The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht race, now in its 66th year, is underway off the coast of Australia. The 628 nautical mile race, in which racers travel from from Sydney Harbor to the historical port city of Hobart, is a very popular event in Australia. Event organizers have provided Google Earth tracking of the race for a few years now, and it’s a great way to follow the race.
Along with the course line and locations of each boat, as seen above, you can click on any of the boat icons for more information; details on the boat, a photo, description, precise location, etc. It’s quite a comprehensive file. The file is built as a network link, so it automatically updates itself with new information every 10 minutes.
To get the KML file for the race, simply visit this page on their site. Along with instructions, they also have a couple of KML files available to download. One is the main racing KML
, the other is a CSIRO file that shows sea surface temperature and current directions, which is a great supplement to the main file. Head over there and follow the race right now!
About Mickey Mellen
Mickey has been using Google Earth since it was released in 2005, and has created a variety of geo-related sites including Google Earth Hacks. He runs a web design firm in Marietta, GA, where he lives with his wife and two kids.