Not so smooth sailing

Disaster

          In a sport made famous by the crisp white denim shorts and khaki deck shoes, a nightmarish tragedy struck the yachting world in 1998 when six competitors of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race died in severe storms on the open seas. 80 knot winds and 50-60 foot seas plagued the sailors, leaving only 44 of the 115 ships at the finish, sinking 12 yachts, and throwing 55 sailors in the Tasman Sea. The race of 1998 was the deadliest on history. Since then, safety practices have changed. The CYCA club which hosts the race now requires EPIRBs for all participating sailors, requires them to be over the age of 18, and has instituted waterproof VHF radios and radar beacons to track competitors at all times. The brunt of the fault was placed on the meteorological forecasters who failed to persevere in their efforts to contact the club and individual race teams with weather information before they left port.