Safety first for Syd-Hob fleet after recent tragedy

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Safety first for Syd-Hob fleet after recent tragedy

A recent fatal ****** on Sydney Harbour has reiterated the importance of safety on the water for the Sydney to Hobart fleet as wild weather looms for the big race.

A man in his 50s succumbed to serious chest injuries after his boat collided with another during twilight racing off Bradleys Head on December 6.

NSW Police investigations into the ****** are ongoing.

Less than an hour after the incident occurred, around half of the 104 boats contesting this year’s Hobart were leaving the harbour in the Cabbage Tree Island Race – the final off-shore contest before the bluewater classic begins on Boxing Day.

The fatal ****** made an impression on Master Lock Comanche co-skipper and Matt Allen, who is assisting with *********** Sailing’s inquiry.

“Any time we have an incident like that, it brings back home the fact that safety is the paramount thing,” Allen told AAP.

The trying conditions forecast for the Sydney to Hobart has underlined the importance of safety this year.

North-easterly winds will make for a fast start, before a south-westerly change brings gale force winds and possibly thunderstorms to the Bass Strait on the first night of racing.

“In challenging wind conditions, these boats are very fast and very wet. Safety is number one, we can’t forget that,” Allen said.

A NSW coronial inquest into the 1998 Sydney to Hobart, during which six people died amid storms, made 14 formal recommendations and triggered significant updates to the race’s safety protocols.

Today, entrants are required to have an emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) on board for each crew member, usually fitted to their life jacket, as well as life-lines that strap each sailor to the vessel.

Personal torches are also mandatory, while the Bureau of Meteorology now provides more detail in its compulsory briefings to the fleet on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.

This year’s race will be the first without radio relay vessels keeping pace with the fleet, but the majority of boats are now fitted out with on-board internet service Starlink to maintain communications with land.

Each yacht must also carry a satellite phone.

“The resources that we have, to know what weather’s coming and to manage misadventures, are pretty significant now,” said Jules Hall, co-skipper of Disko Trooper_Contender Sailcloth.

“(The recent ****** in Sydney Harbour) was a tragic event, and sincerest condolences to all affected by that. Safety’s got to come number one, it’s so important.

“You can’t underestimate the ocean, the wind and the waves.”

Around 35 maritime rescue vessels will be on hand for the start of the race at 1pm on Boxing Day, when an exclusion zone will be in place to protect the fleet from spectator vessels.

There will be fewer buoys marking out the exclusion zone this year, but they will be larger than in 2023, spaced about 100m apart from each other.

As the race goes on, the *********** Maritime Safety Authority will respond to emergency broadcasts and beacons around the clock.

A fixed-wing aircraft is on a 30-minute stand-by to disembark from Essendon Airport in the event of an emergency, while helicopters can also be deployed from the east coast or Tasmania.

URM Group co-owner Anthony Johnston said there were extra safety precautions boats could take.

“Controlling the noise on board, that’s really important,” he told AAP.

“You’ve got to have one game plan. You can’t have everyone throwing their idea in, especially in a dynamic situation.

“It’s all about keeping the communications under control but at the same time, getting the feedback you need to implement the right decisions.”

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