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Aussie yacht navigator adrienne cahalan set to make rolex sydney hobart history when she joins forces with the old enemy.

Big rule change to this year's Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

Record-setting sailor Adrienne Cahalan has joined forces with one of the fancied overseas boats in this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race .

Cahalan, who will become the first female to do the race 30 times, will be aboard British boat Sunrise, which has scored high overall placings in most of the world’s other major offshore races.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Big rule change to this year’s Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

In 2021, Sunrise was the overall winner of the 2021 Fastnet and was second in the Middle Sea race and earlier this year won her division of the RORC Caribbean 600.

The fleet of 111 includes eight international entries, the first overseas-based boats to contest the race since 2019.

Cahalan is the most successful female sailor in Sydney to Hobart history with six line honours wins and two overall victories.

Five of the line honours victories and both overall wins were aboard supermaxi Wild Oats XI and she was also first across the line on 80-foot Swedish maxi Nicorette.

Sunrise is much shorter than those big boats at 38-foot and will be the smallest Sydney to Hobart entrant Cahalan has sailed on this century.

She has sailed before on other yachts with Sunrise’s boat captain Dave Swete, who is lining up for his seventh Sydney to Hobart.

The other British and New Zealand crew members won’t arrive until about a week before the race, but Cahalan felt their familiarity with the boat would offset their lack of sailing preparation in Sydney.

“I guess they do it all year, flying in and out of races, they don’t worry about it so much,” Cahalan said.

“I’m the local knowledge person, they’ve got a regular navigator, so I’ve got a little different role this year. I’ll be on the deck as well as back-up navigator.

“This race is well suited to having two navigators because it’s very intense and you really don’t have time to go to sleep.”

Not counting the cancelled 2020 race, Cahalan hasn’t missed a Sydney to Hobart since 2007, when she was eight months pregnant.

“I’m very proud of my record in this race and for me I just can’t imagine being on the shore watching the fleet leave without me,” Cahalan said.

When Cahalan made her Sydney to Hobart debut in 1984, she recalled being one of only around five females in the race, while this year there will be more than 100.

“Now it is really becoming more and more hopefully merit-based and people don’t need to ask the question anymore, “ she said.

“It’s all about you just bringing your skills to the table and you are taken for who you are, not whether you’ve got an M or a F after you on your birth certificate.”

How to watch

The Rolex Sydney Hobart will be live and free from 12:30pm AEDT on Boxing Day on 7mate and 7plus .

Sydney 12.30pm on 7mate and 7plus

Melbourne 12.30pm on 7mate and 7plus

Brisbane 11.30am on 7mate and 7plus

Adelaide 12.00pm on 7mate and 7plus

Perth 9.30am on 7mate and 7plus

Sydney to Hobart contender reveals secret weapon to take on skinny boats

Stream free on

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

• Following the Race
• Past Sydney Hobart Videos

Whatever the results of the Rolex Sydney Hobart, one thing is certain - when the race starts at 1300 AEDT on Boxing Day it will capture the imagination of sailors and spectators worldwide. As this year’s activities are being run as a COVID Safe event, we would request that spectators are mindful of social distancing requirements and join the millions of viewers who tune into the action on TV and online.

When the fleet for this year's race jostles for position on four start lines around Shark Island, you'll want to be in prime position yourself. To get the full dose of race atmosphere you need to grab a spot on North or South Head, or even join the action on the water among the colourful spectator fleet (which includes craft of all shapes and sizes from ferries to kayaks and even the odd water taxi). But if you're not lucky enough to be there in person when the starting cannon fires, don't worry - there are plenty of ways to follow the race, no matter where you are.

If you've got access to a boat then you can be on the water with the fleet for the start of the race. Spectator craft positioned in the eastern channel can watch the race begin and then follow the fleet down the harbour to the Heads and out to sea. Once underway the fleet can move fast, so if you want to catch the leaders sail through the Heads, it's advisable to get well down the harbour towards Middle Head before the start. At the Heads keep well clear of the rounding marks.

If you only plan on watching the start, and don't wish to follow the fleet, then stick to the western side of the harbour. Good vantage points for spectator boats include Taylors Bay, Chowder Bay, Obelisk Bay and North Head on the west and Rose Bay, Watsons Bay, Camp Cove and South Head to the east.

The Harbour will be very crowded and traffic can be chaotic so stay alert, follow the advice of race officials and remember to keep well clear of the exclusion zone between 12pm and 2pm.

The Jackson  is the only public and official spectator vessel permitted within the Sydney Harbour exclusion zone for the exciting race start.

Bookings and to find out more 

On Television

The Seven Network, through 7Mate, will once again broadcast the start of the race live around Australia. 

ABC TV will also be following the fleet down the eastern seaboard and provide all the in-race news footage that is used by the various Australian and International news networks.

For those who can't get to watch the live broadcast of the start of the Race on the Seven Network across Australia, Seven West Media will webcast the program. You can also watch a webcast of the live broadcast on the home page of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race website.

If you miss the live webcast, don't worry, a replay of the start programme will be available on this site, and our friends at Seven West Media will be making a replay available shortly after the live webcast concludes and will be available for the duration of the race. 

