sydney to hobart yacht race 2015 results

Published on January 4th, 2016 | by Editor

Sydney Hobart 2015: The Final Report

Published on January 4th, 2016 by Editor -->

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is the ultimate offshore quest for any sailor. Known as ‘The Great Race’, the 71st edition of this iconic offshore classic lived up to its name with the most dramatic weather and racing conditions the race has seen in over a decade. Attracting a record number of international entries (28), including the first ever Chinese yachts.

On 26 December, the fleet of 108 yachts raced out of Sydney’s majestic harbour under an ominous grey sky amidst a plethora of spectator boats, saluted by hundreds of thousands of well-wishers lining the shore. But as night fell, the race began to show its true colours and take its toll on the competitors.

The onset of the renowned ‘southerly buster’ brought gale force headwinds and in a matter of minutes the crews were scrambling to react to the 180 degree shift in wind direction and literally battened down the hatches for what would be testing 18 hours.

Epic conditions Over the course of the next two days, 31 yachts would retire with issues ranging from broken steering systems, torn sails and even structural damage as a result of the constant pummelling through the rough ocean waves.

Corinthian and professional sailors alike were quick to declare this a ‘true’ Hobart, while saying that these were some of the toughest conditions they had ever faced. Relying solely on each other as they raced down the New South Wales coast, safety and seamanship was always top of mind for the determined fleet of more than 1,500 participants.

Hopes dashed Hometown favourites, the 100 foot maxis Wild Oats XI and Perpetual Loyal, were among the casualties of the first night, dashing their hopes of a line honours win. Bob Oatley’s team limped backed to Sydney after thrashing their mainsail, devastated not to have been able to add another line honours win to Wild Oats XI’s historic collection of eight titles.

This would bode well for Jim Clark and Kristy Hinze-Clark’s Comanche, the 100 foot maxi which debuted at the 2014 edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race.

Never say never Having competed around the globe since then, breaking records and collecting silverware at the most prestigious offshore races, including the Rolex Fastnet Race – and setting a record for greatest distance (618 NM) covered by a monohull in a 24 hour period –Comanche is deemed as the fastest monohull in the world. Yet the Rolex Sydney Hobart title eluded the team in 2014. So when Kristy Hinze-Clark heard that Rambler 88 would be on the start line, she asked her husband if they could live with their American rivals possibly breaking the race record or winning line honours.

“No way,” said Jim Clark and they set the wheels in motion to ship the boat from Genoa (Italy) and secure their crew of 20, which includes the best of the best sailors, led by American skipper Ken Read. Two-time America’s Cup winning helmsman and ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year in 2014 Australian Jimmy Spithill only had to cross town, while the likes of navigator Stan Honey, bowman Justin ‘Juggy’ Clougher and trimmers Dirk De Ridder and Richard Clarke, to name but a few, flew in from all over the world to take part. Legendary first One of the wildcards on board was Kristy Hinze-Clark, co-owner of Comanche, who had not previously competed in an offshore race. Not one to shy away from a challenge, the Australian-born supermodel took up the gauntlet and sailed the 628 nautical mile race, steering the 100 foot maxi over the finish line to an enthusiastic crowd of Comanche fans.

Despite the pure talent on board, it was never easy sailing for Ken Read and his crew. Within nine hours of the start, the team incurred severe damage to their port dagger board and it began flailing under the boat. At that point, they ran the risk that the thrashing board could puncture the racing machine’s pure carbon fibre hull, so the crew rushed to cut it free. But once the dagger board broke away, it took out one of the rudders, which severely impacted the steering system.

The deflated skipper Ken Read placed a call to the Cruising Club of Australia’s Race Director to report their misfortune; but Comanche’s race was not over yet.

“That’s when we said ‘we’re done’. We stopped and took all the sails down. We actually started drifting back towards Sydney. Then I see the tools come out, and when I see the tools come out with these guys, that’s usually a good sign that they have an idea. All of a sudden you hear cutters and grinders,” said Read.

Making the call With the repair undertaken, Read discussed the situation with the watch captains and they decided unanimously, to finish this race.

“This racing crew would not stop unless they couldn’t,” added owner Jim Clark.

The team fought back, persevered and demonstrated great teamwork, and soon pulled past George David’s Rambler 88 which had moved into the lead overnight.

