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ROLEX SYDNEY HOBART YACHT RACE: TENACITY CONQUERS ALL

Hobart, 31 December 2023 –  The 78th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race will go down in history as a relentlessly demanding test of determination, as well as physical and mental resilience. The record will highlight a tooth and nail fight to the finish for Line Honours, and a Tasmanian boat joining the select few to have achieved two overall wins in the event’s near eight decades. Organised by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in conjunction with the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, Rolex has partnered the iconic offshore challenge since 2002.

For both the overall winner, Philip Turner’s 66 ft (20-metre) Alive , and the 100 ft (30.5 m) line honours victor, Christian Beck’s LawConnect, tactical skill and awareness was a major factor alongside sheer endurance. This was especially so in the River Derwent, on the final approach to Hobart, where the fates of many fatigued crews were finally decided. The unwavering tenacity of offshore sailors and their capacity  to summon their deepest reserves all the way to the finish, has been a common theme throughout Rolex’s near 70-year relationship with yachting. A fleet of 103 yachts had signed up for the renowned 628-nautical mile undertaking, ranging from fully professional maxi racers to more Corinthian crews, and including some 18 two-handed boats. Departing Sydney Harbour on 26 December under mainly sunny skies and accompanied by the usual throng of enthusiastic onlookers, an uncertain and unsettled weather outlook ramped up the already high stakes of this notorious course. The presence of low pressure over the New South Wales coast and the ominous threat of troughs was fair warning of what was to follow. Rapidly developing thunderstorms, lightning, intense rain squalls and winds erratic in strength and direction enveloped the fleet during the first 24 hours of racing. A south westerly then moved in, leaving the bulk of the yachts heading across Bass Strait and down the coast of Tasmania in upwind conditions that would turn very heavy, with a total of 16 crews forced to retire over the course of the race.

Line Honours Although four yachts were initially tipped as contenders, the battle to be first across the line in Hobart came down to a two-horse race between 100-footers LawConnect and Andoo Comanche , with LawConnect just managing to steal ahead in the final nerve-wracking seconds, after almost two full days of stalking their opponents.

“To win line honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is a dream come true, especially against Comanche because it’s such a good boat, and in a circumstance where the lead changed so much. It was an incredibly exciting experience all around.”

LawConnect ’s triumph was in fact clinched by the narrowest of margins, with the two boats just 51 seconds apart on the finish line. The second closest finish in the race’s history. The drama had commenced early for the Juan Kouyoumdjian design, as Beck explained:

“We had a great start and were first at the first mark. But when we went to furl our big masthead zero, the furling line broke and so we couldn't wrap up this massive sail. And we're coming straight towards the zone where all the spectator boats were and we couldn't tack...”

The 21-strong crew, which included four Corinthian sailors, managed to avert disaster and recovered quickly to set up a veritable match race with the defending line honours champion Andoo Comanche . Entering the Derwent three miles behind Comanche, Beck looked set to add to his tally of three second-place finishes and perennial bridesmaid status. However the river is no place for the faint of heart and often rewards those that hold their nerve and take their chances. While Beck feared the race was lost, his afterguard of Tony Mutter and Chris Nicholson – two of the southern hemisphere’s finest and most experienced ocean racing sailors – had other ideas. Working with the equally talented American navigator, Chris Lewis, they reeled in Comanche, setting up an enthralling and memorable finish as the two colossi traded tacks, gybes and ultimately the lead. Beck was quick to admit that the win was very much down to the steely resolve of his capable crewmates, whose belief and motivation was inspirational for the rest of the crew:

“The determination was from Tony Mutter and Chris Nicholson, they never give up no matter how bad it gets. They are the ones that got us over the line.”

Overall Winner Overall winner Alive previously claimed the Tattersall Cup in 2018, and had come tantalising close in 2019. In a serendipitous turn of events, their success this year marks the 75th anniversary of the first Tasmanian boat to secure two wins in the Rolex Sydney Hobart. George Gibson’s Westward famously achieved consecutive victories in 1947 and 1948. Long-time skipper, Duncan Hine, was also part of the winning 2018 crew.

“Tasmanian boats have a long history in the Rolex Sydney Hobart, and to be one of those Tasmanian boats to have won, and now won it twice, is phenomenal.”

“Starting with a collection of people who have memories over the 10 or 15 races they’ve done, our navigator Adrienne Cahalan was on her 31st, you’ve got a lot of stored knowledge. Everyone in this race, all the guys could not have done any more, you didn’t even have to ask, everyone was on it.”