Included on the website is the complete list of yachts entered, along with a photograph and description of each boat, a crew list, and the boat's performance data, predicted finishing time and standing for both Line Honours and Handicap Division which is updated every 10 minutes.

There's also archival data including results of past races since the first in 1945, the weather they encountered; a summary of line and overall handicap winners of those races; historical reports and statistical information; designers of those line and overall winners; and profiles of some of the race luminaries over the years.

You'll also be able to follow the event on twitter for race updates http://twitter.com/rshyr  and via Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RolexSydneyHobart  

Yacht Tracker

The Yacht Tracker page allows viewers to track the entire fleet or a particular boat from start to finish. Yacht Tracker uses a specially designed tool that calculates the predicted results for each and every boat in the fleet, so you can see how each boat is performing.

Each yacht will be fitted with a tracker that will obtain a position using the GPS satellite network, and then transmit that position back to HQ using the Iridium satellite network.

Each yacht's position is then visualised on the race yacht tracker map or overlaid on Google Earth. In addition, the yacht tracker system also shows distance to finish line and progressive corrected time positions under the IRC, ORCi and PHS handicap divisions

To do this, the tracker is configured to automatically update the yacht's latitude, longitude, course over ground and speed over ground - and transmits that information via satellite to a land station.  From there, the data is transferred to the website, which shows in text and graphics each yacht's position in the fleet, its place relative to other boats and known geographic features, and the speed currently being achieved over the land, as well as the direction in which the boat is sailing.

Viewers may view the yachts on a chart through Yacht Tracker or separately on Google Earth. Line honours and progressive predicted corrected times under the IRC, PHS and ORCi handicap categories are updated every 10 minutes.

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!

Sydney to Hobart yacht race: LawConnect wins Sydney to Hobart line honours after two-way river battle

Live Moment Sport Sydney to Hobart yacht race: LawConnect wins Sydney to Hobart line honours after two-way river battle

In a finish for the ages, LawConnect has sensationally overtaken Andoo Comanche in the final moments to snatch line honours in the 2023 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

Andoo Comanche held the lead a lot more comfortably when rounding the Tasman Peninsula and entering the River Derwent for the final sprint, but LawConnect started to rapidly gain on them.

The speedier LawConnect closed several nautical miles between them along the river until they were neck and neck to a nail-biting finish. 

LawConnect's finish time in the end was 1 day, 19 hours, 3 minutes and 58 seconds. Andoo Comanche's was just 51 seconds behind.

If you're new to the Sydney to Hobart race, we've got a shortcut guide at the bottom of the story. Tap the link below to get the gist of the race: Explained: Common Sydney to Hobart yacht race questions 

LawConnect owner Christian Beck described their dramatic win as a dream come true.

"I can't believe that result. Honestly, it's a dream come true," he said.

"I never thought it was possible, actually."

Despite trailing by a significant margin as they passed the Iron Pot on the final approach, LawConnect had the advantage of being able to watch Andoo Comanche to see where the slow spots were.

LawConnect entered with a protest flag flying, after being on standby for about 30 minutes during the race due to concerns Andoo Comanche was in distress, but a formal protest was not lodged.

There was also some interference from a spectator boat in the final moments, with a catamaran passing close to Andoo Comanche and the crew being seen yelling and gesturing.

Tasmania Police said this afternoon action would be taken against a 57-year-old man for "allegedly breaching" marine and safety regulations.

"The man was skippering a private vessel when it reportedly encroached into the exclusion zone set by Marine and Safety Tasmania," it said in a statement. 

The offence carries a fine of up to $3,900.

Sailing master Tony Mutter said spectator boats were something the competitors had to deal with.

"It's pretty fair that everyone had troubles with the spectator boats. That's part of it when it's so busy," he said.

Andoo Comanche skipper John Winning Jr said they only had themselves to blame for the last-minute loss.

"We should have been miles ahead of them with our boat," he said.

"The conditions suited us, I think they just outsailed us."

First local boat home

URM Group has claimed third place line honours, crossing the finish line at 3:07pm to record a race time of 2 days, 2 hours, 7 minutes and 19 seconds.

The first Tasmanian yacht to finish, Alive, crossed the line almost 12 minutes later.

Alive is currently in first place to win overall handicap honours.

Four yachts have now docked at Kings Pier, with Moneypenny and Wild Thing 100 expected to be the next to arrive.

Live Moment

Look back at how ABC readers and other Australians responded to this live moment.

Possible problem?

In the final moments, a catamaran appeared to cut in front of Andoo Comanche as the boat turned into the finish.

Eyewitness accounts say crew on Comanche were yelling at the catamaran to move as they tried to turn.

Could this make for an official race protest? We'll have to see.

What an incredible finish

After leading all the way into the River Derwent, Andoo Comanche won't make it back-to-back Line Honours wins. LawConnect snatched it away from them at the last moment!

How incredible. These boats set off together three days ago and it came down to mere seconds to the finish.

LawConnect wins Line Honours!