Sailed incredibly well, with veteran Australian navigator Andrew Cape on board calling the shots with tactician Brad Butterworth (NZL), Rambler 88 was in it to win following on from their line honours win at the Rolex Middle Sea Race in October. Their chances were also looking good, but Comanche, having affected their midnight race course repair, were to be the clear leaders.

Dockside at Constitution Wharf in Hobart, Jim Clark and Kristy Hinze-Clark celebrated, lifting the Illingworth Cup high. “It was really grueling. Pure terror at one stage. Excitement and now just total joy. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done,” said Hinze-Clark admiring her well-earned, engraved Rolex Yacht Master II timepiece for taking line honours.

Safety and seamanship This edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart offered up a full range of conditions to challenge all competitors who exercised true seamanship. As the southerly weather system moved through, the wind abated. But the resulting light air patches dashed Rambler 88’s hopes of a line honours win. As well, the American maxi lost out to Syd Fisher’s Ragamuffin 100, when a great tactical call just metres from the finish line, left George David’s team in third place. A pleasant surprise for 88-year old owner, Syd Fisher, who was competing in his 48th Rolex Sydney Hobart Race.

But the race was far from over. With 74 boats still offshore, it was game on for the likes of Frenchmen Eric de Turckheim with Teasing Machine and overall Rolex Fastnet Race winner, Courrier Leon, skippered by Gery Trentesaux. Having travelled all the way from Europe, Trentesaux was one of the smallest but mightiest in the fleet.

In a race that is decided on handicap, given certain weather conditions, there is good chance that the overall winner will come from the mid-sized boats in the fleet; this year was no exception.

With the frontrunners tied up in Hobart, most of the fleet were still battling their way across the Bass Strait and around Tasman Island in hopes of a finish in Hobart where their corrected time finish would put them in contention for the Tattersall’s Cup. On Balance By Wednesday afternoon, Paul Clitheroe’s TP52 Balance, finished and became the leading contender. But there was still a chance that Shane Kearns’ Sparkman & Stephens 34 Quikpoint Azzurro, speeding downwind at nine knots off the Tasman coast, could reach the finish line in time to upset Balance.

Clitheroe was adamant; “They kept me up all night! In what sport are you going to get a modern, carbon 52-footer up against a vintage 34- footer bought on a credit card. Either of us could have won it within five minutes. It’s crackerjack!”

It was soon clear that the overall winner would be Australia’s most famous financial guru and his crew on board Balance. Despite having flown back to Sydney, on hearing the news the crew returned to Hobart to be presented with the coveted Tattersall’s Cup and the engraved Rolex Yacht Master timepiece for Clitheroe.

“I started sailing at eight years old in a sabot, on a lake. But it’s stuff like this that makes you think this is an amazing sport. It makes kids jump in a little boat and take on a healthy sport. In what other sport do you know that if you are in trouble in the middle of the night, your competitor is going to stop and come to help. I’m proud to be a part of our sport. I am proud of my team and the people in this community. I’m honoured to win this trophy and sail with these folks, my crew. It’s an absolute privilege,” said Paul Clitheroe.

Arriving just in time for the prizegiving was the last yacht to finish, Myuna III, completing the race in just over five days and 20 hours, at 0909 AEDT on New Year’s Day.

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is testament to the fact that every detail counts. After months of preparation, sailing more than 600 nautical miles and facing the most challenging conditions, once again it came down to a matter of minutes.

As the 71st edition drew to a close, there was a tremendous sense of achievement shared among the participants, with their sights and hopes already set on for a return to Rolex Sydney Hobart on Boxing Day 2016.

About the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race The Rolex Sydney Hobart transcends sailing’s perceived boundaries. It attracts politicians, business leaders, sporting heroes and the cream of professional sailing talent. And yet, true to its origins, the core of the fleet is still composed of Corinthian competitors who value the challenge and endeavour above all else. Rolex has partnered this race since 2002.

