Who will win the George Adams Tattersalls Cup handicap trophy for this years Rolex Sydney Hobart?
The answer is potentially anyone. All 78 competitors from the mighty 98ft line honours contenders such as Wild Oats, Skandia and Maximus down to the 27ft classic yacht Maluka sail to a handicap rating known as IRC and whoever completes the 628-mile course fastest – once their handicap has been applied to their elapsed time – wins the Rolex Sydney Hobart and this prestigious trophy. This handicap system would work fine were it not for the vagaries of the weather. While last year’s winner, Bob Oatley’s 30m maxi Wild Oats XI set a new course record of 1 days 18 hours, the slower boats can take anywhere up to five or six days, and the variation in conditions over this period play a large part in determining the overall winner. If conditions are strong and consistent, with winds from a favourable direction, then it favours the big boats as it did last year when Wild Oats XI achieved the rare race double of both the handicap win and line honours victory. If conditions are unfavourable for th
