sydney to hobart yacht race handicap

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Comanche and LawConnect in two-way Sydney to Hobart battle as more wild weather looms

• Supermaxis continue to trade lead as they battle to defy changeable conditions
• Race casualty list grows to 11 after Rum Rebellion briefly thrown overboard

The supermaxis Andoo Comanche and LawConnect are in a two-way battle for Sydney to Hobart line honours as more unpredictable weather looms for a storm-weary fleet.

The reigning line honours champion Comanche held a six-nautical-mile lead over fellow 100-footer LawConnect as the pair tracked off Tasmania’s east coast late on Wednesday afternoon.

LawConnect navigator Chris Lewis said the crew had experienced “a little bit of everything” on Boxing Day night.

“The wildest (weather) was literally 180-degree wind shifts,” he said in a video posted on the yacht’s Facebook.

“It’s been pretty wild.”

The race casualty list grew to 11 on Wednesday after the Rum Rebellion skipper Shane Connelly was briefly thrown overboard off the NSW coast.

Connelly and crewmate Tony Sutton retired on Tuesday night after concerns the skipper may have suffered concussion.

Connelly said a “micro-burst” of wind hit his two-handed yacht during a ferocious storm, throwing him off the port side.

He managed to attach his tether and was lifted back on board as the yacht righted.

Comanche and LawConnect, runner-up at the past three Sydney to Hobart events, have both had turns in the lead since the duo crossed Bass Strait.

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia commodore Arthur Lane said it was a two-horse race and a likely post-sunrise finish – some time short of Comanche’s record of one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds set in 2017.

“They are watching each other very, very carefully,” he said.

“Each is tweaking and doing all the little adjustments needed. They know each other’s boats so well.”

Lane said a lot of unease remained about the weather forecast, with a stiff breeze building off Australia’s south-east.

A strong wind warning has been issued for waters off Tasmania’s east coast on Thursday.

The in-form URM Group, a contender for overall honours which is decided on handicap, was more than 100 nautical miles behind the leading supermaxis in third place despite suffering jib damage and losing her code zero spinnaker.

The navigator Alice Parker said the wind and rain had been inconsistent.

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“I had a good few moments with a bucket between my legs but otherwise everyone is fighting fit and in good spirits,” she said.

“We’re all a bit wet and have been sliding around.”

Wild Thing 100, the race’s third remaining supermaxi, was further afield in sixth position.

Fellow supermaxi, and one of the pre-race favourites, SHK Scallywag sensationally withdrew on Boxing Day evening after suffering a broken bow sprit.

Maritimo 52, one of eight TP52s starting the race, was an early withdrawal on Wednesday after breaking a fitting on her forestay and ripping her mainsail.

Veteran Sydney to Hobart competitor and crew member Peter Jones said there had been as much lightning as he’d ever seen.

“We’re shattered,” Jones said.

“We were trying to work a million ways around it, but at best we were going to be at 50 per cent.”

The popular two-hander Currawong, the race’s equal-smallest boat, was forced to limp back to Sydney after reporting multiple issues.

The co-skippers Kathy Veel and Bridget Canham were last year the race’s first all-female two-handed entry and were greeted by thousands of New Year’s Eve revellers when they arrived at Hobart’s Constitution Dock.

• Sydney to Hobart yacht race
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Celestial crowned overall winner of Sydney to Hobart yacht race

Celestial skipper and owner sam haynes said he wasn't expecting to claim the title, labelling the feat a "lifetime achievement"..

Celestial skipper Sam Haynes says he is pleasantly surprised to win the title, adding that his goal had been to be "competitive" and deliver the best result possible. Source: Getty / Brett Hemmings

• Celestial has been named the overall winner in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.
• Skipper Sam Haynes says the win is particularly special after the yacht's experience last year.
• Rough seas have forced more vessels to retire.

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Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2023

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

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

Andoo Comanche

Mistral (th), wild thing 100, kraken 111 (th), min river (th), atomic blonde, pretty woman, white noise, cinnamon girl - eden capital (th), midnight rambler, disko trooper_contender sailcloth, ocean crusaders j-bird, teasing machine, maritimo 54, love & war, bumblebee v, hutchies yeah baby, niksen (th), flying cloud, xs moment bnmh, blue planet (th), voltstar yeah baby, highly sprung, verite (th), showdown (th), amazingrace, son of a son, avalanche (th), mister lucky (th), zephyr insurance masters, tilting at windmills, allegresse (th), currawong (th) *, georgia express *, maritimo 52 *, millennium falcon *, pacman (th) *, philosopher (th) *, rum rebellion (th) *, shk scallywag *, tumbleweed (th) *, at final racetime, race organiser notes.

• Arcadia - Retired - mainsail damage
• Bacardi - Retired - rigging damage
• Currawong (TH) - Retired - electrical issues
• Georgia Express - Retired - rigging issues
• Maritimo 52 - Retired - rigging damage
• Millennium Falcon - Retired - crew illness
• Pacman (TH) - Retired - runner damage
• Philosopher (TH) - Retired - rigging damage
• Rum Rebellion (TH) - Retired - minor injury
• SHK Scallywag - Retired - broken bowsprit
• Sticky - Retired - electrical damage
• Tumbleweed (TH) - Retired - crew illness

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

Sydney to Hobart yacht race — how to watch and what to look for

Since its beginning in 1945, the Sydney to Hobart yacht race has become one of the pinnacles for sailing competitors, with the event being a test of skill, teamwork, nautical engineering and tactics — with weather providing the wild card.

