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Sydney to Hobart yacht race 2023 guide: history, start time, black sails, favourites, distance, tracker

It starts on a harbour, finishes on a river and in-between sailors will ride a wave of emotion. How to follow the Sydney to Hobart, its history, drama, favourites, when it starts and expert guide.

Amanda Lulham

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It starts on a harbour, finishes on a river and in-between sailors will ride a wave of emotion.

The Sydney to Hobart yacht race is one of the most famous sporting events in Australia and one of the most respected ocean races internationally.

It is steeped in history, mystique and famous competitors.

It is also a revered sporting event contested by the best of the best in the world of sailing and racing and boats “one of the most spectacular starts of any sporting event in the world” according to our sailing expert Amanda Lulham

We’ve put together a guide to the famous bluewater yacht race covering everything from its history, disasters and past winners to how to follow the race and links to in-depth news and colour.

Start of the 2022 Rolex Sydney to Hobart yacht race on Sydney Harbour. Picture Carlo Borlenghi/Rolex

SYDNEY TO HOBART HISTORY, DRAMA, WEATHER, FAVOURITES AND MORE

How long is the Sydney to Hobart ? It’s 628 nautical miles long.

How big is the fleet in 2023 ? At the close of entry there were 120 entrants. This has since decreased to around 100 which will include international entrants, 18 two-handed boats, four supermaxis and a number of minnows.

What was the worst Sydney to Hobart storm? In 1998 six men lost their lives at sea and a massive search and rescue mission was galvanised when the fleet was smashed by an intense low which caused wild winds and monstrous seas.

The crowd seen on the dock greeting a yacht in the race’s early days

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What is the history of the Sydney to Hobart? It started in 1945 as a cruise to Hobart and was contested by just nine yachts.

What is the best weather? That’s easy. Sailors love surfing. So any wind from behind or even on the side of their yacht will work. Upwind sailing is a real slog and can cause damage to boats and crew.

What happened to the Sydney to Hobart during Covid ? The race was cancelled for the first time in history in 2020 but returned a year later.

Scallywag at the start of the 2018 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in Sydney. Picture: Brett Costello

What is the Sydney to Hobart race record? The race record is well under two days which is quite extraordinary. Comanche, now racing as Andoo Comanche, set the race record of one day nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 second back in 2017 when skippered south by Jim Cooney.

Sydney to Hobart start time : 1pm on Boxing Day on Sydney Harbour off multiple start lines.

Sydney to Hobart arrival: On a finish line on the Derwent River off Battery Point. Usually around two days after the Boxing Day start for the fastest but it can also be as fast as the race record of just over one day and nine hours.

The start of the race is a sight to behold. Picture: Brett Costello

CAT WALK : Sydney to Hobart history

WHAT A FINISH: 2022 Sydney to Hobart wrap

Can anyone enter the Sydney to Hobart yacht race? Yes, but ever crew does need a certain amount of experience. Boats must also have the appropriate paper work for their rating, safety certificates, radio licences and other checks.

Sydney top Hobart prize money . There is none. There are however trophies for winners.

Sydney to Hobart favourite: The defending line honours and overall winners are back in 2023 in Andoo Comanche and Celestial.

Women in the Sydney to Hobart: Women have been racing the Sydney to Hobart since the second edition of the race when two set sail.

One made it to Hobart and there is a trophy named in her honour - the Jane Tait Trophy for the first female skipper.

What year was the worst Sydney to Hobart yacht race? 1998. That year 115 started but only 44 finished.

InfoTrack, now renamed LawConnect, is one of four 100-footers in the race this year.

Why are there black sails in the Sydney to Hobart race? Many of the black sails are made of carbon filaments and glued together. This allowed for variation in strength across the sail

Some are also strong synthetics coloured black to keep the sun from rotting the sails.

Do sailors sleep Sydney to Hobart? Yes, Usually on a watch system where half are on deck and half before. Each boat has its own system but many use the four hours on, four hours off system.

