Retirees bring up Sydney to Hobart tail
After more than five days at sea, two retirees have become the final sailors to finish the Sydney to Hobart race, arriving minutes before the New Year.
Kathy Veel, 70, and Bridget Canham, 62, got a 見解(をとる) of 花火s on Hobart's River Derwent from the water after crossing the line at 11.42pm on Saturday.
They arrived to revellers 詠唱するing 'Currawong' - the 指名する of their 30-foot ヨット, the second smallest in the race.
"The welcome was just unbelievable and to get here before the 花火s was just the best," Canham, a former nurse, said.
The pair met sailing with Kerry Goudge's all-女性(の) 乗組員 in the 1993 Sydney to Hobart, regarded as one of the toughest races 条件s-wise.
Veel, a former teacher, had also sailed the 628 航海の mile bluewater classic in 1989 on Belles 特別奇襲隊員, the second all-女性(の) 乗組員 in the event's history.
"We've had lots of messages of 激励 and a little bit of a に引き続いて on our Facebook page and (人が)群がる 基金ing," she said.
"In the week before the race, the news got out and I've been getting messages from students I used to teach."
Veel, who owns the boat, sailed it from Melbourne to Sydney in the lead-up to the race. The pair entered the Bird Island event in November, 選ぶing to sail when others pulled out.
They 戦う/戦いd some rough seas after setting out from Sydney on ボクシング Day as part of a 109-strong starting (n)艦隊/(a)素早い and pulled into Eden to 避ける the worst of the 天候.
Nine of the ヨットs were 軍隊d to retire after 苦しむing 損失 at sea. Veel said they didn't 熟視する/熟考する pulling out.
"(I thought) 'give me some 残り/休憩(する) and I'll be hap py to take whatever Bass 海峡 throws at us'," she said.
Line honours was earlier (人命などを)奪う,主張するd by Andoo Comanche for the fourth time, while Sydney ヨット Celestial was awarded a maiden 全体にわたる 勝利,勝つ.