Reigning Sydney to Hobart handicap winner Balance has lost the chance to retain her title, as she drifts aimlessly in the Derwent River in desperate search of wind.
Owner and skipper Paul Clitheroe on Wednesday afternoon said his 15.9-metre boat was one of quite a few stuck in a time freeze, eager to make the short distance to the finish line.
Balance has just 15 nautical miles to go, but is managing a speed of only 2.5 knots.
"All of here at the entrance to the Derwent are now out of the running for an overall win," Clitheroe said.
Best known for his role giving financial advice in Australian media, Clitheroe doesn't have any solutions for his current predicament.
"In 2015 a small southwest wind picked us up and carried us over the 40 nautical miles from Tasman Light to the finish in just over three hours," he said.
"Ironically in our last three hours in this race we have covered a couple of miles, mainly in the wrong direction."
Satellite tracking calculates Balance will cross the line late on Wednesday afternoon.