Who is the favourite for the Sydney to Hobart yacht race? That would be Andoo Comanche for the line honours. Defending champion Celestial and URM are among the contenders for the overall but this is very weather dependent.

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when did the sydney to hobart yacht race start

How big are the yachts? The biggest allowed is 100 foot and the smallest is 30 foot.

How do you follow the race? News Corp will be on the ground in Sydney and Hobart for extensive news and behind the scenes coverage form the first to the very last boat. There is also a tracker on the official website that can be ultilised to find the position of yachts and their projected results during the race.

What is the Sydney to Hobart race record? It was set by LDV Comanche back in 2017 and is one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds.

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when did the sydney to hobart yacht race start

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race: 70 Years

One of Australia’s most popular and enduring sporting events is the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. The race starts on Boxing Day and the passage down the east coast grabs national attention over the Christmas and New Year break, giving ocean racing an annual moment in the spotlight. It is internationally recognised as one of the three classic blue-water ocean races, along with the Fastnet Race in the UK and Bermuda Race on the east coast of the USA.

Rolex Sydney to Hobart

The 2014 race will be the 70th in the series. In a sign of the times the race has a contemporary sponsor, Rolex, but the heritage of the race is now strongly recognised by all who have taken part in the past as well as those involved in this year’s event, and it’s a much bigger story than just a three-to-four-day race down the coast.

Ocean racing is just that—racing yachts out on the open sea. It takes place in a natural environment and the crews and yachts have no control over what conditions the sea may provide. There are flat calms through to storm-strength gales, currents and tides, variable wave and swell patterns, and the ever-shifting wind, over day and night—the only constant is change. A race report from the first event describes it well: ‘those two irresponsibles—wind and wave’.

And there are no lanes, signposts or field markings to show the way. The boundaries of the course are the coastline and the landmarks that tick off milestones on the course. These days you can rely on GPS to pinpoint where you are, but in the past precise navigation depended on how accurate you were with sun, moon and star observations. This was a time when your direction and destiny very much relied on human-powered calculations and then, when the weather closed in, your best estimation.

'Ichi Ban' soon after the start of the 2002 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. © Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi

There is no pit lane to pull over into for repairs, changes of personnel and refuelling—once you start, you have to be self-sufficient to the end. You are always working the yacht and can change the configuration while you are sailing—different sail trim and combinations allow the crew to adjust the boat to the conditions, and the winners monitor and optimise the boat constantly to keep it sailing at its full potential. But you’re working with very expensive and sometimes fragile gear and sail changes have to be done with care, especially in challenging conditions.

The backup to gear failure is how you react to incidents on board, making running repairs where possible or having something spare in reserve or a margin of safety that allows you to carry on despite damage.

Navigator Bill Lieberman on Wayfarer in the 1945 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Courtesy Cruising Yacht Club of Australia

The safety net as such is waiting off to one side, hopefully not needing to be initiated. Communications, flares, a life raft, EPIRBs, survival suits, even pre-race training and simulations—this is all secondary gear rigorously monitored and enforced, yet marking time until things go seriously wrong. Onshore emergency services are there to respond, but they too have their controls and limits, and self-help among the competing yachts is a code of practice that comes into play to help avoid a catastrophe. The risk of this is always there, and there have been notable times when it has played out in public view.

Teamwork and leadership are intrinsic qualities needed throughout to keep harmony among crew, to maintain their enthusiasm and ability to push on, and to keep it all under control and operating at a high level.

It’s a race full of intriguing contrasts: how the amateurs and Corinthian sailors mix with the professional sportspeople and Olympic representatives in the crews; the high-tech races against those of the previous generation; even down to the historic—how many other sports have such a diverse range of participants and equipment, all sent off at the same time, aiming for the same goal, on the same course? The top boats were all high-tech in their time, but those of today seem even more so—hugely expensive racing machines built with advanced materials to fine tolerances, carrying only what is needed to support the crew so they can operate efficiently, forcing them to live and work around the yacht and its gear.

