He can thank the crew behind an upcoming feature documentary that follows Comanche’s 2022 Sydney to Hobart triumph.
The as-yet-untitled Comanche film takes a behind-the-scenes look at the people behind the four-time Hobart line honours-winning yacht.
“There’s only so many people who are interested in watching a sailing movie. But there’s lots of people that are interested in watching a human-centric movie,” Winning told AAP.
“There’s definitely some personalities on the boat, I can say that first-hand.”
Winning is a keen skydiver, with 500 jumps worth of experience, but rarely films his exploits.
With the movie in its final stages of production, the director was eager to capture some shots of the skipper in his element.
So Winning found himself bound for Dubai to meet with members of the extreme sports team sponsored by Andoo, one of the companies he owns.
“They were able to organise for me to do a lot of jumps in a day. If I do it in Australia, I’m getting about four or five jumps in a day, over there I can get about 10 or 11,” he said.
When the skydiving drop zone in Dubai closed for two days, Winning, who had already jumped 20 times in two days, made his way to an Abu Dhabi military base to keep going.
“I got almost 30 jumps in over four days,” Winning said.
“My back feels every one of those jumps. It’s a lot of up-and-down, up-and-down and hunched over with a pack. It’s like a small brick on your back and then pulling it bends my back.”
Winning has had to juggle massages, stretching and physiotherapist appointments with his tactical race preparations, which have included scoping out the competition.
SHK Scallywag returned to the water in October after extensive modifications, while Wild Thing owner Grant Wharington only recently finished upgrading his own boat from an 80-footer.
For Winning, one challenger is a clearer threat to Comanche’s title defence than the others.
“It’s LawConnect for us. They’re just a very solid team,” Winning said.
“I think Scallywag’s a bit of an unknown.
“We’re not too worried about Wild Thing, unless three of us are off-shore and Wild Thing’s the only one in-shore or three of us are in-shore and Wild Thing’s the only one off-shore, then they might be a threat.
“We don’t want lotteries, we know this boat’s fast.
“But we can’t control it if we’re in 15 knots different breeze or sailing upwind when others are sailing downwind.
“We want to control what we can control and that’s staying near the other boats where we can and when we can’t, it’s making calculated risks.”
What time does the Sydney to Hobart start?
The race kicks off on Sydney Harbour at 3pm (NZT). 113 boats have entered for the 78th running of the event including four 100-foot maxis and several past winners.
How long is the Sydney to Hobart?
The race is 628 nautical miles long and usually takes the winner around 48 hours or just under. The race record of 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, and 24 seconds was set by LDV Comanche for Jim Cooney and Samantha Grant in 2017.
What is the prize for winning the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race?
The Tattersall Cup. It was first presented in 1946 by the Executors of the Estate of the late George Adams.
Who are the previous winners of the Sydney to Hobart?
2000: SAP Ausmaid
2001: Bumblebee 5
2002: Quest
2003: First National
2004: Aera
2005: Wild Oats XI
2006: Love & War
2007: Rosebud
2008: Quest
2009: Two True
2010: Secret Men’s Business 3.5
2011: Loki
2012: Wild Oats XI
2013: Victoire
2014: Wild Rose
2015: Balance
2016: Giacomo
2017: Ichi Ban
2018: Alive
2019: Ichi Ban
2020: Not conducted
2021: Ichi Ban
2022: Celestial