For the fastest boats, the race typically takes two days, whereas most of the fleet can expect four to five days at sea. Weather and sea conditions can vary dramatically and are often punishing. In 1998, severe storms caused the sinking of five yachts and the loss of six lives in Bass Strait. The organiser’s response was pro-active: new safety measures and regulations were introduced immediately after the disaster, which had a global resonance. 2015 Rolex Sydney Hobart In Numbers • 5,828 – number of starting yachts in the history of the Rolex Sydney Hobart • 2015 marked the 71st edition of the race • 108 yachts started the race, 77 finished, 31 retired • 2 days, 8 hours, 58 minutes and 30 seconds – time it took Comanche to claim line honours • 3 days, 3 hours, 50 minutes and 45 seconds – time it took winning yacht Balance to complete the 628 nm race • Ragamuffin 100 owner/skipper Syd Fischer at the age of 88 became the race’s oldest competitor • Duende’s Tony Cable extended his record number of races to 50 • Wild Oats XI holds the record for 8 Rolex Sydney Hobart line honours wins

Report by regattanews.com.

Background : The 71st edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race starts December 26 in Sydney Harbor, taking an entry list of 108 boats along the 628 nautical mile course to Hobart that is often described as the most grueling long ocean race in the world.

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Australian boat Balance named overall winner of 2015 Sydney to Hobart race

• Balance crossed finish line in Hobart on Tuesday night
• Crew made to wait more than a day for result to be confirmed

New South Wales boat Balance is the overall winner of the 2015 Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

Owner and skipper Paul Clitheroe has spent more than a day waiting to see if any other contender could beat his handicap time and on Thursday morning officials declared the result.

“Congratulations to Paul Clitheroe and his Balance crew, officially announced as 2015 overall winners,” race organisers tweeted.

Clitheroe, 60, better known for giving financial advice in the media, sailed Balance to a class win in 2014 and has gone one better in 2015.

With his crew of 12, Clitheroe crossed the line on Tuesday night, finishing seventh in line honours with a time of three days, three hours, 50 minutes and 45 seconds.

It was some 21 hours behind race winner, US supermaxi Comanche, but Clitheroe was just grateful to finish the 628-nautical mile voyage, which he said produced mixed conditions.

“I got smashed off the NSW coast and [then] I’m sitting in Bass Strait in a millpond, I could have gone fishing,” he said after reaching Constitution Dock.

The boat finished with a broken mainsail and was one of many competitors damaged, including top-three Comanche, Ragamuffin and Rambler, who were forced to make at-sea repairs to continue their campaigns.

Late on Wednesday the smallest boat in the race fleet - 33-foot Quikpoint Azzurro - had a big chance of knocking Balance off its honours perch.

Clitheroe denied he was anxious waiting to see if the challenger could meet Thursday’s 4.43am (AEDT) deadline. “There’s nothing I can do about it,” the veteran sailor said.

Ultimately, Quikpoint Azzurro couldn’t meet the challenge with owner-skipper Shane Kearns frustrated to lose a large margin overnight at the mouth of Hobart’s Derwent River.

“It was really frustrating, we knew we had a time limit,” Kearns told AAP after crossing the line.

“We really wanted to come first but there was just no wind and what wind there was, was the wrong direction. Sailing can be a fun and cruel sport all in one go.”

After reaching top speeds under spinnaker coming down Tasmania’s east coast on Wednesday, Quikpoint Azzurro had more than eight hours to cover the final 40 nautical miles.

But it wasn’t to be. “If the breeze had stayed in we would have whooped his arse and won,” Kearns said.

Clitheroe will be presented with the Tattersall’s Cup later in the morning.

There are only a handful of yachts still to cross the finish line, with latecomer Myuna III due to arrive on Friday.

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Top 4 moments from the 2015 Sydney Hobart race

Comanche takes extraordinary line honours win.

Picture courtesy of Rolex/Steffano Gattini - Rolex Sydney Hobart - regattanews.com

The 628-nautical mile race from Sydney to Hobart is one of the most famous ocean sailing races in the world. There has been plenty of drama over the 70 year history of the race, and the 71st edition was no different. Here are the four main talking points from the race.

_ Comanche  _came a respectable second in the 2014 Sydney Hobart after travelling straight from  Hodgdon  to take part in the race. The radical 30.45 metre supermaxi sailing yacht was hoping to go one better in the 2015 edition of the race and she got off to a flying start. As Comanche turned out of Sydney Harbour she pulled into a sizeable lead, charging south at over 20 knots.

However it was not all plain sailing. On the first night disaster struck when Comanche hit something and destroyed one of her daggerboards. In an effort to stop the flailing foil from punching a hole in the hull, the crew cut it free, but it struck the rudder on the way through and damaged the steering system.