Participants will experience a huge range of emotions over the journey, and require stamina to see it through. The extraordinary scenery along the way seems a contradiction to the serious racing intent, but the atmosphere can be uplifting and this feeling becomes part of the reason crews return to race in the open sea time after time.

Experience is a factor that helps enormously and only comes with time and determination, but come it does for the many sailors who feel the addiction of this sport and return each year to take on the Hobart race.

The crew of Ilina during the 1960s, with a young Rupert Murdoch third from the left leaning on the boom. Courtesy Cruising Yacht Club of Australia

The history of the race

The Sydney to Hobart race began in an off-the-cuff fashion. In the latter part of World War II, sailors on Sydney Harbour formed the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) to promote cruising and casual races in lieu of those suspended during the previous war years. Their first official event was in October 1944. During 1945 three of the members—Jack Earl, Peter Luke and Bert Walker—planned a cruise to Hobart in their respective yachts after Christmas. One evening Captain John Illingworth RN gave a talk to the club members, and afterwards Peter Luke suggested Illingworth might like to join the cruise. Illingworth’s reply was ‘I will, if you make a race of it’.

And so it was. The Sydney Morning Herald on 16 June 1945 noted that ‘Plans for a race from Sydney to Hobart, early in January 1946 are being made by the Cruising Yacht Club … five possible entries had already been received’.

Later, in the Australian Power Boat and Yachting Monthly of 10 October 1945, there is a more formal notice.

Yacht Race to Tasmania: It is expected that an Ocean Yacht Race may take place from Sydney to Hobart, probably starting on December 26, 1945. Yachtsmen desirous of competing should contact Vice President Mr P Luke … Entries close December 1 1945.

From these small beginnings the cruise became a race and Captain Illingworth helped with the arrangements, showing the club how to measure the boats and handicap the event. The plans, expectations, the probables and possibles of earlier reports—they all turned into reality at the entrance to Sydney Harbour just inside North Head on Boxing Day in 1945, when nine yachts set forth, including Illingworth in his recently purchased yacht Rani . Illingworth had previous experience of ocean racing from his homeland in England and in the USA, where he was a respected competitor, and he prepared Rani to race to Hobart, and not just sail there. The other sailors had a more relaxed attitude.

The crew of Wayfarer in the 1945 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race: (Left to right) Geoff Ruggles, Len Willsford, Brigadier A.G. Mills, Peter Luke (at rear), Bill Lieberman, Fred Harris. Courtesy Cruising Yacht Club of Australia

That first race encapsulated many features now associated with the event, and in hindsight was a warning of things to come. A strong southerly gale hit the fleet on the first day, and many were unprepared for the rough seas that scattered the fleet. Some boats hove to, one retired and the others sought shelter. Wayfarer ’s crew went ashore twice to phone home before resuming the race, including a stop at Port Arthur. According to Seacraft magazine of March 1946, ‘Licensee of the Hotel Arthur put on a barrel of beer specially for Wayfarer ’s crew, and they enjoyed their first drink of draught beer since they left Sydney on Boxing Day. A local resident treated the ship’s company to a crayfish supper, which was the gastronomic highlight of the voyage’.

Meanwhile the experienced Illingworth, who had prepared Rani and his crew well, had continued to race his yacht throughout. Before the race it was reported that the RAAF would put planes on patrol to keep the yachts under observation, but the weather had made that very difficult. When the gale eased and an aircraft was dispatched to look for the fleet,  Rani was so far ahead that it was not located and was presumed missing. The press had the event as their headline article, and later the sudden reappearance of Rani off Tasman Island was a sensation. Rani won easily and the remaining seven boats gradually crossed the line in Hobart, bringing more stories of the race ashore for the public to enjoy.

This impressive coverage for the period ensured the race would continue, and by March 1946 media reports noted that the club secretary, A C Cooper, had said it would be an annual event starting on Boxing Day. As it went ahead in its second year the race included tighter regulations based on those used by the Royal Ocean Racing Club of Britain.

