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Tasmanian Seafarers' Memorial
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Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race 1998
The plaque reads ...
1998
Sydney - Hobart
Yacht Race
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Died at Sea
Mike Bannister, Glyn Charles
John Dean, Bruce Guy
Jim Lawler, Phillip Skeggs
The 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race was considered the most disastrous in the event's history due to extreme and sustained storm force winds and high seas that claimed six lives. Another 55 persons were airlifted from yachts to shore by helicopter.
Those who lost their lives were:
Michael Bannister (Winston Churchill) drowned, 28 December 1998
John William Dean (Winston Churchill) drowned, 28 December 1998
James Michael Lawler (Winston Churchill) drowned, 28 December 1998
Glyn Roderick Charles (Sword of Orion) drowned, 28 December 1998
Bruce Raymond Guy (Business Post Naiad) heart attack, 27 December 1998
Phillip Raymond Charles Skeggs (Business Post Naiad) drowned, 27 December 1998
Of the 115 yachts that started the race just 44 completed the event in Hobart. Many of the yachts that retired suffered hull and rig damage that ranged from minor to significant.
There were winds reaching 65 knots, gusting to 80 knots, with huge seas reported to be 25 metres high off the south-eastern corner of Victoria giving cyclonic conditions around a deep low pressure system travelling south-eastwards through Bass Strait. This caused havoc with the fleet and extreme weather conditions on land with summer snow on the Australian Alps. The subsequent search and rescue effort was described as Australia's largest-ever peacetime operation.
The subsequent coronial enquiry two years after the event made numerous recommendations covering crew experience and extreme conditions training, yacht design, safety equipment aboard yachts and that carried by crew and liferaft design that had impact not only on future offshore yacht races in Australia but world-wide. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia was able to implement many of the recommendations even before the coroner delivered his final report.