Miller	Wayne Miller
Bacardi			P. Cole	1978
Berrimilla		Alex Whitworth	Alex Whitworth	1977
Bin Rouge		D Hodgkinson	Christopher Bowling
Bobsled		P. White	G. Bush / N. Feros
Boomaroo Morse Fans		J. McIntosh	J. McIntosh
Breakaway			K. McDonald
Bright Morning Star		Hugh Treharne	I. Treharne	1986
Brindabella		George Snow	George Snow	1993
Business Post Naiad		Bruce Guy†	Bruce Guy†		RETIRED (Abandoned)
Canon Maris		Ian Kiernan	Ian Kiernan
Challenge Again
Chutzpah
Computerland
Cyclone
Dixie Chicken
Doctel Rager
Elysion Blue
Forzado
Foxtel Titan Ford
Fudge
Gundy Grey'
Helsal II		Keith Flint	Keith Flint	1979
Henry Kendall Akubra
Hi Flyer PNG
Hogsbreath Witchdoctor
Impeccable
Indian Pacific
Industrial Quest
Inner Circle
Innkeeper
Jack Guy
Jubilation
Kendell
Kickatinalong
King Billy
Kingurra
Komatsu Blue Lady
Lady Penryhn
Liquid Asset
Loki
Maglieri Wines
Marchioness
Margaret Rintoul II
Mark Twain
Mercedes IV				1974
Midnight Special
Miintinta
Mirrabooka
Misty		Brian Clague	Brian Clague	1973	Completed last boat in fleet 42nd Won Class
Morning Tide
Nattel Adrenalin
New Horizons
Ninety Seven
Nokia
Not Negotiable
Nouméa
Ocean Designs		S. Bean			Retired (Eden)
Outlaw		Alan Quick	Alan Quick		Retired in Bass Strait(Bermagui)
Pippin
Polaris
Quest
Ragamuffin
Rapscallion Team Syntegra		Dick Voorderhake
Red Jacket
Relish IV
Renegade
Ruff 'N Tumble
Sagacious
Sayonara		Larry Ellison	Larry Ellison
Sea Jay
Secret Men's Business
Sharp Hawk
She II
She's Apples Two
Siena
Sledghammer
Solo Globe Challenger
Southerly		Don Mickelborough	Don Mickelborough		Retired (Eden)
Spirit of Downunder
Sword of Orion
Sydney
T42 Solandra
Tartan		Mark Ballard	Mark Ballard		Retired (Eden)
Team Jaguar Infinity
Tenacious
Terra Firma
Tilting At Windmills
Trust Bank Hummingbird
Unipro Ocean Road		K. Simpson	K. Simpson
Vagrant
Valheru
VC Offshore Stand Aside
Veto		Max Crisp, Mike Crisp, Graham Brown	Graham Brown	1979	Retired, returned to Sydney.
Waitangi II
Wide Load
Wild One		Co-owner Barry Main	Barry Main		PHS All 16th, Div A 10th, line honours 35th
Wild Thing
Winston Churchill		Richard Winning	Richard Winning
Yendys
Zeus II

Results

Line Honours Results (Top 10)

Handicap Results (Top 10)

See also

• 1979 Fastnet race A Yacht race severely affected by a rapidly deepening extratropical cyclone, near Ireland.
• Turtling

References

External links

• Abernethy, John (12 December 2000). "NSW Coroners Report" (PDF). NSW Coroners Office. 
• Kennedy, Alan (3 April 2004). "Race storm ends for maligned skipper". Sydney Morning Herald. 
• Lamont, Leonie (12 October 2005). "Families vindicated as yacht club settles race case". Sydney Morning Herald. 
• Turner, Chris (10 March 2000). "Report To The Coroner: 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race Yachting Harnesses and Lines" (PDF). WorkCover New South Wales. 
• van Kretschmar, Hugo (May 1999). "Report of the 1998 Sydney Hobard Race Review Committee (Cover to page 86)" (PDF). Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.