Wondering what this is? Join us next time we're live and be part of the discussion.

It has been a testing 78th edition of the Sydney to Hobart, with a man overboard, stormy seas, damaged yachts and rapid wind changes.

Eleven boats have retired, including race favourite SHK Scallywag, which broke its bow sprit on the first day.

The skipper of two-handed Rum Rebellion, Shane Connelly, was sent overboard at 6pm on Boxing Day after encountering rapid wind changes off the coast between Cronulla and Wollongong.

Two-handed Currawong also retired, after facing various issues in rough conditions off New South Wales.

Owner Kathy Veel said they were disappointed but believed they made the right decision.

"Last night was quite difficult and there was a lot more of that ahead of us in a long race," she said.

They were the last boat to cross the finishing line at last year's event, making a well-received arrival in Hobart at midnight on New Year's Eve.

Your questions answered

Here are the answers to some of the most common questions.

Who won Sydney to Hobart 2023?

When we talk about the Sydney to Hobart race, there are two major "winners":

• Line honours: This is the order in which boats cross the finish line.
• Overall winners: The order of winners once race times have been calculated to take into account the differences between boats (handicaps). This is because the boats aren't exactly the same — adjustments have to be made for things like the weight and length of the boat.

Line honours will always go to the biggest, fastest yachts (supermaxis) but is likely one of the smaller vessels will be crowned the overall winner (which is seen as the more prestigious of the two prizes).

Here's the line honours as of Thursday morning:

• 1. LawConnect
• 2. Andoo Comanche

The difference between the two was just 51 seconds. 

But the overall winner won't be decided for days. 

Until then, we can only wait.

However, before the race, there were a few main contenders for the overall title – here they are listed in alphabetical order:

• Andoo Comanche
• SHK Scallywag

Who owns LawConnect?

Christen Beck. 

Mr Beck is the founder of a legal software company, which he created off the back of building a system for his father's legal firm in the 90s. 

In 2017, he was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year and in 2018, he was ranked 99th on the Financial Review's Rich List . 

Who owns Andoo Comanche?

John 'Herman' Winning Jnr.

He's the chief executive of Winning Appliances, a company started by his great grandfather in 1906. 

Mr Winning Jnr took over the role from his father in 2011. 

How far is the Sydney to Hobart distance?

It's a 628-nautical-mile course – that's  1,163 kilometres .

Starting at Sydney Harbour, the course runs down the south-east coast of Australia, across the Bass Strait before turning into the Derwent River to finish in Hobart. 

It usually takes about 48 hours for the first boat to cross the finish line.

What is a nautical mile?

A nautical mile is the equivalent to 1.852 kilometres .

It's an internationally used standardised term used for maritime navigation, based on the Earth's latitude and longitude coordinates.

A nautical mile is the equivalent of one minute of latitude. 

Because of this, a nautical mile is slightly longer than land mile. 

How many boats are in the Sydney to Hobart race?

There's 103 this year. 

What is the prize for Sydney to Hobart?

There's no prize money – just trophies. Here's the two main ones:

• JH Illingworth Challenge Cup: This is for the line honours winner – which is the first boat to cross the finish line.
• Tattersalls Cup: This goes to the overall winner.

What's the Sydney to Hobart record?

The line honours record is 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds .

It was set in 2017 by LDV Comanche.

If you've got even more questions, go read out Sydney to Hobart explainer  or tap the link below to jump back to the top of the story.

Take me back to the top to read the recap

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Start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart yacht race

Race Updates – 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart

Read a continuously updated race summary

2023 RSHYR UPDATE Saturday 0835hrs

At this morning, just 30 yachts from 103 starters had finished the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, with 16 yachts retired from the race.  MWF Kayle , the Lyons 54 owned by the Making Waves Foundation and Will Vicars’ pretty Hoek TC78,  Oroton Drumfire , were among the morning arrivals at Castray Esplanade finish line in Hobart.

The first two-handed entry,  Mistral , sailed by Rupert Henry and Jack Bouttell crossed the finish line at 08:53:38 am and are currently placed an incredible sixth overall in the open fleet. Henry,  Mistral ’s owner, is the defending two-handed champion from last year’s race when Greg O’Shea co-skippered the yacht. With new crew, Bouttell,  Mistral  is unlikely to be beaten for the top spot again. He described last night’s conditions in the race as, “Brutal. It was very cold and we had strong winds of up to 43 knots in Storm Bay – classic Storm Bay. Bass Strait was upwind. This race has thrown everything at us.”

It is gear-breaking weather and has resulted in some crews having to make repairs at sea, while news came of the retirement of  Helsal 3  from the race. Rob Fisher and crew were unable to rectify damage. They will depart Port Arthur tonight with an ETA in Hobart of 0300 hours tomorrow morning. 

Among those still racing though, is Henry’s father, David Henry and his co-skipper Stephen Price. “Dad’s a legend,” Henry acknowledged at Constitution Dock this morning.  