Spectators watching the start of the 2006 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. © Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi

It has been run every year since, and the fortunes of the event have varied. There has been consistent strong public interest, and crowds line the harbour and its foreshores to watch the Boxing Day start, a tradition in parallel with the Melbourne Boxing Day Test match.

Media interest is not confined to the east coast; the race is followed throughout the country and the results are reported internationally. The attention is often on who will finish first, and the focus on this line honours contest has been encouraged to maintain the media interest. Vessels from overseas have raced regularly with the local fleet since the early 1960s, and the race has been won on handicap and line honours by a modest number of craft from outside Australia.

It quickly became recognised as one of the major offshore races, along with the famous Fastnet race in the UK and the Bermuda race starting in the USA, due to the tough and demanding conditions the fleet usually has to overcome. In response to this, the CYCA established good safety precautions quite early on, which for many years it updated in line with the evolution of the participating craft. It often established precautions or limits not enforced in other events. From 1951 onwards there has been a radio relay vessel accompanying the fleet, and safety items carried by the boats and crew remain a priority in the organisation of the race.

Start of the 1986 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Courtesy Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Archives

The 1998 race captured world attention when the most extreme conditions in the race’s history were encountered. A strong southerly-flowing current was mixed with a south-west gale caused by an almost cyclonic depression travelling east across Bass Strait. This had developed soon after the race began and was predicted by many weather forecasters. Winds of more than 80 knots were recorded, but the opposing wind and current directions produced difficult seas with an unusual number of enormous waves which caused the most damage. Yachts were knocked down beyond 90 degrees, and some rolled completely. Numerous yachts were unable to withstand the continuous battering and were forced to heave to or otherwise adopt survival techniques before retiring with damage. A small number were abandoned and later sunk, and six lives were lost off three boats in different circumstances.

The rescue effort was chaotic for a period as there were too many calls to respond to, but the heroic efforts by the civilian and service rescue helicopter crews, filmed by press helicopters working in the same extreme conditions, along with help provided by racing yachts standing by stricken competitors, combined to save many sailors and avoided a total catastrophe.

In the reviews and enquiries that followed a number of factors emerged that had contributed to the disaster. The race organisers then moved quickly to address the deficiencies in the equipment and experience which had been highlighted by the race conditions and the fleet’s inability to cope with them.

The race has had highlights in many areas, in particular the dash for line honours. Perfect conditions with a northeast breeze have helped establish race records. In 1973 the reinforced cement-hulled Helsal —referred to by some as the ‘floating footpath’—caught people by surprise to set a record, but it did not last long. In 1975, the world-beating maxi yacht Kialoa III came across from the USA, and owner Jim Kilroy steered it to a new record, well under three days. The 1999 the water-ballasted Volvo 60 class yacht Nokia was able to take maximum advantage of the strong north-east wind pattern. Nokia set a new race record of 1 day 19 hours and 48 minutes at an average speed of 14.39 knots. This was nine hours faster than Kialoa III ’s longstanding record from 1975, on which Morning Glory had briefly improved by 30 minutes in 1996, 21 years after Kialoa ’s triumph.

A curious line honours winner was Nocturne in 1953, a 10.66-metre (35-foot) long sloop designed by Alan Payne, which mastered unusually light and fickle conditions to beat much larger craft in a slow race with no retirements.

Wild Oats XI about to finish the 2011 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Taken from Sandy Bay, Hobart. Wikimedia Commons/JJ Harrison

The record now stands at 1 day, 18 hours and 23 minutes, set by Wild Oats XI in 2012.  Wild Oats XI has twice taken line honours, set the record and won on handicap (2005 and 2012). Rule changes since 1999 permitted vessels up to 30.48 metres (100 feet) in length, and with favourable conditions the new super-maxis built to this limit easily had the potential to improve on the record.