Gaining an all-important advantage over the main body, Alive swept towards the finish hard on the tail of the slightly bigger URM Group, with whom she had been sparring for two days. History has proved time and again that anything can happen on the Derwent , and it was arguably a close relationship with the fickle river that swung it for Alive , which represents the Derwent Sailing Squadron, by just 20 minutes on corrected time.

“In the end the Derwent is kind to people that know it, a little home advantage,” explained Hine, who also has a fair idea of the human qualities the race calls for: “Endurance, focus, and then endurance again.”

Like Cahalan, and Beck, and the hosts of sailors who return to complete this tour-de-force year after year despite the adversity and punishing roster, it seems the pain is already a distant memory and Hine is looking to future editions of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

“It’s a tough race and you can’t even really dream you could win it twice, so now I’m starting to think maybe we’ve got a third in us.” he admitted with a smile.

Former Australian yachtswoman of the year Adrienne Cahalan, navigator on Alive and now a three-time overall winner, arriving tired, cold and wet into Hobart’s Constitution Dock, did not underestimate the ingredients required for success.

“A lot has got to come together to win this race, that’s why it is so hard. The weather patterns have to be right, your equipment, your team. You get such a broad range of conditions, you have to know how hard to push or not push, and we pushed hard in this race through rough conditions.”

Having just beaten more than 100 other competitors to raise the coveted Tattersall Cup, Cahalan was clear on what an immense achievement this was.

“The Tattersall Cup is very hard to win. It took me 15 years to win it the first time. It's a really hard race because so much has to come together. So when you do win it, it does take a lot. It's something that everybody wants to do, but owners have spent years and years and never got over the line.”

Internationally renowned as one of the most arduous rites of passage in ocean sailing, a historic offshore challenge that has captivated professional and Corinthian sailors alike since 1945, the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race represents a cornerstone of Rolex’s association with world-class yachting endeavours. On a course so challenging that finishing is considered an achievement in itself, the pursuit of excellence, precision, and team spirit shine through, echoing the Swiss watchmaker’s enduring ethos.

ROLEX AND YACHTING Rolex has always associated with activities driven by passion, excellence, precision and team spirit. The Swiss watchmaker naturally gravitated towards the elite world of yachting six decades ago and the brand’s enduring partnership now encompasses the most prestigious clubs, races and regattas, as well as towering figures in the sport, including ground-breaking round-the-world yachtsman Sir Francis Chichester and the most successful Olympic sailor of all time, Sir Ben Ainslie. Today, Rolex is Title Sponsor of 15 major international events – from leading offshore races such as the annual Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race, to grand prix competition at the Rolex TP52 World Championship and spectacular gatherings at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Swan Cup. It also supports the exciting SailGP global championship in which national teams race identical supercharged F50 catamarans on some of the world’s most famous harbours. Rolex’s partnerships  with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Royal Ocean Racing Club, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Royal Malta Yacht Club, New York Yacht Club and Royal Yacht Squadron, among others, are the foundation of its enduring relationship with this dynamic sport.

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Sydney to hobart yacht race 2023: rolling updates, latest news, favourites, weather, drama, tracker.

By amanda lulham

• News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
• 3:03PM December 26, 2023

The 78th edition of the Sydney to Hobart shapes as one of its most memorable, with an ominous weather forecast set to wreak havoc on the 103-strong fleet.

The four supermaxis Andoo Comanche, the defending champion, Scallywag, LawConnect and Wild Thing 100 are the big contenders for the line win - but the overall corrected time victory is anyone’s guess.

Follow our live coverage of the race below.

2.30PM: SCALLYWAG CONFIRMS PENALTY

Skipper David Witt has confirmed he has done two 360 degree penalty turns to exonerate Scallywag from a potential issue at race end arising from close combat with arch rivals Andoo Comanche just after the start of the Sydney to Hobart.

“We just did circles,’’ Witt told The Daily Telegraph around 2.20pm.

Andoo Comanche sailing master Iain Murray indicated he was unhappy with an incident not long after the start where they and Scallywag came close after Scallywag tacked in front of them.

If Scallywag had not done her penalty turns and was found at race end to have infringed in the incident they could have been slugged with a time penalty or worse.

1.30PM: DRAMA AS YACHTS BEGIN CLEARING THE HEADS

Christian Beck’s LawConnect has claimed the honour of being the first yacht to Sydney Heads and out to sea after a thrilling start of the 78th race.