It seemed that all of the hard work and expectation from owners Jim and Kristy Clark and their crew was to come to nothing. Skipper Ken Read assumed the worst and actually retired the yacht, before some of his experienced crew brought out the tools and managed to patch up the damage.

From thinking they were out of the race, they suddenly realised they actually had a chance of winning. They managed to build up a lead and then made it up the river Derwent before the wind died, as it often does overnight in Hobart. They crossed the line to take the win with a time of 2 days, 8 hours, 58 minutes and 30 seconds.

The words of Comanche ’s skipper Ken Read really summed up the race when he said “this is a hard race. I have sailed around the world two and a half times and I thought I had seen it all but this is one hard body of water.”

Super maxis in dramatic match race for second place

Picture courtesy of Rolex/Kurt Arrigo - Rolex Sydney Hobart - regattanews.com

Almost 11 hours later the two super maxis Ragamuffin 100 and Rambler finished just four minutes apart. The racing superyachts created quite a spectacle in the morning light as they match raced each other up the river Derwent in very light winds.

The 30.48 metre Ragamuffin 100  managed to sneak over the line ahead of 27 metre Rambler after deciding not to follow the American boat towards the shoreline.

If it weren’t for them experiencing problems of their own, both yachts may have had a chance of taking on Comanche .

Rambler  had overtaken Comanche after she suffered damage, but ran into bad luck of her own as she also struck something and damaged her daggerboard. This allowed Comanche to retake the lead and slowly pull away. Rambler then missed the wind on the third evening and the crew suddenly found they had Ragamuffin 100 for company.

Ragamuffin 100  virtually capsized on the first night. They lost all of their electronics on day two and then they had to swerve and dodge two 25-foot whales. Life didn’t get any easier as they too suffered a broken daggerboard and lost ground on the two leaders. However a fortunate wind brought Rambler back into their grasp and they seized the opportunity during a tight duel to the finish.

Race favourite Wild Oats XI retires with ripped mainsail

With eight line honours wins under her belt, 30.48 metre Wild Oats XI is the local hero on the start line of the Sydney Hobart. She was the defending champion and in 2012 set the race’s fastest time. Wild Oats XI was fresh from an extensive refit and full of confidence to take on Comanche and the other supermaxis.

The yachts set off from Sydney Harbour on the afternoon of December 26 in perfect sailing conditions. In the middle of the night a southerly buster came out of nowhere and a team spokesman said Wild Oats XI ’s mainsail was split in half by gusts up to 44 knots. The damage was un-repairable and the super maxi was forced to retire.

When they were back in Sydney, skipper Mark Richards expressed his disappointment when he spoke to local news: “a few things went wrong for us, when that happens it’s a snowball effect. We got the mainsail down, back under control and we had a look at the sail and it was shredded. Everyone knew straight away that it was over.”

Over 30 retirements as weather causes havoc though the fleet

Picture courtesy of Rolex/Studio Borlenghi/Steffano Gattini - Rolex Sydney Hobart - regattanews.com

It wasn’t just the big boats who struggled in the conditions as terrifying accounts were reported all the way down the fleet.  Race organisers described the conditions as “really nasty” as the feared southerly buster hit the fleet overnight.

These weather conditions are what gives the race such a name. The strong southerly winds come out of nowhere: one minute the yachts are sailing smoothly along downwind and then the wind hits from the south with no warning.

Crews limped back to Sydney with torn sails, broken masts and damaged steering as the weather took its toll on the fleet. It was a credit to the boats and their crews that less than a third of the fleet was forced to retire, despite the worst conditions in over a decade.

The big boats were the first to bear the brunt of the 180-degree wind shift and Wild Oats XI was joined in retirement by Perpetual Loyal . The 30.48 metre Cookson yacht had several celebrities on board .

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

Tasmanian yacht Alive has claimed overall honours in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

The Duncan Hine-skippered 66-footer rocketed up the River Derwent on Thursday afternoon to snatch first place on the overall standings from URM Group, and will stave off several other yachts still at sea to win the race on corrected time.

It will be the second Tattersalls Cup in five years for the Tasmanian yacht, following its debut overall victory in 2018.

Hine said the crew had a firm goal of claiming overall honours.

"We always had the attitude that we weren't coming to play, we weren't just coming to do the race, we were going to give it everything we could just to win," he said.