When Huey Long from the USA brought his aluminium yacht Ondine in 1962, one of the closest finishes occurred when  Ondine narrowly beat the Fife-designed schooner Astor and the steel Solo across the line, but Solo won on handicap.

The handicap winner is the true winner of the race, a fact sometimes obscured to the public as the bigger boats dominate the headlines. A small number of boats have ‘done the double’ and won both, including  Wild Oats XI in 2005, which scored a treble with the race record as well. However quite often the trophy has gone to a well-sailed yacht towards the middle of the finishing order, and sometimes the changeable weather patterns favour the smaller yachts towards the tail end. The most notable handicap winner is the Halvorsen brothers’ Freya , which achieved the remarkable feat of winning three races in succession, from 1963 to 1965. Love & War has also won the race three times, in 1974, 1978 and 2006. Screw Loose , at 9.1 metres LOA, won in 1979 and is the smallest yacht to have won the race.

The end of the race is marked with celebrations by all the crews, and the area around Hobart’s Constitution Dock is packed with spectators, crews and their families who have come down to join them. In the same tradition as at the start, the people from Hobart turn out to see the finish, and even when this occurs overnight there is still a strong contingent on and off the water waiting for the gun to go off.

For many yachtspeople the Sydney to Hobart race is the highpoint of their season and their sport. Some aspire to do it just once, while others come back year after year. The challenging conditions might appear to be the primary drawcard in many instances, but the attractions of blue-water sailing have seduced many competitors in the long run. The moods and atmosphere of the wind and ocean, and the satisfaction of sailing a yacht in these elements, are truly felt and understood by the great majority of the crews.

The combination of strong public interest and the enduring attraction of the race for the competitors would seem to ensure that the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race will remain a regular event, and continue to contribute to Australia’s maritime heritage.

The first yacht to finish receives a royal welcome in Hobart for the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. © Rolex/Daniel Forster

NEXT CHAPTER

dpayneanmm

David Payne

David Payne is Curator of Historic Vessels at Australian National Maritime Museum, and through the Australian Register of Historic Vessels he works closely with heritage boat owners throughout Australia researching and advising on their craft and their social connections. David has also been a yacht designer and documented many of the museum’s vessels with extensive drawings. He has had a wide sailing experience, from Lasers and 12-foot skiffs through to long ocean passages. Since 2012 he has been able to work closely with Aboriginal communities on a number of Indigenous canoe building and watercraft projects.

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Smuggler (left) and Wild Oats during the start of the 2022 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race on Monday.

Penalty turns and close calls in dramatic start to Sydney to Hobart yacht race

  • Fleet sets off down NSW coast in 77th bluewater classic
  • Avalanche retires within two hours due to broken bowsprit

Andoo Comanche has overcome a difficult start to set the pace in the early stages of the Sydney to Hobart with the first retirement reported a couple of hours into the race.

Line honours favourite Andoo Comanche and rival supermaxi Hamilton Island Wild Oats each opted to do a penalty turn inside the first 20 minutes of the most action-packed start to race in recent memory.

Three and a half hours into the race Andoo Comanche was leading from LawConnect, Black Jack and Hamilton Island Wild Oats with little separating the four supermaxis.

Andoo Comanche navigator Justin Shaffer said they took their penalty turn after another boat protested against them, but he declined to identify which yacht it was and said that the matter would be resolved in Hobart.

He confirmed his boat was flying a protest flag but did not elaborate and said a few incidents had occurred.

Watched by a large spectator fleet, the drama started to unfold as the race fleet of 109 yachts set out in northerly breezes of around 15 knots on Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day afternoon.

Inside the first few minutes some boats came perilously close to each other as they jockeyed for advantage.

Nine-time line honours winner Oats took their penalty turn several minutes Andoo Comanche, following a debate between skipper Mark Richards and senior crew members. The reason for the turn was not immediately apparent.

It brought back memories of 2017 when Oats opted not to take a penalty turn after an incident shortly after the start of the race.

