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Quest for victory in Sydney-Hobart
HOBART, Australia -- The crew of the Sydney yacht Quest had an agonising 24-hour wait before they were confirmed overall winners on handicap of the 2002 Rolex Sydney Hobart race on Monday morning. The 630-mile ocean classic started from Sydney on Boxing Day, taking the 57 boat fleet down the east coast of Australia, across Bass Strait to the finish in Hobart, Tasmania. Quest, a Nelson Marek designed 46-footer skippered by Bob Steel, crossed the finish line in Hobart at 09:03am on Sunday morning. The Quest crew then had an overnight wait to see if the smaller yachts in the fleet could pick up stronger northerly winds to speed them towards Hobart and take the handicap prize. By early Monday morning, the only boat that could have threatened Quest's win, Jim Dunstan's 30-footer Zeus, reached the finish line 8 minutes too late. Originally launched in 1997, Quest had a major refit in 2001 and has had considerable success in 2002 winning the Sydney to Mooloolaba Race earlier in the year. Owner Bob Steel, competing in his 16th Sydney Hobart Race, thought it was all over at midnight on Sunday night. "I pulled down the battle flag and skulked off to bed quietly thinking it was all over," Steel said. "Having placed second twice in this race, this is the pinnacle of my 35-year yachting career. It is fitting that (Everest mountaineer) Sir Edmund Hillary started the Rolex Race on Boxing Day because this is my little Everest," he added. First to finish and winner of the line honours prize was the 27.5m (90ft) Richel Pugh designed supermaxi Shockwave, renamed Alfa Romeo for the race, owned by Neville Crichton. Alfa Romeo crossed the finish line with an elapsed time of 2 days 4 hours 58 minutes on Saturday morning, nine hours outside the 1999 race record set by Nokia, but still the second fastest time in the 58-year history of the race. The Sydney Hobart has had a fierce some reputation over the years. In 1998 twelve yachts sank in a severe storm and six sailors were drowned. The 2002 event conditions were relatively benign with just two retirements after collisions at the start on Boxing Day. Alfa Romeo's owner Neville Crichton admitted 2002 was an easy race. "We didn't break any records but we didn't break the boat either." 2002 Rolex Sydney HobartHandicap • 1 Quest (Bob Steel, AUS) • 2 Zeus II (James Dunstan, AUS) • 3 Another Challenge (Lou Abrahams, AUS) Line honours • 1 Alfa Romeo (Neville Crichton, NZ) 2days 4hrs 58 mins 52secs • 2 Grundig (Sean Langman, AUS) • 3 Canon (Mike Slade, UK)
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