Among those that finished last night was Geoff Hill’s  Antipodes , among her crew was navigator Lindsay May, who sailed his 50th successive Sydney Hobart.  Bruce Taylor’s  Chutzpah  (Vic) also finished, he and son Drew sailing their 30th Sydney Hobart together. Taylor’s navigator, Kingsley Piesse, notched up a milestone of his own, sailing his 40th consecutive Sydney Hobart. And once again, this well sailed crew has nabbed a divisional placing, with third in Division 2.

Bumblebee V,  the 2001 winner of the race, now owned by Paul Blakeley, also finished last evening at 8:41:23 pm. 

Today and this evening will be busy, with the bulk of the fleet due to arrive. Spare a thought for those still at sea in what has been described by finishers as “one of the toughest races in years,” due to the wide and unexpected conditions from thunderstorms to lightning shows, no wind, light wind and up to 45 knots worth during the race so far

Malcolm Roe, owner of the elegant Swan 45,  Amazingrace , said last evening: “We expect to be rounding Tasman Island after the westerly hits. Just enjoying a nice hot dinner before the big westerly hits…”

2023 RSHYR UPDATE Friday 0740hrs

Just six yachts have so far finished the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, the varied and squally conditions making it difficult for the fleet to sail a simple and quick race, to the point where the next yacht due to cross the finish line is David Gotze’s  No Limit  (Vic), expected to cross the finish line around midday.

A text from Brad Kellett, reported from Geoff Hill’s Hong Kong entry  Antipodes  this morning, says it all about the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s race, the first ‘traditional’ style race in some years.

“Hi from Lindsay May’s 50th race,” Kellett said of navigator’s 50th consecutive Sydney Hobart. Well, he’s getting a real Hobart. We’ve had everything except hard running conditions.

“We’ve had some down time on  Antipodes  (a Santa Cruz 72), with breeze holes that our competitors didn’t get. We’ve got a tear in the new mainsail to repair; we blew out our J2 headsail, which would be up right now in the 12-14 knot southerly.

“We’re currently approaching Wineglass Bay sailing upwind. We should be rounding Tasman Island later this afternoon and hopefully should arrive in Howdown (Hobart) in the dark. Hopefully before the (Derwent) shutdown” said Kellett, who is a Lindsay May in waiting. Sailing his 31st consecutive Hobart he is the only one likely to outnumber May in the long run.

Kellett ended, “Looking forward to seeing the Lindsay May cheer squad on the dock and enjoying the festivities in Hobart.”

Robbie Fisher, skipper of  Helsal 3 , agreed with Kellett summation of the race so far.

“We have a minor injury to a crew, a couple of broken ribs. Our navigator was on deck, slipped, and cracked a couple of ribs. That put us down a helmsman as well.

“We’ve injury to the boat too. A broken halyard, torn main and other little things. We’ve lost a bit of ground, but we’re pressing on. We’re hoping to finish tomorrow,” said Fisher, who is doing Hobart number 23.

The Hobart sailor said they had spent six hours in one spot off Gabo Island.

“The most we saw in the last hour of that time was 0.8 of a knot. It was so painful. Then we copped a beating across the Strait. We had over 30 knots and it was pretty bad. We broke a halyard and a few bits and pieces. We have persevered though…

“Right now the breeze is down to 5 knots (at 8.10am). It’s been an interesting trip to say the least.”

Fisher has his family on board, the three doing their first Hobarts. Wife Kerrie, son Brandon and daughter Elizabeth. They also have the ashes of Fisher’s father, Tony, who took Sydney Hobart line honours and broke the race record in 1973 with a former  Helsal , built of ferro cement and dubbed ‘The Flying Footpath’.

“Dad could have said ‘You should have put more gear up. He’s the lucky one though, he’s lying down in his usual bunk, so he’s relaxed.

“I don’t think the family will come again (the race). They’ve had enough, but they’ve all done their watches, so I can’t complain. Doing this race with me, experiencing it for themselves, they all think I’m crazy, doing the race so many times.”

Fisher continued, “The first night we saw the best lightning show. I’ve never seen anything like it. We were doing 13-14 knots in calm seas and it went on for three quarters of an hour. It was the most eerie experience.

“During the race we’ve had had everything except hard running conditions. I wanted to put the kite up just show the family what it looked like, but I thought better of it!”

Fisher, whose  Helsal 3  from Hobart is expected to finish late tomorrow evening, ended, “We saw  LawConnect  took line honours and everyone on board was cheering for them.”

More retirements during the night, as  Salt Lines ,  She  and  Gunshot  each retired with mainsail damage and going into Eden.

In a happy miscommunication, the New Zealand two-handed crew of husband and wife, Michael and Tracey Carter ( Allegresse ), have not retired from the race. Following a rest period, they resumed racing this morning.

The conditions have been particularly punishing on the two-handed crews. In all, 81 boats are yet to finish the race.

Credit: Antipodes Racing

2023 RSHYR UPDATE Thursday 1900hrs

They said it couldn’t be done and that just drove Grant Wharington to prove the doubters wrong when he built the new 100 foot  Wild Thing 100  in five months and made both the start and finish lines of the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Wharington and crew, including son, Oli, on his third Sydney Hobart and 21-year-old daughter Georgia, doing her first, were as thrilled as everyone else when he moored at the King Street Pier late today after crossing the finish line at 06:09:06pm.

