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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.”

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

• Corinthian - IRC
• Corinthian - PHS
• 2-Handed IRC
• 2-Handed PHS
• 2-Handed Line Honours
• Line Honours

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

So you want to sail the Sydney Hobart…

So, you want to do a Sydney Hobart Yacht Race?

For many sailors, the Sydney Hobart is considered the pinnacle of offshore racing. Whether you want to do a bucket list race or it’s recurring affair, the allure of the Sydney Hobart draws sailors from near and far to make the epic journey south.

But, it’s not a race to be taken lightly.

The yachts and crew often cop a beating heading down the NSW East Coast, through the Bass Strait, around Tasman Island and across the aptly named Storm Bay. One of the worst squalls I’ve ever seen was in the Derwent River which is usually known for the frustration it causes due to lack of wind as crews try to get to the finish line. You never know what’s going to come your way.

Before you set off, especially if it’s your first time, you want – and need – to be prepared.

Moreover, you’re very unlikely to get a crewing position if you’re not well prepared and experienced enough to make the voyage, nor should you attempt to join a team that’s lackadaisical about experience and preparedness on their yacht.

Let’s look at some of the things you, as a crew member, can do to get yourself onboard a yacht and make sure you’re prepared for the race.

1. Build up your experience

If you’re looking to head to Hobart, or any significant offshore race, offshore sailing experience is your friend.

To qualify to complete in the Sydney Hobart, at least 50% of the yacht’s crew are required to have completed a Category 1 race or an equivalent passage.

If you are new or relatively new to sailing, don’t set your sights on doing a Sydney Hobart right away. Not only does this pose a potential risk to yourself and others, but you’re very unlikely to find a crew position if you don’t have significant offshore experience.

Start out with shorter offshore races or passages, then work your way up to longer offshore races or overnight passages.

Delivery trips are a great way to gain offshore experience. There are lots of yachts looking for help to get back from Hobart, and this is a great stepping stone to gain experience before doing the race. However, delivery trips aren’t without risks, so make sure you’re adequately prepared for the voyage and there are experienced sailors on-board who are familiar with the yacht.

I cover some tips and steps on how to gain experience and work your way up to doing a Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in the MySail blog .

2. Get some sailing qualifications

In order to enter the Sydney Hobart, at least of 50% of the crew need to hold a valid Australian Sailing Safety and Sea Survival Certificate or an approved equivalent.

In addition, at least two crew members need to hold a current Senior First Aid Certificate or equivalent qualification, or be a practising medical practitioner, and two crew need to hold a Long-Range Marine Radio Operators Certificate of Proficiency (LROCP) or higher qualification.

Gaining these qualifications give you a competitive edge on the competition when looking for a crew position.

You’ll also gain important skills and knowledge that will be useful on-board.

3. Find a crew position

Your next challenge is to find a crew position.

Most yachts build a committed team early in the season and then sail together in regattas and offshore races leading up to the Sydney Hobart.

It’s a requirement for any yacht entering the Sydney Hobart to complete a qualifying race of not less than 150 nautical miles, or qualifying passage not less than 24 hours, in the six months prior to the event.

Look for a yacht that has the Sydney Hobart in their race program, and try to get on-board early in the season. Most yachts will require their Sydney Hobart crew to commit to all of the lead-up races, especially the offshore ones.

You can look at the CYCA’s Sydney Hobart website for a list of race entrants, or a previous year’s list, to see who is, or is likely to do the race. Also check out the Sydney Hobart race page on MySail and add your profile there so skippers who are looking for crew can find you. Nothing beats meeting with people face-to-face, so head down to the CYCA or your local yacht club and start building and working on your network.

4. Prepare for the race; body, mind and soul

If you are working towards doing a Sydney Hobart, make sure you’re physically and mentally prepared for the race by the time December 26 rolls around.

Physical preparation will help you cope with the fatigue and physical exertion required. Building good physical fitness, strength and stamina will help you keep going over several days, and help you recover after arriving in Hobart.

Get involved in as much of the yacht preparation as you can. Helping with maintenance and boat preparation will help you learn where things are and how things work; a great asset when you need to do something in a hurry, in a big sea, in the dark.

Lastly, with all of the preparation it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Take some time to make sure that you’re well rested and in a good frame of mind when the race starts.

5. Get your gear ready

Doing a Sydney Hobart is not supposed to be easy, or comfortable, but there are a few things you can do to stay as warm, comfortable and safe as possible during the race.

There is a lot of good gear on the market to help you stay warm and dry, so do your research and get a good set of wet weather gear. You will need a PFD fitted with a tether and PLB (personal locator beacon) which are required by all crew, and may want to consider getting a personal AIS which provides your location back to the yacht if you go overboard.

You might also want to carry other gear such as a blunt, serrated knife, watch, head torch with red light setting and personal seasickness medication. I wear a (very stylish) bum bag to carry this gear and my PLB, which is easy to grab if you need to go on deck in a hurry.

Make sure you have adequate layers and warm gear; thermals are extremely light and easy to pack, and will keep you warm. You’ll be very glad for these warm layers when a southerly front hits in southern Tasmania.

Don’t forget about your extremities either. I always take a waterproof hat, socks and gloves. If you get water in your boots the socks will keep your feet warm and dry. Especially for the women with long hair, a waterproof hat helps keep salt water out of your hair and your head warm and dry.

Pack your clothing and gear in waterproof or large ziplock bags to keep it organised and dry. This helps when storing gear in small compartments, makes it quick and easy to find gear in a hurry, and will stop dampness from infiltrating everything you own.

No matter how prepared you are, inevitably something will go wrong! But, that’s where all of your preparedness really comes in handy. With the right experience, knowledge and attitude amongst the crew, you’ll be able to tackle tough situations and have a great race.

Safe sailing and I look forward to seeing you on Constitution Dock in 2019!

– Deborah Dalziel https://mysail.team/

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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

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.