All five of the Team Whistler crew have departed for their run on the mountain. They are the second racing monohull to arrive in Hobart and the first Tilman trophy competitor (gains points for the number of different crew-members that run). It will be interesting to see what kind of time they can set as a team - I hear the sailors have been training!
There are three more boats nearing Hobart race control so Team Whistler may find themselves passed by some specialist runners on the mountain.

While I think of it, is there anyone driving from Hobart to Launceston on Wednesday afternoon that has space in their car for one tired and sore (but thankfully not smelly) runner and one tired and grumpy (and possibly smelly) media manager with bags?
If so please leave me a comment on the blog or call 0400 593 610.

At the 10.33pm sked the positions were:
Team Whistler was off Sandy Bay Point (it will be next to arrive). It was almost being pushed onto the beach by the current and Jacqui wanted to know could she jump off and run from there?
Pisces and Sullivans Cove Whisky were at exactly the same position, 42deg46minutes South, 147deg23minutes East.
BWR Multihulls was one minute further west.
Haphazard and Peccadillo were both slightly behind at 43deg01'S 147deg24'E.
Premium Constructions was at 43deg10' 147deg37' and Apollonius at the same lat but three minutes further west.
Positions for Elphinstone Weigh To Go and Chance were relayed by Haphazard; Elphinstone was at 42deg50'S, 147deg53E and the race's only cruising division entry cruising along at 42deg30'S, 148deg04'E.

Team Whistler is just about at John Garrow Light and is rowing. (For demonstration, see above).

Out in Mawson Place tonight...

a crowd of people stood

worshipping a fake blue mountain

Tas Marine Construction is back, congratulations on a great race guys!
Donovan Jacka got a great welcome from his partner: "You stink!" she said as she got a sweaty kiss.
Alastair presented the crew with the new trophy for the fastest monohull.

**Hydro Tasmania please note my subtle product placement in the background of this photo.

Nick reckons your guess is as good as his when it comes to what time the big orange monohull will arrive in Hobart.
He just radioed in to say that Haphazard has reached the Iron Pot.
But just to put things in perspective, the record for the longest race stands at five days 18 hours... I'm hoping they don't try to re-set that record this year - some of us need a sleep before we go back to work!

Random picture of Peccadillo

Peccadillo has reached the Iron Pot and expects to be in Hobart at midnight. Their runners have been one of the fastest teams in the race this year and really pushed hard at Freycinet, so it will be interesting to see how they run tonight. Grant Houniet will know what to expect having completed the track for practice a few weeks ago, and competing in several Point to Pinnacle races.

Tas Marine Constructions' runners reached the summit at 8.25pm. They are well on their way to being the first monohull to finish by a large margin!

BWR Multihulls has been a ghost boat up until now but has just radioed from the Iron Pot and is estimating another couple of hours until reaching race control.
Sullivans Cove Whisky reported the same position literally seconds later.
It looks like we'll have another situation like last night (was it last night?) at Coles Bay, where we have a big group of boats all arrive at the same time after a long period of NOTHING.

Pisces has rounded the Iron Pot and has an ETA of 10.30pm.

Haphazard is eight miles south of the Iron Pot reaching at about eight knots.
Pisces is believed to be somewhere between them and the pot.

Well that was quick... Tas Marine Construction snuck up while we were partaking in said coffee and Donovan Jacka and Chris Stevens (fully recovered) checked in and have set off up the mountain in the dark.
"We'll probably do it in three and a half, maybe four hours," Jacka said.
"Put it this way: if we do it in four hours I know we'll still finish third and I don't really feel like killing myself - I've already run 105km this weekend."
While they may be third overall, they are the winning monohull, a title which holds far more prestige this year after the race committee decided to score the main racing division separately for mono and multihulls.

Julian was just heard on the radio reporting that Apollonius has rounded Tasman Island.
I have a feeling that it is going to be a long night. Thank God for coffee and easter eggs...

Tas Marine Construction passed John Garrow Light about 20 minutes ago. So they're "not far" - about four nautical miles - but the whole fleet has been becalmed and is not moving anywhere fast!
Some of the committee have taken that window of opportunity to grab a few zeds (be it at home or in a van or under a table) while the lucky competitors who have finished have showered, packed up their boats, eaten, drunk and are now off probably continuing those things with family and friends.

Haphazard has just radioed in to say they have rounded Tasman. It must be very slow and frustrating out there!

