Bradshaw Kellett celebrated his 25th Rolex Sydney Hobart as the Boat Captain of the Line Honours winner. He wrote this synopsis of Perpetual Loyal’s campaign and victory in the February/March issue of Offshore Yachting. With talk of owner/skipper Anthony Bell returning for another tilt at Hobart this year, we thought we’d take a look.
Published as ‘INSIDE TRACK’
Perpetual Loyal
The right combination of factors need to align at exactly the right time for a race record. Weather, navigation, tactics, a degree of luck. But as Perpetual Loyal’s Boat Captain Bradshaw Kellett explains, the foundations for the historic run were laid many months before.
We started our program for the 2016 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in September 2016, when we were given the go-ahead to rebuild the forward structure of Perpetual Loyal, replace all running rigging and undertake a small refit to the yacht. These works were completed by contractors Andy Dovell, Midcoast Boatyard and Marine in Newcastle, and Sydney Rigging Specialists.
By the end of November we had Loyal crew, myself and Chris Maxted working full time under Joe Akacich’s management. We completed these works and delivered her to Sydney with 40 per cent of our Loyal squad and a few mates.
The Rolex Sydney Hobart team finally met together onboard on 12 December for the first time. We went sailing for over an hour before the SOLAS Big Boat Race where we finished second to Wild Oats XI. This was the start of our training road.
We completed a week of solid training with the squad, with ups and downs along the way and then let all crew have a week off from 20 December to race day.
Boxing Day Morning
We started Boxing Day by departing the dock at 10.30 am and did our storm sail fly by. With the storm sails packed away, we were sailing the mainsail by midday and did a few legs up and down the harbour to test the waters. Knowing exactly where we wanted to start, we didn’t rush into the pre-start area until quite late, tacked over and lined her up for the start line.
With what now call the Slingsby Sling, we cranked off the start line at full pace and were called water by Scallywag, so we tacked and burned them off to leeward. Perpetual Loyal was now in a solid position and only relinquished second position to WOXI once night fell and into the morning.
Early Challenges
We had an issue deploying the A2 outside Sydney Harbour, which led to bowman John Flannery spending a gruelling one-and-a-half hours on the end of the bowsprit changing tacklines over. This was an amazing feat of endurance, considering that he was getting tea-bagged at 20-plus knots every few seconds. Well done, Flanno!
Once the tacklines and furlers were sorted, we pushed on to play our own boat race downwind. We had to throw a few gybes in, but still stayed in contact with WOXI into the light and fickle airs that presented themselves that night.
The light air was a chance for us to get the boat back into order and prepare ourselves for the drag race that we were expecting to Tasman Island. The breeze came in early on Tuesday morning from the south-east and steadily went into the east.
This is where Perpetual Loyal got into her groove and we started reeling-in WOXI in their three-mile advantage. We were at least 500 metres away from WOXI when their keel-ram failed and they went from being fully in sight, to us not being able to see them for a second or two. When they came back in visibility, they replied to our VHF calls and we were informed to continue on – our assistance was not required.
Bass Strait Crossing
Our leg across Bass Strait was amazing. Perfect conditions for our girl. R2 (FRO) J5 and full main, with fully-canted keel and water, just sending her. This is where we probably recorded our top boatspeed of 30-plus knots in 20-knots TWS.
We took these reaching conditions all the way across the paddock and ended up running down most of the Tasmanian coast. Off Edystone Point we felt the record was out of our grasp, but the breeze filled in and we were informed of the average speeds required to get there – we all instantly knew it was possible.
We gybed five times to shorten up to Tasman Island (fastest crew ever head to head in the race), with the A2 and while preparing to peel to the J2, the breeze lifted and we were able to carry the A2 all the way around past Cape Raoul and into Storm Bay. The breeze died a little at the Raoul, and we hoisted the J2 and nothing else. Then whoosh, breeze on all the way to the finish line. No tacks.
Final Miles
It was amazing sailing a few miles from the Iron Pot at 12.30 in the morning with a spotlight shining onto your boat travelling at 20 knots. Thanks to the Tasmanian Water Police for lighting up the sail that Tony Mutter and I were trimming going up the river.
We finished at 02.31 Wednesday morning to set a new Rolex Sydney Hobart record and what a sensational effort by Anthony Bell, the team and the yacht that I had major involvement in preparing. Job satisfaction, yes. Happy Boat Captain, yes.
