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Rolex Sydney Hobart Race

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Maxis jockey for position at the start in Sydney Harbour. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi / Rolex

The Rolex Sydney Hobart race is one of the most famous yacht races in the world hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in conjunction with the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania starting in Sydney, New South Wales, on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart, Tasmania.

The Sydney Hobart is considered one of the big 600 milers and is a key offshore race in the calendar for any number of big boat campaigns, sitting alongside other races of a similar length including the Fastnet Race , The Caribbean 600 and the Middle Sea Race .

The inaugural edition of the 630 nautical mile race in 1945 had nine starters. John Illingworth’s Rani , built at Speers Point was the winner, taking six days, 14 hours and 22 minutes.

Records fell for many years in the early days of the race, but in 1975 Kialoa from the United States set a new course record that would stand for fully 21 years before being beaten by the German yacht Morning Glory in 1996, and then only by a dramatic 29 minutes.

The race record now stands at 1 day 9 hours 15 minutes and 24 seconds and was set by the 100ft super-maxi Comanche in 2017.

Comanche is one of only a handful of yachts to have taken line honours in the race on multiple occasions, having now crossed the finish line into Hobart first on three separate occasions.

But the boat most associated with race wins is another super-maxi, Wild Oats XI which has won the race a hugely impressive nine times, including a four race winning streak between 2004-2008.

The Sydney Hobart is renowned for tough weather, with the Bass Strait, and the waters of the Pacific Ocean immediately to its east often experiencing high winds and difficult seas.

Even though the race is held in the Australian summer, southerly buster storms often make the it cold, bumpy, and very challenging for the crew. It is typical for a considerable number of yachts to retire, often at Eden on the New South Wales south coast, the last sheltered harbour before Flinders Island.

The 1998 Sydney Hobart was marred by tragedy when, during an exceptionally strong storm (which had similar strength winds to a lower-category hurricane), five boats sank and six people died.

Of the 115 boats that started, only 44 made it to Hobart. As a result, the crew eligibility rules were tightened, requiring a higher minimum age and experience.

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Rolex Sydney Hobart Race winner decided by 51 seconds

  • December 27, 2023

Law Connect has won the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race line honours, after the closest finish in over 40 years, which ended in a gybe-for-gybe battle up the Derwent River…

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Rolex Sydney Hobart: How to win the legendary race

  • December 21, 2023

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race stands as a pinnacle of offshore yacht racing. Its reputation as the hardest of the classic offshore races is well deserved. Compared to the…

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Sydney Hobart Race Hotels and accommodation

  • February 28, 2023

We have selected some fabulous Sydney Hobart Race Hotels and take in the race atmosphere and a bit of the city life too. Sydney is a wonderful place to head…

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Wins for Andoo Comanche and Celestial in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

  • January 3, 2023

The 77th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race started on 26 December, its traditional Boxing Day slot and once again hundreds of thousands of people crowded the shores of Sydney Harbour,…

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How to follow the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race

  • December 19, 2022

Sydney sailors are counting down the days – not until December 25, but the 26, for the much-anticipated Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. The blue riband offshore classic was cancelled for…

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Brutal first night conditions sees a quarter of Rolex Sydney-Hobart fleet retire

  • December 27, 2021

The Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race got off to a spectacular start on Boxing Day, 26 December, 2021, but tough conditions have seen the fleet greatly reduced after a day of racing.…

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20 weird and wonderful facts about the famous Rolex Sydney Hobart Race

  • December 24, 2021

10 Key facts from the 69 year history of the Sydney Hobart Race

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Sydney-Hobart Race set for tricky Boxing Day start: how to follow

  • December 22, 2021

Sydney sailors are counting down the days – not until December 25, but the 26, for the much-anticipated return of the famous Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race. The blue riband offshore classic…

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Battling to Hobart: Memories of the Sydney Hobart

  • April 19, 2021

Discovering Andrew Wilson has been the sort of exciting surprise that comes with editing a column like Great Seamanship. Andrew is a photographer working in Tasmania. He knows yacht and…

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1998 Sydney Hobart: Extract from The Proving Ground by G Bruce Knecht

  • April 20, 2020

Along with the 1979 Fastnet Race, the 1998 Sydney Hobart has become a byword for disaster at sea. Unless a writer was actually on board one of the boats and…

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Black Jack 100: On board the light airs supermaxi chasing Sydney Hobart glory

  • November 26, 2019

“I always told Peter you never want to buy a 100-footer and eventually he ignored me. But now we’re all pretty happy that we’re here!” The words of Mark Bradford,…

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How to cope with stormy weather by top French sailor Loick Peyron

  • August 17, 2017

Weather like this during the Sydney-Hobart is not a surprise for the guys who start the race. They know what to expect, and how rough it can become in the…

CQS DSS foiler: Photo Daniel Forster/Rolex.

Aboard CQS – video tour of the 12-year-old supermaxi that became a cutting edge DSS foiler

  • February 6, 2017

CQS (formerly the 90-footer Nicorette) is something of a ‘back to the future’ hybrid in the supermaxi world, sporting cutting-edge foil technology – untested on this scale of yacht to…

Perpetual Loyal set a new course record in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race 2016

Third time lucky as Sydney Hobart Race record falls to supermaxi Perpetual Loyal

  • December 27, 2016

A new record for Rolex Sydney Hobart Race record has been set by the supermaxi Perpetual Loyal. Owner Anthony Bell and his crew of 18 arrived in Hobart in the…

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How to follow the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2016 – an easy spectator guide

  • December 23, 2016

As the start of the famous Sydney Hobart draws close, we take a look at the best ways to keep up-to-date with the action… Race start time: 1pm AEST on Boxing…

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Find out about the favourites for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2016

Some 90 yachts are entered for this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. The 72nd edition of the 628-mile classic, which starts on Boxing Day, is one of the most important…

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Stunning picture highlights from the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race 2015

  • January 4, 2016

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Take a tour of supermaxi Comanche, a yacht so beamy she’s called ‘the aircraft carrier’

  • December 26, 2015

“The design office were told specifically by me that if this boat wasn’t the worst rated boat in history they have failed,” Dr Jim Clark said about his new raceboat.…

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Wild Oats XI retires with sail damage as brutal squalls hammer Rolex Sydney Hobart Race

Gale force southerly headwinds and rough seas have been pummelling the favourites for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race 2015 fleet and caused havoc among the leading super maxis. Eight times line…

Wild Oats XI

Watch how Wild Oats XI was cut in half and rebuilt for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race 2015

  • December 22, 2015

This video by Crosbie Lorimer shows Bob Oatley’s now legendary Australian supermaxi Wild Oats XI in action earlier this month after her modifications at McConaghy Boats. They were done in preparation…

IMAGES

  1. Sydney Harbour, Sydney, Australia. 26th Dec, 2022. 2022 Rolex Sydney

    bowline yacht sydney to hobart

  2. Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race 2021

    bowline yacht sydney to hobart

  3. Sydney Hobart Classic Yacht Regatta

    bowline yacht sydney to hobart

  4. Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race 2021

    bowline yacht sydney to hobart

  5. From Phuket Yacht Club to the Sydney to Hobart race

    bowline yacht sydney to hobart

  6. Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race 2021 Tracker 2021

    bowline yacht sydney to hobart

VIDEO

  1. 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart

  2. 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

  3. 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

  4. 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

  5. Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race finish 1993