Rolex Sydney Hobart fleet bracing for ‘severe’ weather from the start

The Rolex Sydney Hobart fleet is bracing for the possibility of thunderstorms from the beginning of the bluewater classic.

Hobart veteran Iain Murray has predicted the conditions will be especially testing for the four 100ft supermaxi yachts jostling for line honours.

After a week of variability in the forecast, the Bureau of Meteorology warned the fleet of 103 boats that storms were expected to begin forming on the afternoon of December 26.

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Light easterly winds are expected for the start of the race, which begins on Sydney Harbour at 1pm, with thunderstorms likely south of Jervis Bay.

Sudden and erratic wind changes, hail, rain and reduced visibility are all on the cards across the first two days of racing.

Easterly winds as strong as 35 knots are forecast for the far NSW coast on the night of Boxing Day and could impact the bigger boats in the fleet.

“What we’re looking at today is that trough forming over the eastern part of NSW,” said BOM senior meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse.

“There is a potential for severe thunderstorms building up over the land and that also means that we could see those conditions over the water.”

Winds will remain strong across the Bass Strait and southeast Tasmania on the morning of December 28, with storms a chance to continue affecting smaller boats.

Andoo Comanche’s sailing master Iain Murray predicted the stormy conditions would pose unique challenges for the four 100ft supermaxis jostling to reach Hobart first.

“We don’t like thunderstorms,” Murray said.

“We get wet but it’s also very volatile for the wind.

“These big 100 footers, you have big sails and little sails and changing them is quite a process so you have to be well ahead of the curve and plan for it.

“It’s not like a little boat where it’s just “bang”, change the sails. It’s a half-hour mission to rig the boat for whatever you get. These volatile conditions are really testing for the big boats.”