3 minute read
Comanche will be the only one of the five supermaxis in this year's Sydney to Hobart not to contest Tuesday's Big Boat Challenge out on Sydney Harbour.
Sydney Hobart line honours favourite Comanche won't contest Tuesday's Big Boat Challenge, but the select fleet will include wildcard Scallywag among the supermaxis.
The four other supermaxis down to do the Hobart race, Wild Oats XI, Black Jack, InfoTrack and Scallywag are all listed starters in the seven-boat fleet.
Comanche has been arguably the most race-active of the quintet in recent months, having dominated the Sydney Blue Water Pointscore Series.
The 2017 Sydney Hobart line honours winner, which also didn't contest last year's Big Boat Challenge, is also probably less suited to tight racing around Sydney Harbour than some of her rivals.
"It would have been great to have Comanche there for sure," said Mark Bradford, skipper of Black Jack, which won the 2017 Big Boat Challenge.
"But (the race) is probably more suited to our style of boat than that style of boat, so I can understand their decision."
Scallywag apart, all of the other supermaxis have done some racing in Australia this year.
The last time Scallywag contested the Sydney Hobart in 2016, she finished third on line honours behind the winning Perpetual LOYAL (now InfoTrack) and Giacomo.
"Tomorrow the wildcard comes out in Scallywag," Bradford said.
"She's had some major modifications and that boat will be way more competitive.
"Having that boat out is going to mean there's going to be four of us pretty close together."
The four supermaxis apart, Tuesday's fleet will also include the all-female crewed 66-foot Wild Oats X, the 69-foot Naval Group, the latest boat skippered by Sydney to Hobart stalwart Sean Langman and the 60-foot Winning Appliances.
Given it's little more than a sprint around Sydney Harbour, the Challenge isn't a reliable form guide to the vastly longer Sydney to Hobart starting on Boxing Day.
However, it will help hone crew work prior to that event.
Since 2006 the race has helped raise awareness and funds for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Trusts, which were established following the 1998 Sydney Hobart, when six lives were lost.
A number of spots aboard boats in Tuesday's fleet have been auctioned off.