Wild Thing 100  finished just short of an hour behind Sean Langman’s  Moneypenny  which had been in a battle royale with  URM Group  and  Alive  for the overall win. The pair were fifth and sixth boats to finish the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s race.

Wharington said, “We wouldn’t have gone to the start line if we thought we would not have made the finish line. That would be foolhardy.”

Wharington could not heap enough praise on his build team of Theo and Paddy and his main build team of Theo (Somssich) and Paddy (Lambourne). “They worked hard to get the boat done, even working on Christmas Day. I couldn’t have done it without them.

“We have fantastic people who are dedicated. This morning I saw a few friends had retired; Witty with  Scallywag,  Spiesy on  Maritimo , so I was grateful we finished. Grateful.

“We knew we couldn’t win, but we are here with our heads held high. We are still starting at the bottom and I know we will get better from here.”

Wharington said having his kids involved in the race “has given me a new enthusiasm for the sport. I like designing and building, so to do this also with the new boat also gave me enthusiasm.”

Earlier, Sean Langman’s chances of winning the race evaporated when he decided to take a ‘short cut’, the most direct route to the finish.  Moneypenny , a Reichel/Pugh 69, is currently placed third overall, a great result, but not what Langman was looking for.

The next boats due to finish are David Gotze’s  No Limit  and the first of the TP52s, Sebastien Bohm’s  Smuggler , the Max Klink skippered  Caro  and Sam Haynes’ 2022 winner,  Celestial . The four boats are not due till tomorrow from 9.30am.

In other news, more retirements today.  Bacardi ,  Allegresse  and  Cyan Moon .  Bacardi , which contested its 30th Sydney Hobart, the most by any boat, suffered damage, the New Zealand crew of two-handed entry  Allegresse  pulled out with fatigue, while  Cyan Moon  had rig damage.

Credit: ROLEX/Andrea Francolini

2023 RSHYR UPDATE Thursday 1530hrs

The Line Honours podium n the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is now complete, with the RP72  URM Group  becoming the third boat in this year’s fleet to cross the finish line this afternoon.  URM Group  finished the 628 nautical mile race organised by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) in a time of 2 days 02 hours 07 minutes 19 seconds.

Owned by Anthony Johnston,  URM Group ’s third place behind line honours winner  LawConnect  and second placed  Andoo Comanche  signed off a brilliant race by the team.  URM Group  spent much of the race in a tight tussle with two other mini maxis, Philip Turner’s RP66  Alive  (Tas) and Sean Langman’s RP69  Moneypenny  (NSW). However, today  URM Group  managed to jump away and beat them both to the finish line ending its campaign with a superb sail up the Derwent River into Hobart.

A longer news story will be upload onto the News section of the RSHYR website later today. 

Credit: CYCA/Salty Dingo

2023 RSHYR UPDATE Thursday 1100hrs

In what has been an epic race from start to finish, Christian Beck’s LawConnect has lost her bridesmaid tag of the last three years to claim line honours in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race this morning, crossing the Castray Esplanade finish line in Hobart at 08.03.58am this morning in the time of 1 day 19 hours 03 minutes 58 seconds

The John Winning Jnr skippered Andoo Comanche held the upper hand for most of the 628 nautical mile race, but LawConnect was always there and overtook her at one point. Early this morning there was little between the two and once again the Derwent sealed both boats fates, as a light, light breeze, teased and cajoled concentrating crews in an absolute thriller to the finish line. Christian Beck’s yacht finished well outside the race record of 1 day 9hrs 15min 24 sec, ironically set by the boat they beat today, which sailed as LDV Comanche to line honours victory in 2017 by her then owners, Jim Cooney and Samantha Grant. It did not matter though.

Only 51 seconds separated LawConnect and Andoo Comanche at the end, in the second closest finish in the history of the race. The closest was in 1982 when Condor beat Apollo over the line by seven seconds.

All 21 crew are celebrating their victory on board the yacht this morning at Kings Pier in Hobart.

An updated News story with interviews can be found  here on the RSHYR website.

Credit: ROLEX/Kurt Arrigo

2023 RSHYR UPDATE – Thursday 0400hrs

Whilst the attention today is understandably on the Maxi & Mini Maxi finishers, there are plenty of other battles going on elsewhere in the fleet which promise to continue over the next few days. Most divisions are wide open & we’ll be focusing on these in upcoming Live Updates.

