Day 3 – V21/25, Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race!

Day Three of Voyage 21/25 sees STS Young Endeavour following the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race fleet down the coast. The last two days have tested the mettle of our Youth Crew (and the Staff Crew!) as we have tacked our way South into some strong winds and seas. We’ve waved as retiring racing yachts have turned to return to Sydney – they really did brave some harsh conditions in much smaller vessels.

Despite a few green gills the crew have all resurfaced today with the winds backing out of the south and bringing a refreshing but light 5-10kn Easterly Wind. This has taken the size out of the seas and made the ride much more comfortable. We still have a long way to run to round Tasman Island though and we plan on capitalising on the predicted North Easterlies over the next 24 hours to cover some miles.

Our beautiful tall ship much prefers a down-wind sail than beating to windward and we are all looking forward to it too!

Chefo Steve, AKA Big Sauce, has kept us all fed in rough conditions and tonight we were treated with some chicken satay and beef chow mein. Just what we need before rolling into watches overnight and continuing our passage.

Youth Crew jumped online on their phones this afternoon with a short window of reception whilst we passed the township of Eden on the NSW South Coast. There is some adverse weather coming on the 30th and we are watching it closely to assess its impact to our arrival time which is currently programmed for the 1000 on the 31st at the UTAS Wharf in Hobart.

I’ll provide another update tomorrow night which will confirm our arrival. Let’s just say we are all incredibly motivated to push through the weather and arrive as planned to reunite with friends and families and to celebrate New Years Eve in Hobart to round out a hugely successful 2025. We won’t do that though it the conditions are looking unsafe or marginal. Watch this space tomorrow!

We’re going to settle into a comfortable run into Bass Straight tonight which is very refreshing after the last two nights at sea!

Captain Leups Out +