But the yacht then caused confusion when she did a 360 degree turn.

It was unclear at first if this was to sort an issue with the furler or for a penalty.

But soon after the yacht had more issues with their furler in a major early drama for the supermaxi.

Meanwhile Defending champion Andoo Comanche has claimed Scallywag has tacked too close to them in an hair-raising incident soon after the start which will require the later to do a penalty turn or potentially face a protest.

Comanche sailing master Iain Murray said the incident between the pair was a “classic port and starboard” with Scallywag tacking too close to Comanche.

It is unclear if Witt and his team on Scallywag agree or if they will do exonerating turns at a later date.

The drama happened in the opening 20 minutes of the 628nm race.

1.00PM: 78TH SYDNEY TO HOBART UNDERWAY

The 78th Sydney to Hobart has begun under ominous skies, in light winds and with a strange forecast hanging over the heads of the 103 starters who set sail at 1pm in a spectacular sight on Sydney Harbour

The fleet, slammed by a violent downpour before the start, set off in sunshine from four start lines with defending champion Andoo Comanche and her rivals for line honours - Scallywag, LawConnext and Wild Thing - all in pole position.

Spectator fleet numbers were down but anticipation high as the yachts jockeyed for the bets position at the start.

On the front line, that honour went to LawConnect on one end Scallywag on the other end of the line.

12.45PM: FREAK STORM HITS RACE START

A torrential downpour just before the start of the Sydney to Hobart was a preview of what is to come in the 78th race south.

As nervous crews prepared for the action-packed start they were hit by a violent rain cell which also packed some thunder and lightning.

More of the same is forecast for the first afternoon and night at sea.

Yachts left the dock early on Tuesday to check the conditions and do practice runs at the four start lines being used.

This year’s fleet boasts both the line honours and overall winners from a year ago in Andoo Comanche and Celestial.

11AM: SAILORS ‘NERVOUS’ AMID OMINOUS FORECAST

The fleet has started to leave the dock at the CYCA well in advance of the 1pm start with some nervous sailors aboard the 103 starters.

A forecast with everything and anything - including electrical storms, rain, erratic winds and a big bash - has sailors a little nervous and apprehensive.

“You’d think after so many races you wouldn’t be nervous but you are,’’ said Alive navigator Adrienne Cahalan, preparing for her 31st race south as the most capped woman in the race.

“This forecast is a tough one. It will be like a chess game.’’

Prior to the start sailors must parade by race officials to show they have their storm jibs, the smallest sails on a boat and bright orange - aboard.

And they may need them with wild winds forecast for most of the fleet in Bass Strait later in the race, along with 3m seas.

It’s plainer sailing for the line honours contenders who may sidestep almost all of the upwind on the menu for the majority.

The 2023 Sydney to Hobart fleet are on alert for things that go bump in the night and halt boats dead in their track in the light as they prepare for the start of the famous ocean race on Sydney Harbour at 1pm today.

Race management has warned sailors to watch out for sunfish and other obstacle in the water which have over the years included submerged containers, debris, sharks, whales and most commonly sunfish.

These speed bumps have ripped off keels, holed yachts and sheered rudder off, triggering major rescues at sea.

Just a year ago Huntress lost her rudder after hitting a sunfish. DRAMA AT SEA

Numerous line honours contenders, including yachts steered by Grant Wharington, aboard Wild Thing 100 in this race, have had their rudders, daggerboards or keels torn off, ending their races and victory dreams.

“Be conscious there are a lot of wildlife out there,’’ said had of the race committee,’’ Lee Goddard at the race briefing.

“There are large concentrations for this race.’’ RACE GUIDE

SYDNEY TO HOBART FAVOURITES

The two major awards are the line honour win and the overall corrected time victory.

The four supermaxis Andoo Comanche, the defending champion, Scallywag, LawConnect and Wild Thing 100 are the big contenders for the line win.

The overall is still very much in the air but the likes of URM and Monneypenny and an assortment of TP52s are considered movers and shakers in this race. There’s also some hope for the two-handed boats in this class.

The defending overall champion is Celestial owned by Sydney sailor Sam Haynes.

The weather forecast for the Sydney to Hobart is one of the most unusual in years.

Rather than being firmed up days in advance, it has kept sailors guessing right until the last minute - with potentially more changes ahead.