If you know what to look for, the race can be an enjoyable experience.

Here are some tips for getting the best out of it.

When does it start?

About 111 boats ranging from the supermaxis (longer than 20 metres) to smaller 30-footers (9 metres) will be ready to go at 1pm AEDT Boxing Day on Sydney Harbour.

The start is arguably one of the greatest spectacles in modern sport.

Once the starting cannon is fired, all teams will be gunning for The Heads and into the open water of the South Pacific, with competitors surrounded by all manner of craft.

Watch as boats come perilously close to the supermaxis.

The fleet then begins to make its way down the east coast of Australia to Hobart, a distance of approximately 630 nautical miles (1,166 kilometres).

What are they racing for?

It isn't money. Yes, you read that correctly — there is no prize money for the winners. 

Instead, they race for trophies in a number of categories , the main events for casual observers being Line Honours and Overall.

The first yacht across the line wins the JH Illingworth Trophy, but the overall winner on handicap wins the Tattersalls Cup.

The overall victory is considered the major prize for sailors and a testament to skill and tactics.

Most of the time, handicap honours are won by a smaller, slower boat, which outdoes its larger opposition when time is adjusted for size and other factors.

The reigning overall winner is Ichi Ban. It finished in 4 days, 10 hours, and 17 minutes.

This was after a protest against Celestial was upheld. Celestial was handed a 40-minute time penalty for not manning their radio for a 90-minute period, during which officials were trying to contact the team.

The reigning line honours winner is Black Jack, winning in two days, 12 hours, and 37 minutes in 2021. 

How can I watch it?

Race sponsor Rolex says the race can be watched on the Seven Network. 

7Mate will broadcast the start of the race live around Australia. Their coverage starts at 12:30pm (AEDT).

ABC TV will also provide updates throughout the event.

For those who can't watch the live broadcast of the start of the race on their TV, Seven will have a stream of the race.

You can also watch vision from the event on the Sydney to Hobart yacht race website .

If you are in Sydney and on the water, spectators who wish to watch the start but not follow the fleet are advised to stick to the "western side of the harbour".

Good vantage points for spectator boats include "Taylors Bay, Chowder Bay, Obelisk Bay and North Head on the west and Rose Bay, Watsons Bay, Camp Cove and South Head to the east".

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

How can I follow the boats online?

You can follow the race on an online tracker , which shows the positions of yachts as they move south.

The locations of yachts are transmitted by a GPS device on each vessel. 

As the race goes on, you can see the course charted by crews — unless of course the boat's GPS device gets switched off, rendering it invisible to spectators and other competitors — an accusation that was levelled at Wild Oats XI in 2018 by the owner of Black Jack.

What should I look out for?

The weather forecast is for northerly winds in the harbour for Monday's start, which will favour the bigger boats. They will push hard to get out of the harbour.

Barring disaster, the Line Honours winner will almost certainly be one of the four super maxis.

LawConnect (formerly Perpetual LOYAL, formerly Investec LOYAL, formerly InfoTrack) set a new record in 2016 when it crossed the line in one day, 13 hours, 31 minutes and 12 seconds, a time since bettered by Comanche the next year.

Black Jack (Formerly Alfa Romeo II) has a strong Sydney to Hobart history and is the reigning Line Honours champion. It's had a strong 2022 already, taking line, record, and overall wins in the Club Marine Pittwater to Coffs Harbour race. Black Jack has a strong rivalry with Wild Oats XI as it was the first boat to break Wild Oats' race record in 2009.

Andoo Comanche is the hot favourite for line honours this year. It has already defeated Black Jack in the Sydney to Gold Coast race this year and has won the inaugural Tollgate Islands race. It beat Wild Oats for line honours in 2017, setting a race record in the process, but only after a controversial protest . 

Hamilton Island Wild Oats XI is the most famous boat in the race but has not participated since 2019 due to COVID. Veteran skipper Mark Richards will once again be at the helm and will be hoping to improve on the 3rd place finish in 2019. 

The favourites for the handicap trophy are Alive, URM Group, Moneypenny and Stefan Racing, with last year's winner, Ichi Ban, not participating.

This year there is also a number of crews made up of father-daughter or father-son teams.

The yacht race is taken seriously for good reason — people have died when the weather has turned bad.

In 1998, six sailors died, five yachts sank, more than 60 yachts retired and 55 sailors had to be rescued by helicopter.

In 2015, a squall hit the fleet off the News South Wales coast, ending the race for 29 competitors.

When does the race finish?

The lines honours winner is likely to come in around 48 hours after the start, but this is very much dependent on the weather —  especially in the 22.2-kilometre final stretch up the Derwent River.

This is when the wind can drop away and it becomes an agonisingly slow crawl , with every trick in the book pulled out to speed the progress up the glassy waterway.

In 2021, Black Jack crossed the line at 1:37am on December 29, followed by LawConnect at 4:11am and SHK Scallywag about 20 minutes after that.

In 2019, Comanche came in at a more reasonable time of 7:30am on December 28, with InfoTrack about 45 minutes later.

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