Kiss Goodbye to MS - Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

25-Jan-2012

 

Kiss Goodbye to MS (KG2MS) successfully completed the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race 2011!
The results are as follows:

	OVERALL	DIVISION
LINE HONOURS	49th out of 88
IRC HANDICAP	46th out of 72	7th out of 16
ORCi HANDICAP	15th out of 38	5th out of 10

It was an altogether amazing experience to be on the start line beside 100ft multi-million dollar yachts. In fact, KG2MS was the smallest boat on the front start line.

Making our way out of the heads, we turned right, hoisted our big spinnaker and flew downwind on adrenaline and the remains of a northeasterly. On the run up to the race there had been talk of an expected southerly change early in the race and, at the weather briefing that morning, we were informed that it was going to be a very abrupt change. We watched a classic roll cloud formation up in front of us that evening and at 8pm on the dot, as predicted, we had a very strong southerly to contend with. Due to the swell from a tropical low off Queensland running from the north and a strong Southerly, we endured confused and steep seas of between 3m and 4m in height.

Half way through the notorious Bass Strait, the wind died and our progress became slow. Light winds are almost as hard going as strong winds on the ocean. Eventually, we rounded Tasman Island just in time for the afternoon sea breeze and crossed Storm Bay towards the final leg up the Derwent River with the wind behind us. The excitement of the start was surpassed only by the excitement of the finish just over 4 days later.

It was fabulous to be able to come up the Derwent to Hobart and Constitution Dock with the masthead square spinnaker flying, brazenly showing a big red kiss to the welcoming crowds lining the dock.

A big thank you to Watermark for supporting the campaign. Thank you also to all who sponsored me on behalf of MS Research. The campaign was not just about raising funds but also raising awareness of MS and the Kiss Goodbye to MS project.

I’m very happy to say that I am top fundraiser with $3,241.35 raised. As a crew, we have raised a total of $18,345.60 so far. You can still sponsor me if you wish at: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/ian_lindsay

Ian Lindsay

A few photos of the crew arriving in Hobart.