Sweet revenge for Apollo

Press, 30 December 1985, Page 32

Sweet revenge for Apollo

NZPA staff correspondent Sydney The Sydney giant yacht Apollo yesterday won the 1985 Sydney-Hobart yachting classic after three days and four hours of power racing down Australia’s mainland and Tasmanian coasts.

The result is sweet revenge for her owner, Jack Rooklyn, who saw his maxi go down by a mere seven seconds to Condor of Bermuda three years ago in a finish that still stands as the closest in the 41-year history of the 630-nautical mile race.

In her victory this year, Apollo also had the satisfaction of trouncing the legendary Windward Passage, a recent purchase from her

United States owners, and the biggest competitive maxi in the fleet, Ragamuffin.

Windward Passage was 30 miles behind Apollo when she slipped over the line in the Derwent River, with Ragamuffin a couple of miles further back. With the winds off the Tasmanian south coast and into the Derwent River living up to their traditional flukey reputation, they were the only three yachts that could be certain of finishing the race last night

For the rest of the 144 boats clawing their way down the Tasmanian coast, it will be today or even tomorrow before they can hope to finish, with the tailenders not expected to

arrive at Constitution Dock until New Year’s Day or later.

The race leader on handicap last night was still the New South Wales Southern Cross Cup boat Sagacious, followed by Drake’s Prayer, the first of the New Zealanders, Thunderbird, another New South Wales cup boat Paladin, then the consistent British cup boat Highland Fling. The fleet, which has had just about everything short of a gale served up to them in this race, was last night running before light northerly winds swinging between north-east and northwest, giving some of the yachts spinnaker runs, and leaving the others looking for

Ever since the southerlies which put out the bulk of the 32 boats that retired, swung around the compass to come in from the north on Saturday, the fleet has had smoother running conditions.

Apollo, way out in front, managed to get her spinnaker up on the run down the Tasmanian east coast yesterday, but when she turned into Storm Bay for the run to the mouth of the Derwent, the winds just died away. Last year Lion New Zealand crossed the bay in just a few hours, flying at 17 knots, but this time Apollo took more than seven hours to cover the same 30-mile distance. , Into the mouth the

Derwent, passing the famous Iron Pot, as Windward Passage rounded Tasman Island into Storm Bay, a sea breeze came to Apollo’s rescue, and she managed to get her spinnaker up for the last run up the river, surrounded by an armada of spectator craft. Those flukey winds will spell the success or failure of New Zealand’s defence of the Southern Cross Cup it won two years ago. Despite being down to just two boats, the British team is hanging on to its series lead, 172 points clear of New Zealand B, with New South Wales now third. Australia — also down to two boats — is still fourth, and New Zealand A is now back in fifth place.