The good news is there isn't any indication of severe weather like the low which exploded over the fleet back in 1998 triggering mass search and rescue missions and claiming the lives of six men.

However the smaller boats in the fleet can still expect a torrid time at sea. WEATHER AND

INSIDE 1998 RACE

FAMILY TIES

There are numerous family connections in the 2023 race with one skipper sailing with his daughter for the first time and a sister joining her father and brother at sea.

Grand Wharington’s daughter Georgia is jumping aboard his 100-footer Wild Thing while Jamie Winning-Kermond is aboard for her first race south on Andoo Comanche.

Her brother John “Herman’’ Winning is the skipper an her father John Senior, or Woody as he is known in sailing circles, is back after racing the supermaxi to victory in 2022.

Amanda Lulham

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VIDEO : Sydney to Hobart yacht race 2023 overall winner Alive takes the cup for a second time

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Alive is the overall champion, with times adjusted for handicaps like boat length, while LawConnect won line honours for being the first yacht across the finish line.

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Exclusion Zone on Sydney Harbour for 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart start

• 21 Dec, 2023 04:07:00 PM

With a huge fleet of competing yachts and hundreds of spectator boats taking in the action, Sydney Harbour will be a hive of activity for the start of the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.  

An Exclusion Zone will be active from 12-2.20pm on Boxing Day, Monday 26 December.

A Special Event Area will also be active from 11.30am-2.20pm, requiring minimum wash and 6 knots of maximum speed.

Only competing yachts and approved vessels are permitted within the Exclusion Zone.

View the above map and visit the   Transport for NSW website   for more information. 

Congratulations to all the divisional winners of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2023

PHOTOS | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Official Prizegiving

PHOTOS | Day 5 Morning - Tasman Island and Storm Bay

PHOTOS | Day 5 and Day 6 finishers

PHOTOS | Official Presentation of Tattersall Cup and Rolex Timepiece to the Overall Winner

2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race - A Race for the Ages

VIDEO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race - Rolex Daily Video Summary

VIDEO | Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2023

VIDEO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Official Prizegiving

VIDEO | Race Update - 31 December Morning

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 10

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 9

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 8

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 7

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 6

• Line Honours

Full Standings available approximately three hours after the start.

OFFICIAL ROLEX SYDNEY HOBART MERCHANDISE

Shop the official clothing range of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in person at the Club in New South Head Road, Darling Point or online below.  

From casual to technical clothing, there is something for all occasions. Be quick as stock is limited!

LCE Old School is sailed consistently well - Andrea Francolini, RPAYC pic

Whisper is among the line and overall contenders - Andrea Francolini, RPAYC pic

Post start last year - Andrea Francolini, RPAYC pic

Race is on to win 2024 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

Over 30 boats will be on the start line for the 2024 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race this Friday when monohulls, a multihull and two-handed entries will share the start line off Barrenjoey Headland for the 1pm start.  

Respected sailor, Theresa Michell, has joined forces with Paul Beath and his J/99, Verite, for their first major two-handed race together. Newcomers to the Pittwater Coffs, Beath did the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart in two-handed mode with another co-skipper. He and Michell’s first two-handed training session was a four-day return trip from Hobart.

“It was all upwind. Not particularly pleasant,” Beath remembered. “One of the reasons she is doing this race with me is because she sailed with me fully crewed in the Sydney Gold Coast race and the rest of the Blue Water Pointscore last year and we get on well.

“And this race is at a nice time of year,” the Novocastrian said of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club’s (RPAYC) 226 nautical mile race.

Although she halted racing at the end of the 1990s to raise a family, Michell’s credentials are outstanding in both two-handed and fully-crewed sailing, as a skipper, navigator and crew.

She contested the 5500 nautical mile two-handed Melbourne to Osaka race in 1999 on an Adams 10 that she also skippered in the 1998 Double-Handed Trans-Tasman Challenge from Sydney to New Plymouth in New Zealand. She has sailed on the international scene, done Sydney Hobarts and sailed an Olympic class dinghy.

“This is a new team in a new race and we think it’s a good distance. We’ll get our systems together and get organised,” Beath commented.

“It will be a demanding race because of the currents and fluctuating conditions.”

The pair are expected to be competitive against all-comers, including other two-handed entries such as Chris O’Neill, who returns with Blue Planet after finishing the race seventh overall last year.

“We also won PHS and were second in ORC – and these results were exactly the same in the two-handed division,” he said.