She crossed the line first but dropped back to second after being slapped with a one-hour penalty by an international jury for a rule breach related to an incident with LDV Comanche in the harbour.

Despite the early drama on Monday, race organisers reported a clean start across all four lines of boats.

The first retirement of the race came within two hours of the start with 40-foot two-handed boat Avalanche pulling out with a broken bowsprit. It was the second time in three Sydney to Hobarts the boat didn’t make it to the finish.

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when did the sydney to hobart yacht race start

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26/12/2022 @ 1:00 pm - 31/12/2022 @ 5:00 pm

when did the sydney to hobart yacht race start

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

The 77th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race begins on Monday 26 December 2022.

With border restrictions easing, the 2022 race is expected to attract many international entrants.

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Sydney to Hobart yacht race: How two days of sailing came down to just 51 seconds

Two huge sailing yachts on the River Derwent with Hobart behind them.

The skipper of the line honours-winning yacht in this year's Sydney to Hobart race says the victory is all the more remarkable because his boat, LawConnect, is a "shitbox" compared to second-place getter and race favourite Andoo Comanche.

"I know it looks good on TV but if you go up close to that boat, it's rough as anything and Comanche is a beautiful boat, it's better in every way, four tonnes lighter etc.," Christian Beck said.

"Shitbox" or not, LawConnect overtook Andoo Comanche in the River Derwent in the final moments of the 2023 race to take out its first line honours in a sensational daylight finish, just 51 seconds ahead of its rival.

Crew of the yacht Lawconnect smile and hold up trophy, the black sails of their yacht in the background.

"The lead changed several times, they took the lead pretty close to the line, we thought there's no way we can get it back," Beck said.

"There were guys [on board] that couldn't watch, it was very nerve-racking."

In a race that took the two leaders almost two days to finish, the turning point began just a couple of nautical miles from the finish line.

As Andoo Comanche tried to build speed off the Hobart suburb of Sandy Bay and seemed to stall in very little wind, Law Connect made its move.

A large yacht was LawConnect written on the sail overtakes another vessel, surrounded by spectator boats.

'"They seem to be accelerating out of the jibes a lot quicker than Andoo Comanche, so I don't think Andoo have a lot of options here, I think they're going to get rolled … really aggressive moves by LawConnect," said Lisa Darmanin, a commentator for the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. 

But, not long after Andoo Comanche snatched it back again.

Then, in the second-closest finish in race history, LawConnect came back about 100 metres from the finish line. 

After being runner-up three times in a row, the sweetest moment arrived for Christian Beck as LawConnect crossed the finish line in a time of 1 day, 19 hours, 3 minutes and 58 seconds.

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

How did they pull it off?

LawConnect manouvering its way to the finish line.

So just how did the "underdog" manage to snatch the win away from Andoo Comanche after it held the lead comfortably while rounding the Tasman Peninsula and entering the River Derwent?

As we've heard, a lack of wind was a big factor.

"Our boat is big and wide and heavy and it's fast offshore but it is terribly slow when it is bumpy and no wind," the disappointed skipper of Andoo Comanche, John Winning said. 

"[As the finish line neared] we sent a guy up the rig and he said 'There's no wind at the finish, zero wind at the finish.'" 

But sailors are used to dealing with changes in wind so strategy was obviously a major factor at play too.

As well as the "aggressive jibing" from LawConnect, the winners were focused on learning from Andoo's "mistakes".

"Broadly, the strategy is to watch them and if they get into a bad spot, we avoid that bad spot," Beck said.

Spectator craft another factor

Then there were all the spectator boats to contend with.

In the final moments, a catamaran passed closely to Andoo Comanche and the crew was seen yelling and gesturing.

"We had all the spectator boats and we're trying to clear them out and they were like 'You've won', and we were like 'No! We have not won yet. Stop making waves everything is going to make a difference,'" Winning said.

Tasmania Police said 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.

LawConnect and Andoo Comanche nearing the finish line.

