The yearly 628-mile jaunt down the coast from Sydney, Australia, across the Bass Strait to Hobart, Tasmania, has a nasty reputation as a heavy-air battle, often storm-tossed and sometimes deadly. The 70th running of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, which set sail Boxing Day, December 26, was no exception, but what began as a bone-jarring beat into 25-knot headwinds and steep seas, finished with a barn-burner sleigh ride for the 117 racers.