This time he will be co-skippered by Tom Johnston, who helped him to sixth in the two-handed division of the 2023 Sydney Hobart.

“It’s a fun race and a good location in Coffs, it’s not too strenuous and importantly, there’s been sufficient time between this race and the Sydney Hobart – I’ve forgotten all the pain,” O’Neill said wryly.

Among the latest fully crewed entries for the 38 th  ‘Pittwater to Coffs’ is David Griffith’s record breaking JV62 Whisper, which will likely battle Geoff Hill’s Santa Cruz 72, Antipodes, for line honours. Whisper is also a favourite for the overall win, but due to the many weather vagaries at this time of year, the race really is wide open in all classifications.

On his quarry, Whisper’s owner says: “With her long waterline length, if Antipodes gets reaching conditions, she is quick, she will take off. We’re in pretty good shape though and the boat’s in perfect order.”

Griffith says his crew will also hold them in good stead. Among them are Rear Admiral Lee Goddard, Michael Coxon, Dougie McGain, Michael Fountain and Brett Van Munster. 

“Either way, it’s a wonderful race and the Alfreds do a great job,” Griffith said. “Everyone loves a destination race and Coffs Harbour is a great destination with lots to do.”

Others chasing overall glory are regular DK46 rivals Khaleesi (Sandy Farquharson/Rob Aldis) and LCE Old School Racing (Mark Griffith). At the Nautilus Marine Insurance Sydney Harbour Regatta in early March, the latter placed second in the Open division on home turf, while Griffith’s boat, from RPAYC, was second. Another DK46, Nine Dragons, was declared the winner. 

Pierre Gal has entered the Asia catamaran Stealth 12.60 named Fez. The French expat, who lives on the NSW north coast, is a name locally and internationally, competing in the America’s Cup for France and has Australian victories too.

Incidentally, Gal won Division 4 of the 2019 Sydney Gold Coast race with Mistral, the same Lombard 34 that won the 2023 Pittwater Coffs race for two-handed sailors, Rupert Henry and Greg O’Shea last year.

Follow the fleet on the race tracker at:  https://yb.tl/pittwater2024

For all information go to:  www.pittwatertocoffs.com.au

Di Pearson/RPAYC media

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Last Sydney to Hobart yacht arrives with 18 minutes left of 2022

A ny other day, they would have slipped quietly into Constitution Dock. But when 70-year-old Kathy Veel and 62-year-old Bridget Canham crossed the Sydney to Hobart finish line - the last of the fleet to do so - at 11.42pm on New Year’s Eve, it was as if they’d heralded the early arrival of 2023.

A crowd in the thousands who had packed out the Hobart shoreline to ring in the new year chanted “Currawong, Currawong!” as the two-hander made its way past the packed-out Taste of Summer festival and around Constitution Dock.

Cheers came from the water, too, where boats had lined up to greet the nine-metre yacht as it pushed up the River Derwent.

After a lap of honour around the thrilled spectators, interviews on the boat, and the well-deserved popping of a giant bottle of champagne: the fireworks. Veel and Canham watched from the 1973 vessel that had carried them south.

You couldn’t have written a better ending to a story that stretched five days at sea, 630 nautical miles, and a day of waiting in Eden as they waited for bad weather in Bass Strait to pass.

“You wouldn’t believe the stops we pulled to get this happening,” said Canham. “The biggest challenge we had was getting here before New Year’s Eve,” she said. “We’ve been working our butts off to get here. And it’s paid off.”

Veel said the experience was “unbelievable”. “[It was like] nothing I’ve ever had ... in my whole life, she said. “When you heard people going, ‘Curr-a-wong!’, I thought, ‘What?!’

“I’m really proud of what we’ve done.”

The sailors described the weather conditions down the coast as “brilliant”.

“The boat behaved so well, it was just magic,” said Canham, a retired nurse.

The sailors are among the oldest to compete in the Sydney to Hobart race, and certainly the oldest in the race’s new two-handed fleet section. But Veel, a retired teacher now living in Bullabarra, near Katoomba, said they didn’t want to be defined by their age - nor their sex.

“It’s not, to be honest, how we think of ourselves,” said Veel in the lead-up to the race. “We’re sailors who happen to be women rather than women who sail.

Veel purchased the boat last year, and ran a GoFundMe page to raise financial support so the pair could purchase the necessary supplies to enter the race.

In 2021, Veel was named Blue Mountains Volunteer of the Year for her work with the not-for-profit sailing-based Making Waves Foundation.

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