Current Divisional Standings:

IRC DIVISION 0 Moneypenny  (Sean Langman) NSW. Reichel Pugh 69 Alive  (Philip Turner) TAS. Reichel Pugh 66 URM Group  (Anthony Johnston) NSW. Reichel Pugh 72

IRC DIVISION 1 Smuggler  (Sebastian Bohm) NSW. TP52 Celestial  (Sam Haynes) NSW. TP52 Caro  (Max Klink) New Zealand. Botin 52

IRC DIVISION 2 Rush  (John Paterson) VIC. Farr 45 Mayfair  (James Irvine) QLD. Rogers 46 Amazingrace  (Malcolm Roe) NSW. Swan 45

IRC DIVISION 3 Clockwork  (Andrew Lloyd & Mary Ann Harvey) SA. Sydney 38 Patriot  (Jason Close) VIC. J133 XS Moment BNMH  (Ray Hudson) NSW. XP44

IRC DIVISION 4 Toecutter  (Robert Hick & Brad Bult) VIC. Hick 10 Rockall 8  (Christopher Opielok) Germany. JPK 10.80 Supernova  (Alex Seja & Felicity Nelson) NSW. Sydney 36

IRC DIVISION 5 Azzurro  (Jack Kliner) QLD. S&S 34 Kraken III  (TH) (Rob Gough & John Saul) TAS. Jeanneau Sunfast 3300 Disko Trooper_ Contender Sailcloth (Jules Hall) NSW. J/99

PHS Insomnia  (Marcus Grimes) NSW. JV42 Salt Lines  (Matthew Harvey) NSW. Shipwright 70 She’s the Culprit  (The Culprit Syndicate) NSW. Inglis Jones 39

CORINTHIAN IRC Kraken III  (TH) (Rob Gough & John Saul) TAS. Jeanneau Sunfast 3300 Toecutter  (Robert Hick & Brad Bult) VIC. Hick 10 Verite  (TH) (Paul Beath) NSW. J/99

CORINTHIAN PHS Navy One  (RAN) NSW. Beneteau First 40 Ragtime  (Steve Watson) NSW. J/130 XS Moment BNMH  (Ray Hudson) NSW. XP44

TWO-HANDED IRC Kraken III  (TH) (Rob Gough & John Saul) TAS. Jeanneau Sunfast 3300 Verite  (TH) (Paul Beath) NSW. J/99 Cinnamon Girl  (Cian McCarthy) Ireland. Jeanneau Sunfast 3300

TWO-HANDED PHS Sylph VI  (Robert Williams) NSW. Alan Payne Sloop Imalizard  (Bruce Watson) NSW. Wellbourn 12

2023 RSHYR UPDATE Thursday 0300hrs

Today is shaping up to be an absolute cracker. With under 60nm now to the finish, the two maxis  Andoo Comanche  and  LawConnect  only have 300 metres separating them in terms of distance to go and are in sight of each other.

Almost 75 miles behind, the three mini maxis,  URM Group ,  Alive  and  Moneypenny  have less than 2nm separating them, and the three are currently atop Overall standings. We’ll bring you live coverage of both finishes later this morning & this afternoon.

2023 RSHYR UPDATE – Wednesday 1700hrs

The race for line honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is poised to provide two thrilling finales in one as the leading boats continue their charge towards Tasmania.

Up front in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s race for first place over the line, Andoo Comanche was still leading LawConnect at 1620hrs, but only 5 nautical miles separated the two maxis.

The lead pair were 101 and 107 nautical miles east of Helen’s Point respectively.

In the race for third place only 7.6nm separated URM Group, Moneypenny and Alive.

Anthony Johnston’s URM Group, an RP72, was third on line, followed by Sean Langman’s RP69 Moneypenny which had steadily moved up all day from fifth, followed by Phillip Turner’s RP66 Alive (Tas) which was in third position earlier. They were south of Gabo Island.

Meanwhile, Kathy Veel, owner and co-skipper with Bridget Canham of the Currawong 30, Currawong, which retired earlier this morning, is expected to arrive back at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA), at around 7pm this evening.

Currawong, a two-handed entry, was the sixth of 11 boats that have retired from the race to-date.

There are now 92 boats still racing, including 14 two-handed entries. Veel said they had retired due to “various issues with the boat that could not be resolved.” She added that she and Canham were OK.

“We’re doing fine,” Veel said from aboard the yacht off Bondi Beach.

“Last night was quite difficult and there was a lot more of that ahead of us in a long race.”

Told that Currawong supporters were disappointed for their retirement after their popular finish as the last to reach Hobart last year, Veel said: “We are too … but we made the right call.”

2023 RSHYR UPDATE – Wednesday 1500hrs

The fight for third place on Line Honours in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is unravelling into a thriller, with  URM Group  looking ahead and behind at their rivals. While buoyed after taking third place on line honours from the RP66  Alive  (Tas) shortly before midday, the  URM Group , an RP72, is also wary about the danger of  Moneypenny .  URM Group  and  Alive  had been in a close fight for third place all morning, but looming behind them and closer to shore in fifth place was  Moneypenny , a RP69.

At 1430hrs,  URM Group ,  Alive  and  Moneypenny  were 124, 127 and 111 nautical miles south east of Gabo Island respectively. Eleven nautical miles separated the three boats.

Meanwhile,  Andoo Comanche  and  LawConnect  were continuing their close tussle in first and second place, positioned 115 and 130 nautical miles east of Eddystone Point.