Winning said he didn't blame spectators for the result.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, I wish there were 500 of them," he said.

"It's even, everyone gets the same thing if they were ahead of us they would have had the wash but unfortunately we got the wash.

"Makes a little difference but that didn't cost us the race, we cost us the race."

A super maxi yacht arriving into the Hobart waterfront.

And as the bubbly flows for the LawConnect crew, Beck is joking about now being able to offload the "shitbox".

"It's probably a good afternoon to sell it, the afternoon it beats Comanche, probably its highlight of its career, I'm sure."

Crowds of people at Constitution Dock in Hobart

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Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

when did the sydney to hobart yacht race start

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

  • Corinthian - IRC
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  • 2-Handed IRC
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  • 2-Handed Line Honours
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Standings information for the current race will not be available until approximately three hours after the start.

Race Organiser Notes

Unless otherwise flagged, all positions are obtained by a report from a GPS transceiver on the yachts.

  • No Report Position unknown
  • Deduced Reckoning No report received - position deduced using previous position
  • Estimate No report received - position estimated
  • Radio Report No report received - position obtained by radio from yacht
  • Sighting No report received - position obtained by sighting of the yacht
  • Interpolation No report received - position interpolated from earlier and later known positions.
  • Protest Pending
  • Penalty Applied
  • Redress Applied

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  1. Record eyed as Sydney-Hobart yacht race begins

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  3. Sydney Hobart Yacht Race historical yachts to battle on Sydney Harbour

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  4. Yachts compete at the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race on

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  5. Comanche wins 75th Sydney to Hobart race, InfoTrack in 2nd

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COMMENTS

  1. Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

    InfoTrack leads the fleet through Sydney Heads and south to Hobart in ideal, if smoky conditions at the start of the 75th Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in 2019. The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is an annual event hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, New South Wales, on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart, Tasmania.

  2. 2023 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

    The 2023 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, sponsored by Rolex and hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney, was the 78th annual running of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.It began on Sydney Harbour at 1 pm on Boxing Day (26 December 2023), before heading south for 628 nautical miles (1,163 km) through the Tasman Sea, Bass Strait, Storm Bay and up the River Derwent, to cross the ...

  3. 2021 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

    The 2021 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race was the 76th annual running of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, hosted by Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and sponsored by Rolex. It began on Sydney Harbour at 13:00 on 26 December 2021, before heading south for 628 nautical miles (1,163 km) via the Tasman Sea, Bass Strait, Storm Bay and up the River Derwent, to cross the finish line in Hobart, Tasmania.

  4. Sydney to Hobart yacht race 2023 guide: history, start time, black

    Sydney to Hobart yacht race 2023 guide: history, start time, black sails, favourites, distance, tracker. It starts on a harbour, finishes on a river and in-between sailors will ride a wave of emotion.

  5. Dramatic start to Sydney to Hobart yacht race with close calls and wild

    Four hours into the race, the fleet remained at 103 boats - the same number that crossed the start line in Sydney Harbour. Scallywag had earlier completed a 720-degree penalty turn in a bid to ...

  6. Sydney to Hobart yacht race: everything you need to know

    From Sydney... to Hobart. Look, this one's in the name. Boats travel from our state's capital past Wollongong, southern NSW and then through the Bass Strait to Hobart. The quickest route to ...

  7. Sydney to Hobart yacht race

    Race record holder Andoo Comanche holds the lead on the Sydney to Hobart yacht race — and favourable winds have it close to beating its own record pace from 2017. Look back at how the race ...

  8. Sydney to Hobart yacht race, day one reports from the bluewater classic

    Officially we had 88 boats to start with - 71 eligible for line honours and 17 two-handed boats, allowed in the race for the first time. ... (Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race) Share. Copy link;

  9. Sydney to Hobart start time: When does the 2023 yacht race begin

    Sydney to Hobart time: Start, schedule for 2023 yacht race The 2023 edition of the Sydney Hobart yacht race will start at 1:00 p.m. AEDT on Boxing Day - Tuesday, December 26.

