After a mediocre first day at sea, the Reichel/Pugh 65 owned by 74-year-old New York Yacht Club member Dr Huntington “Skip” Sheldon from Vermont, has steadily sailed her way through the fleet in the past 18 hours.

At 6am today, the Yacht Tracker plotted that Zaraffa had moved up to seventh place in the 55-boat fleet, sailing across Bass Strait in a 20-25 knot westerly breeze.

On the IMS handicap leader board at 0600 hours, she was placed fifth overall and second in IMS Division A, with First National Real Estate, skippered by Michael Spies, the overall leader, and Geoff Ross’ Judel/Vrolijk 52, Yendys, leading IMS Division A.

In the IRC handicap division, Zaraffa was second overall to Sean Langman’s Open 66, Grundig.

Speaking later by satellite phone to the Rolex Media Centre in Hobart, Sheldon sounded very pleased with the improved position of Zaraffa.

“We are sailing the boat better; we took a line that was a little less erratic when we went searching for the south-bound current,” he said.

“We hope to get an advantage from the forecast nor’easter – it will be the first time we have got the spinnaker out of the bag since the race started as we had a Code 0 up coming out of Sydney Harbour.”

Asked how he was enjoying his first Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Sheldon, who has had wins in the Bermuda Race in the USA and the Rolex Fastnet Race in England, replied: “As they tell you, it’s always going to be rougher than you expected and rougher than the Weather Bureau forecast, It makes it difficult in the galley.”

All but three boats of the 55 boats still racing to Hobart have now reported in by radio as having passed Green Cape on the NSW South Coast just north of Bass Strait.

Retirements have been Nicorette with keel and hull damage and Dodo with a torn mainsail, while Obsession has been designed a DNF (did not finish) as she failed to report in by radio passing Green Cape.

Source: Rolex Media Centre CYCA