The World's Most Gruelling Yacht Race
The World's Most Gruelling Yacht Race Once a year, at the height of Australian summertime, the cream of the international sailing fraternity gather in Sydney. The race that begins at Sydney harbour and finishes 630 nautical miles away in Hobart’s Constitution Dock in Tasmania is one of the most notoriously gruelling yacht races in the world. There were 115 yachts in the 1998 race that set off from Sydney harbour on a clear, summer day. Only 40 of them made it to Hobart. The worst storms to hit sailing since the tragedy of Fastnet in 1979 ripped the others apart. A race that cost the lives of 6 sailors, soon became one in which the prize was staying alive. While competitors struggled to survive, Australia launched the largest search and rescue mission in its history. Hell On High Water is an astounding account of what really happened from those who lived through this tragic and terrifying sporting disaster.