  10. Sydney to Hobart yacht race 2023

    Spectators watch the start of the 2022 Sydney to Hobart race. (Getty Images: Jenny Evans) Good vantage points for spectator boats include "Taylors Bay, Chowder Bay, Obelisk Bay and North Head on ...

  11. Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race: 70 Years

    Yacht Race to Tasmania: It is expected that an Ocean Yacht Race may take place from Sydney to Hobart, probably starting on December 26, 1945. Yachtsmen desirous of competing should contact Vice President Mr P Luke …. Entries close December 1 1945. From these small beginnings the cruise became a race and Captain Illingworth helped with the ...

  12. Cat makes history in Sydney to Hobart yacht race

    By Tiffanie Turnbull. BBC News, Sydney. 24 December 2023. Getty Images. Bob and Oli are accidental pioneers. When Oli queues up on the starting line for the Sydney to Hobart yacht race on Tuesday ...

  13. VIDEO

    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.

  14. Penalty turns and close calls in dramatic start to Sydney to Hobart

    Smuggler (left) and Wild Oats during the start of the 2022 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race on Monday. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP. Sydney to Hobart yacht race. This article is more than 1 year old.

  15. Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

    The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race will again start in accordance with tradition with the firing of a starting cannon. The start will be at 1.00pm on Boxing Day, 26 December. The fleet will start from start lines off Nielsen Park with boats on the northern line rounding "Victor Mark" and boats on the southern lines rounding "X-Ray Mark", at the ...

  16. 2022 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

    The 2022 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, sponsored by Rolex and hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney, was the 77th annual running of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.It began on Sydney Harbour at 1 pm on Boxing Day (26 December 2022), before heading south for 628 nautical miles (1,163 km) through the Tasman Sea, Bass Strait, Storm Bay and up the River Derwent, to cross the ...

  17. From the Archives, 1946: The story of the first Sydney to Hobart race

    11 days, 6 hours and 20 minutes after it departed Sydney, Wayfarer sailed into Hobart, drawing to a close the remarkable story of the inaugural Sydney to Hobart race. Special Yachting ...

  18. Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

    The 77th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race begins on Monday 26 December 2022. With border restrictions easing, the 2022 race is expected to attract many international entrants. RACE WEBSITE ... Start 26/12/2022 @ 1:00 pm End 31/12/2022 @ 5:00 pm . Category Event Category: Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Venue . Location CYCA

  19. Sydney to Hobart yacht race: How two days of sailing came down to just

    Sydney to Hobart yacht race: How two days of sailing came down to just 51 seconds. By Lucy Shannon. Posted Wed 27 Dec 2023 at 7:29pm, updated Wed 27 Dec 2023 at 8:11pm. LawConnect crossed the ...

  20. Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

    Navigator Chris Lewis shares his view of the maxi yacht LawConnect's thrilling win in the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you live coverage from the finish of the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. We now take you to Hobart, Tasmania, where two of the race's 100-foot supermaxis are ghosting ...

  21. Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

    VIDEO | Race start broadcast - 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. NEWS; 26 Dec, 2022 02:00:00 PM; VIDEO | Race start broadcast - 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Watch a replay of the race start broadcast. View all photos PHOTOS.

  22. Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

    CQS laying over on Sydney Harbour. The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is a classic long ocean race open to anyone who owns a yacht that qualifies for this challenging event and which meets all the safety requirements of a Category 1 safety race. In the earliest years of the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, all the yachts were built from timber - heavy ...

  23. Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

    The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is organised by Cruising Yacht Club of Australia with the co-operation of Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania. ... Results will be available three hours after race start. IRC; PHS; Corinthian - IRC; Corinthian - PHS; 2-Handed IRC; 2-Handed PHS; 2-Handed Line Honours; Line Honours; IRC ALL; DIV 0; DIV 1; DIV 2; DIV 3;