"We went out with that in mind, hence the east route down the outside, halfway over to bloody New Zealand."

Line honours — or first across the finish line — went to supermaxi LawConnect on Thursday but the overall victory — once times are adjusted for handicaps — is considered the more prestigious prize.

Alive was the fourth yacht to cross the finish line — ending with a time of 2 days, 2 hours, 19 minutes and 4 seconds.

It becomes just the second Tasmanian yacht to win dual Tattersalls Cups, joining Westward, which won back-to-back Sydney to Hobart races in 1947 and 1948.

The Philip Turner-owned yacht is a Tasmanian sailing stalwart, and holds the race record for the Launceston to Hobart yacht race.

The overall win caps a stellar year of sailing for Alive, which saw victories in the Brisbane to Hamilton Island race, Bruny Island Race and Hobart's King of the Derwent regatta.

Hine's connection to other Tasmanian success story

The yacht Westwood was the last Tasmanian entry to win overall honours for a second time in the Sydney to Hobart, way back in 1948.

Jock Muir built that boat, and Hine remembers working for him in his early years.

"I used to do maintenance on their slipping rail in Battery Point when I was still in school," he said.

"Jock used to give me two bucks for each G-clamp I'd give back to him. I started sorting the gauge … packing the rails … when I should have been at school instead.

"I have no doubt that Jock would be happy for me."

Hine said he felt for the crew of URM Group, who struggled up the River Derwent and just missed out on overall honours, finishing third for line honours.

Yachts still at sea as 'brutal' conditions continue

Just 30 yachts out of the fleet of 103 starters have completed the race as of Saturday morning.

The first of the two-handers, Mistral, crossed the line just before 9:00am and is placed sixth overall in the open fleet.

Skipper Rupert Henry — who is also the defending two-handed champion from last year — said Friday night's conditions were "brutal".

"It was very cold and we had strong winds of up to 43 knots in Storm Bay," he said.

"Bass Strait was upwind. This race has thrown everything at us."

The bulk of the remaining fleet is expected to arrive in Hobart on Saturday afternoon and evening, with 16 retirements, including New South Wales vessel Gunshot which needed a police tow on Friday evening.

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At the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Women Are Making Their Mark

The event is attracting more female skippers than in previous years, and many own the boats.

By David Schmidt

The skippers competing in the annual Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race dream of winning a top trophy in this challenging offshore race. This year, 10 of them will be women.

While a female-skippered team has not won the Tattersall Cup, which is awarded to the race’s overall winner, more women have been competing in the race as skippers the last few years. It reflects the expanding ranks in sailing of experienced women, the creation of the race’s two-handed class and an uptick in the number of female boat owners.

Women have been participating in the Sydney Hobart race since 1946, with Jane Tate aboard the Active and Dagmar O’Brien on the Connella. The first all-women’s team, skippered by Vicki Willman, raced in 1975 aboard Barbarian, a 38-foot yacht.

This year, 10 women plan to compete as skippers and co-skippers. This follows an upward trend: nine women raced in 2022 as skippers and co-skippers, and seven competed in 2021. In 2019, this number was six, while three competed in the 2017 and 2018 events.

“It is a changed world for the better,” said Adrienne Cahalan , a two-time Tattersall Cup-winning navigator. She plans to start her 31st race — a record for women — as navigator aboard the 66-foot yacht Alive this year.

“Women are accepted as equal players and leaders,” Cahalan said of the race, noting that women are underrepresented in the Sydney Hobart only among the professional and big-boat crews.

The race, which starts on Tuesday, began in 1945 and is a serious affair. Six sailors died and five yachts sank in the 1998 event. Veterans call it one of the world’s greatest, and hardest , offshore races.

The 628-nautical-mile course begins in Sydney Harbor . After exiting protected waters, teams turn south-southwest and race down the New South Wales coastline, before crossing Bass Strait. This shallow-water swath separates Australia from Tasmania and can sometimes create boat-breaking waves.

Then, navigators approach Tasman Island before the boats make the final 40-mile push across Storm Bay and up the River Derwent to Hobart.

For women, a big part of their overall increase as skippers, sailors said, was because of an inclusive and welcoming community that helped create opportunities.