URM Group  navigator, Alice Parker, was in high spirits, despite her own struggle with some sea sickness in the tough conditions that have seen rain, thunder and lightning. “I had a good few moments with a bucket between my legs, but otherwise, everyone is in good spirits,” she said. “We’re all a bit wet, sliding around a bit, but the boat’s in really good shape.” As she spoke,  URM Group , owned by Anthony Johnston and skippered by Marcus Ashley-Jones, was 105nm behind  Andoo Comanche , sailing at 15 knots with the wind from the east.

While happy with their race against  Alive , owned by Phillip Turner and skippered by Duncan Hine, Parker said  Moneypenny , owned by Sean Langman was also a danger. “Over the last couple of hours, we’ve been sailing quite well … we’re now matching them [ Alive ], or slightly in front, with  Moneypenny  at our stern. “We’re a bit nervous about some of the 52s on the ‘beach,’ [referring to sailing close to the coast] or closer to the south-east corner of Victoria. They’ve been ripping along in what looks like a pretty good ‘sou-easterly. But things are looking good for us now. The big boats are doing really well.  LawConnect  and  Comanche  have just had the perfect conditions really with strong reaching conditions. I think we’ll just miss out on getting that all the way to the finish. I suspect we’ll end up in a bit of a front that is meant to come through the early hours of tomorrow.”

Parker said that based on the current indicators,  URM Group  could possibly reach the finish in Hobart “sometime around lunchtime, or just after that,” tomorrow.

In other news, two more boats have retired.  Tumbleweed , the two-handed entry of Graham Biehl and Nigel Nattrass, who cite seasickness and fatigue, while David Watson’s  Luna Blue  has damaged equipment. Both boats are likely to head back to Sydney.

2023 RSHYR UPDATE – Wednesday 1300hrs

LawConnect  threw down the gauntlet in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race by taking the race lead from defending Line Honours champion,  Andoo Comanche  this morning.  The fight for Line Honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is turning into a veritable arm wrestle with the two front runners swapping the lead twice this morning. At 12.45pm, Andoo Comanche  was back in front and 2.6 nautical miles ahead of  LawConnect  that had only taken the lead from  Andoo Comanche  a few hours earlier.  AndooComanche  and  LawConnect  were respectively 134 and 144 nautical miles east of Flinders Island in the 628 nautical mile Cruising Yacht Club of Australia race. Both were sailing in Bass Strait, east of the rhumb line –  Andoo Comanche  at 28.7 knots and  LawConnect  at 26.8 knots. The tussle between the two maxis has been a thrilling one in conditions that have pitted them and the remaining fleet of 95 against rain, thunderstorms, lightning and squalls.

Behind  Andoo Comanche  and  LawConnect , the race for third place had also seen a change in positions. Moving into third, from fourth place, was  URM Group ,the RP72 owned by Anthony Johnston and skippered by Marcus Ashley-Jones. Whereas,  Alive  (Tas), the RP66 owned by Phillip Turner and skippered by Duncan Hine had fallen from third to fourth. They were 91.3nm and 94nm respectively behind  Andoo Comanche  at the time of this update.

Credit: CYCA/Ashley Dart Photo

2023 RSHYR UPDATE – Wednesday 1100hrs

LawConnect  threw down the gauntlet in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race by taking the race lead from defending Line Honours champion,  Andoo Comanche  this morning.  After stalking the John Winning Jnr skippered  Andoo Comanche  all night and early this morning, the Christian Beck owned  LawConnect  passed their rivals at about 10am today. At 10.20 am, the margin was still tight between two race leaders in the 628 nautical mile Cruising Yacht Club of Australia event. Less than one nautical mile separated them.   LawConnect  and  Andoo Comanche  were respectively 137 and 135 nautical miles south-east of Gabo Island and sailing east of the rhumb line. 

Still in third was  Alive  (Tas), the RP66 owned by Phillip Turner and skippered by Duncan Hine, while in fourth was  URM Group , the RP72 owned by Anthony Johnston and skippered by Marcus Ashley-Jones. They were 68nm and 69nm respectively behind LawConnect. 

Meanwhile, the fleet also dropped to 95 boats, including 15 two-handed entries following the withdrawal of Mumm 36  Georgia Express  (NSW) with rigging issues. 

2023 RSHYR UPDATE – Wednesday 0900hrs

LawConnect  continues to stalk  Andoo Comanche  in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, but squalls of 30 knots-plus are hampering the crew’s ability to keep their rivals in sight.

At 9am, the margin was still tight between the two race leaders of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia event with nine nautical miles separating them.

But  LawConnect  boat captain Ty Oxley said after a close battle with  Andoo Comanche  overnight, the tough conditions this morning had limited their ability to see the race leaders.

“We are pretty close after we were neck and neck overnight,” said Oxley at 8.20am on Wednesday. “They would take a couple of miles on us, and then we would take them back.”

Asked if the  LawConnect  crew could see  Andoo Comanche  ahead of them, Oxley replied: ”No … because it’s raining and there are squalls everywhere, clouds on the horizon …

“It’s hard to see the bow of the boat at times. We can’t actually see them.”

Asked about the sea state as they headed into Bass Strait, Oxley said: “The sea state is not too bad. On Bass Strait it’s only a couple of metres.