Chance became the last boat to leave Coles Bay five minutes ago.

Andrew Kromar and Clarence Blake (above) finished their run at 3.13, half an hour after Piper and Guy. They took 2 hours 31 minutes, slightly faster than their rivals.

Leading monohull Tas Marine Construction passed the Iron Pot at 3pm so is a couple of hours from Hobart race control.

It's official: five wins in a row for Phil Marshall and the team of Neil Buckby Motors Subaru.
Mark Guy and Tim Piper ran in to race control sore, tired, and smelly.
When asked by waiting media what was next after Three Peaks, Tim Piper replied: "I just can't wait to have a shower."
The pair took two hours 33 minutes to complete the steepest run of the race, just five minutes outside record time.
Phil, Charlie Nolan and Steve Walker celebrated with champagne outside race control.

Piper and Guy summited at 1.38, Kromar and Blake at 2.10pm. The difference, 32 minutes, is exactly the same as it was when they left race control.

Kromar and Blake from Westbury-Mersey Pharmacy set out just 32 minutes after Piper and Guy, but although they were able to take 45min out of them on the Flinders run, it is unlikely they will be able to make up the time on the shorter Wellington run.
"We'll have a go," Blake said when asked if they could catch the front-runners.

Phil's team have arrived with a five mile lead over Terry, who is at John Garrow Light. The wind has picked up which may get the challengers in a bit quicker, but barring serious injury or accident Tim Piper and Mark Guy should get home first.
They made an ultra-quick check-in and had time to front the media before starting their run.
Piper was confident although "extremely nervous" about the run.
"We couldn't see the other boats so they're a fair way back. We thought if we had a lead of 10 minutes we'd be able to do it, so we definitely should make it."
They are still thinking strategy though, planning to go up hard and then when they hear how much of a lead they have take it easy downhill if they need to to avoid injury.

Phil's arrival is imminent, he is steaming up the Derwent in 10knots from the north. Piper and Guy will be looking to go under three hours on Wellington. The record, 2 hours 28 mins, was set in 2003 by one of their main rivals, Andrew Kromar.

Westbury-Mersey Pharmacy is still about an hour behind our race leaders and Peccadillo appears to be the next boat that was heard at the 10.30 sked. (TMC, Whistler and Haphazard were not heard. BWR was not heard but it is known that they have passed Dunalley). Sullivans Cove Whisky looks to be just ahead Pisces.
Tas Marine Construction is in Frederick Henry Bay.

We have finally arrived at Hobart race control but Phil and team has not. ETA 15 minutes from now.

Neil Buckby Motors Subaru is steaming up the Derwent in 10knot northerly and will arrive at race control in about 15 minutes.
Gun runners Tim Piper and Mark Guy will be aiming to go under three hours (the record is two hours 28min set in 2003 by one of their main rivals, Andrew Kromar).

Phil Marshall's team must be well up the Derwent and close to Constitution Dock now; unfortunately, being on the highway somewhere north of Sorrell with very patchy signal, it's very hard to tell.
The wind has picked up in the south this morning with up to 30 knots at times in Hobart from the north-west.
This explains the boats' sudden increase in speed and will push the rest of the fleet along nicely.
Last year the top teams didn't arrive in Hobart until after 4pm even after leaving Coles Bay at roughly the same times. Terry gave Phil about the same head start from Coles in both 2008 and 09 and last year caught up to finish in Hobart at the same time, so it will be interesting to see how far behind he is now. One thing is for sure, his runners Andrew Kromar and Clarence Blake won't be letting Tim Piper and Mark Guy off without a challenge.

Neil Buckby Motors Subaru radioed Hobart race control at about 9.30am to say they had reached the Iron Pot and had an ETA in Hobart of 11am. The race could be run and won by this afternoon!

We are going to see a fantastic finish in Hobart between Terry and Phil. Phil passed the bridge at Dunalley at 6.50 and Terry went through an hour later - he has taken two hours off Phil.
Tas Marine Construction was in sight of Terry, further back in the narrows.
Terry reported a very light wind and was rowing.
Chance still has not arrived in Coles Bay and Elphinstone Weigh To Go is waiting for its runners to return.
Premium Constructions departed at 4.50 after Apollonius, which left at 3.40.
Jamie and Rob's runners, Aubrey Hendricks and Doug Grubert, ran four and-a-half hours up and down Freycinet, one of the quickest times.