“There’s a women’s sailing network in Sydney where there’s a lot of engagement from females,” said Lt. Tori Costello, who plans to co-skipper the Royal Australian Navy’s 40-foot Navy One this year. “There’s been so many more females just being involved, being given opportunities to get out there and race.”

Sailors said this change was helped by the creation of women’s sailing events, including the Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta and the Sydney Harbour Women’s Keelboat Series. They also cite SheSails, an Australian organization that encourages female participation in sailing, and several active women’s-sailing Facebook groups and clubs, as contributing factors.

Internationally, they point to the Magenta Project, which works to create better equity and inclusion within sailing, as another important element.

“Just about every sailing club I know of has a women’s group actively educating and providing opportunities for women” said Kathy Veel, the owner and a skipper of the 30-foot Currawong and a three-time race veteran. “There are now many very skilled, experienced yachtswomen who seek the challenge of being in charge.”

Another catalyst, sailors say, was the creation of the race’s two-handed class, which debuted in 2021. While most boats racing to Hobart have a full crew, two-handed teams race with just two people.

“Even if you don’t own the boat, the second person in most cases is a co-skipper,” said Wendy Tuck, the first woman to win an around-the-world race as skipper and a two-time two-handed class veteran. “It is a great opportunity.”

While two-handed sailing doubles the number of skipper roles, it requires, and breeds, a high level of competency and trust.

“Two-handed racing is a great format for fast-tracking skills in all aspects of sailing and seamanship,” Veel said.

After all, one skipper often sleeps while the other stands watch.

Many yachts that compete in the two-handed class are about 30 to 40 feet long. This matters, as their smaller sails generate less load than the bigger yachts.

“The smaller size of most two-handed boats makes them very manageable for female sailors,” Bridget Canham said. In 2022, she and Veel became the first all-women’s two-handed team to complete the race; they plan to compete together again this year.

Annika Thomson, skipper and an owner of the 52-foot Ocean Crusaders J-Bird, said that it was not as daunting to race two-handed aboard the smaller boats. She would know: In 2022, Thomson and her husband, Ian, raced their 52-footer two-handed to Hobart.

She was skipper.

“It’s not recommended,” she said as a joke, of racing a big, powerful boat double-handed to Hobart. “We did it, now we forgot all about it.”

This year, Thomson plans to skipper her boat with a crew of 11, including her husband, who will navigate.

While professionally-run yachts often hire professional skippers, many amateur teams are led by owner-skippers.

“Sometimes to take on a leadership role a person needs to create their own opportunities,” Cahalan said. “For example, by buying or chartering your own boat and putting your own team together.”

She isn’t alone in this thinking: Seven of the nine female-led boats are racing with full crews.

“My thought is always, and always has been, if I want to skipper a yacht, I probably need to own it,” Thomson said. “The more women that own yachts, the more women who are encouraged to buy their own yachts.”

Case in point: Of the nine female-led yachts, seven are owned or co-owned by women. These include Thomson’s 52-footer, Hilary Arthure’s 35-foot Wyuna, and Jiang Lin’s 34-foot Min River.

There’s more than pride in vessel ownership at stake. The Sydney Hobart race can award dozens of trophies. Of these, three are specifically reserved for women

For some skippers, these aren’t enough.

“While these trophies are great in that they acknowledge the women who were pioneers and role models in the sport, the prize women really want to win now is the Tattersall Cup,” Veel said.

“I think it’s much more likely a female two-handed boat could win a division,” she said, pointing to the costs and complexities of campaigning a competitive yacht. “But I don’t want to rule anything out.”

Thomson was more optimistic. “It would be really cool if someone took it up this year,” she said, referring to the Tattersall Cup.

Still, she was realistic.

“How long is a piece of string?” she asked, using an Australian phrase meaning that something is only finished when it’s finished.

Trophies aside, sailors said the real rewards of skippering a yacht in this race were camaraderie, teamwork and the chance to lead a team through a demanding test.

Half of the race is “not the best times, and you’re questioning why you’re doing it,” said Costello of the often-rough conditions. “It comes back down to those moments where you’re wide-eyed and it’s a bit crazy out there, and everyone has that knowing look like, ‘OK, we’re going to get through this.’”

And, with more women taking on this leadership challenge, sailors said the race’s future had never looked more inclusive.

“Women are a big part of the population, so we aren’t going anywhere,” said Tuck, who plans to start her 16th race this year as a watch captain aboard Disko Trooper, a 32-footer. “Well, yes,” she corrected, “we are going to Hobart.”