“The squalls are pretty full on. The last one that came through would have been 40-plus knots. But they have generally been 30-plus”

“But we’re doing ok. We have put a couple of reefs in … chugging along.”

At 9am, the John Winning Jr skippered  Andoo Comanche  and Christian Beck’s  LawConnect  were respectively 125 and 129 nautical miles south-east of Gabo Island.

Still in third place was  Alive  (Tas), the RP66 owned by Phillip Turner and skippered by Duncan Hine and  URM Group , the RP72 owned by Anthony Johnston and skippered by Marcus Ashley-Jones.

The two yachts were 69nm and 72nm respectively behind  LawConnect .

Meanwhile, the race fleet now numbers 96, including 15 two-handed entries, following the withdrawal of two more boats this morning. They were the two-handed entries, the Currawong 30,  Currawong  (NSW) due to various issues, and the Young 11  Pacman  (Qld) with runner chainplate problems. The crews on both boats are okay.

2023 RSHYR UPDATE – Wednesday 0700hrs

The margin between  Andoo Comanche  and  LawConnect  remains tight with seven nautical miles now separating the two maxis that lead the Rolex Sydney Hobart fleet.

Meanwhile, in the fleet that now numbers 98 after two more overnight withdrawals ( Maritimo 52  and  Sticky ), the first night was hectic for the Geoff Hill owned Santa Cruz 72,  Antipodes .

At 7am,  Antipodes  crewmember Geoff Cropley reported: “We had lightning and thunder for hours. Then there was a major shift which auto gybed the boat.

“The spinnaker got wrapped in the drop along with spinnaker staysail. All the team were up and trying to untwist and get that down. It took us about 40 minutes. We were heading NE, sailing backwards, for a period of time.

“We’re now hunkered down with a reef in. There’s little bit of blue sky. It’s quite nice out here. We’ve got about 100nm to go to Green Cape.” Cropley added that crewmate Lindsay May is also “enjoying his 50th Sydney Hobart so far.”

At the front of the fleet at 7.45am, the John Winning Jr skippered  Andoo Comanche  and Christian Beck’s  LawConnect  were respectively 117 and 120 nautical miles south-east of Gabo Island.

Still in third place was the 2018 winner,  Alive  (Tas), the RP66 owned by Phillip Turner and skippered by Duncan Hine and race favourite,  URM Group , the RP72 owned by Anthony Johnston and skippered by Marcus Ashley-Jones.

The two yachts were 42nm and 57nm respectively behind  LawConnect .

2023 RSHYR UPDATE – Wednesday 0500hrs

After 16 hours of racing,  Andoo Comanche  is going toe-to-toe with  LawConnect  around 90nm SE of Green Cape. She is doing 17.2kts, having averaged 12kts for the journey and has only a half mile lead over her rival.

URM Group  and  Alive  have overtaken the other maxi  Wild Thing 100  and are alongside each other 7 miles back in another tight battle.

Caro   currently sits in 7th place on standings, with the two TP52s  Smuggler  and  Highly Sprung  on her tail.  No Limit ,  Whisper ,  Celestial ,  Teasing Machine  and  Denali  lead the rest.

The fleet is strung back to Wollongong where  Currawong ,  Sylph VI  and  Silver Fern  are presently doing 7.5 knots.

The Michael Spies skippered TP52, Maritimo 52 (Qld), sustained rig damage which ultimately caused other damage to the boat.

Crew member Peter Jones said, “The fitting on the deck for the forestay shredded, which ripped the No. 4 headsail and the mainsail. We tried to work a million ways around it, but we would have been sailing at 50 percent. We are shattered.

“The weather shocking overnight. We had as much lightning as I’ve ever seen. The sou-west front came through, we saw high 20s to early 30s (knots) and had solid rain for three hours.

“We were south of Jervis Bay, 115 miles down the course. Everyone on board is fine,” ended Jones, who expects the yacht to be back at the CYCA around mid-afternoon today.

Then came the news that Sticky, the Cookson 50 owned by Richard Harris, had suffered electrical damage, forcing her retirement.

Both yachts were expected to do well in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s 628 nautical mile race.

The two retirements means there are 98 boats still in the race, inclusive of 17 two-handed entries.

CYCA Principal Sponsor

Cyca official sponsors, helly hansen, club marine, income asset management, sydney brewery, lgt crestone, the luxury collection, winnings appliances, roads and maritime services, cyca youth sailing academy sponsors and supporters, helly hansen, forecasts.global, vibe hotels, network marine, sun foundation.

Code 1: Minute by Minute: Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race of 1998 (Channel Seven Thursday 30 November 2023)

What is this episode about

When can we see the episode.

Q+A: Final Show of the Year (ABC TV Monday, 27 November 2023)

Stock Aitken Waterman: Legends Of Pop (SBS Tuesday 28 November 2023)

Alastair James is the editor in chief for Memorable TV. He has been involved in media since his university days. Alastair is passionate about television, and some of his favourite shows include Line of Duty, Luther and Traitors. He is always on the lookout for hot new shows, and is always keen to share his knowledge with others.

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