Sailing
GEORGE Snow buried the ghosts of Sydney-Hobart races past with a narrow line honours victory in the 53rd Telstra Sydney-Hobart race.
His son, George, steered the Jutson-designed 75ft maxi Brindabella across the finish line at Battery Point at 12.37pm local time yesterday to conclude a testing duel against the pocket maxi Exile, which is owned by Hong Kong-based Warwick Miller.
Exile lost out in the notoriously fickle winds off Tasmania's Derwent River on the final 11 miles.
Several thousand spectators and more than 200 craft greeted Brindabella's victory, which put to rest Snow's multiple disappointments, in 1993 and then again last year when they were forced to retire just hours after the start when their mast collapsed, and Brindabella's bridesmaid years, finishing runner-up twice in 1994 and 1995.
Exile, a 66ft Reichel/Pugh design which included expat Scot Patrick Pender - brother of double Scottish series winner Simon in her afterguard, had to relinquish their lead when running under spinnaker down the Tasman coast in light breezes on Sunday, but the duel continued right up the Derwent River, with both boats chasing zephyrs of wind.
The slow finish, coupled with strong head winds during the 630-mile passage from Sydney, starting on Boxing Day, meant both boats finished more than nine hours outside the record for the race, which was set last year by Germany's Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory.
''For us it was fifth time lucky,'' said Snow. ''Exile showed us the way for the first 400 miles. It was only late on we gained a margin.''
On handicap, Exile leads IMS Class A, while the overall leader is Atara, skippered by Roger Hickman. British Olympic Soling representative and Admiral's Cup helm Andy Beadsworth, steering Australian veteran Syd Fischer's Ragamuffin, was in eighth place.
Division B - 1, Atara (NSW, R Hickman); 2, Beaugeste (China, K Kwok). Division C - 1 equal, Valheru (Tasmania, A Lyall) and Yendys (Queensland, G Ross).
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