Sydney to Hobart Results - RPAYC Yachts

RPAYC was represented by 7 yachts who entered into the 2021 Sydney to Hobart yacht race from Two Handed to fully crewed, the crews included a number of our youth members, as well as many members racing on various other yachts. As part of the race management start boat team the club had a great advantage spot to wave off our members as they started their journey south.

Disko Trooper/Contender Sailcloth (Two Handed Division) – Jan Scholten & Jules Hall were the  inaugural overall winners of the Two-Handed Division in the 2021 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race finishing in 4 days, 14 hours, 1 minute and 42 seconds. After an impressive build-up to their maiden Rolex Sydney Hobart two-up, Jules and Jan continue to make their mark on the Australian two-handed ocean racing scene, claiming a clean sweep of the overall prizes, winning IRC, ORCi and PHS on Jules’ J/99.

 – 1st IRC  – 1st ORCi – 1st PHS – 2nd Line Honours

CLICK HERE for a fantastic video from Bow Caddy Media chatting with Jules Hall and Jan Scholten who related some of the challenges and rewards of their race, including their approach to managing the tough conditions of the first night at sea and how they went about picking their way through the numerous light air transitions in Bass Strait and down the Tasmanian coast.

Disko Trooper News Article –  HERE

Pretty Woman   – Richard Hudson and David Beaks, co-owners of the Farr 45 Pretty Woman have drawn together a crew that combines youth and experience. Amongst their younger crew are several of the RPAYC youth sailing team including former National Womens’ Match Racing winners. Here Richard explains his goal in bringing youth to his crew, while his young proteges describe their Hobart experiences. Finishing 3rd IRC Div 2 5th ORCi Div 2 5th Corinthian IRC 9th Corinthian PHS 13th Line Honours

CLICK HERE  for a great video from Bow Caddy Media with Richard Hudson.

Richard Hudson, owner/skipper of Pretty Woman, said: “It was awesome. We had a great race. Really zero damage – minor sail damage. It was very wet, but we all survived, and we’re happy. “We had nearly an all-Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club crew – seven from our youth program, including five girls. The youngest is 21 (Antony Hawke). “Will Hardcastle and I supplied the mentorship. We’re pretty pleased with our effort. I knew the young ones would be good – and we worked really well as a team – they are very committed.”

Luna Blue – one of a few boats new to the Rolex Sydney Hobart, last year, Luna Blue was bought by John Turnbull and David Watson (former owners of the yacht Reverie, the RPAYC blue water champions in 2013/2014 and runner-up the following season), and Andrew Silk. Congratulations to the team who finished in a time of 5 days 9 hours 11mins 33 sec, just in time for the New Years Eve fireworks and celebrations. 

Finishing 6th PHS 15th Corinthian PHS 38th Line Honours

L CÉ Old School Racing , owned by Mark Griffiths made it to Hobart after what they reported was ‘A verryy long 4days 5hrs 34mins 16secs’.

Finishing 2nd ORCi Div 2 6th Corinthian IRC 16th Line Honours

Congratulations to all of the RPAYC yachts, owners and crew who competed in what was described as a tough 2021 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race! 

Written by Media RPAYC

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2023 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race: Final Day Results and Overall Winner Revealed

The 78th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race concluded with 71 boats finished, leaving 14 racing and 18 retirements, including the octogenarian David Henry's campaign due to rig damage. Tasmanian entry, Alive, skippered by Duncan Hine, secured its second victory in five years as the overall winner of the race.

The conclusion of the prestigious Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the victory of the Tasmanian entry, Alive, signifies the culmination of efforts and perseverance in the challenging race, impacting the participants and sailing community.

• 71 boats finished the race
• 14 boats are still racing
• 18 retirements occurred
• 71 boats finished, 14 are still racing, and 18 retired
• Alive, skippered by Duncan Hine, was declared the overall winner
• Octogenarian David Henry's campaign ended due to rig damage

Teams and participants will likely evaluate their performance and strategies in preparation for future races, drawing inspiration from the outcomes of the 78th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

The culmination of the 78th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the victory of Alive highlights the resilience and determination of the participants, inspiring future endeavors in the sailing community.

The summary of the linked article was generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence technology from OpenAI

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Di Pearson/RPAYC media

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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