sydney to hobart yacht race videos

Sydney to Hobart yacht race — day one of the 77th edition of the bluewater classic, as it happened

Topic: Sport

Supermaxi Andoo Comanche is leading a closely bunched pack of supermaxis in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, as the fleet heads south on day one of the contest's 77th edition.

Northerly winds helped the fleet, particularly the supermaxis, amid predictions   the leaders may have supporting winds all the way to Hobart. 

Leading into the traditional Boxing Day start, the Sydney to Hobart was seen as a race in four to be first to the finish — Andoo Comanche, last year's line honours winner Black Jack, Law Connect and Hamilton Island Wild Oats.

Big crowds were on hand on Sydney Harbour for the 1pm AEDT start — but the opening exchanges saw chaos reign, amid near-misses, protests and penalties for two of the big four.

Hamilton Island Wild Oats skipper Mark Richards let loose a number of audible obscenities on the TV coverage, as he and his crew tried to navigate their way to the Sydney Heads and out into the ocean for the trip south.

There were big crowds on hand on Sydney Harbour to watch the fleet set sail in the 77th Sydney to Hobart yacht race. ( Getty Images: Jenny Evans )

Race favourite Andoo Comanche had a poor start, not getting enough clear wind to move ahead of its rivals, and then being jammed by other craft making it difficult to do the required tacking down the harbour.

Skipper and owner John Winning Jr and sailing master Iain Murray were not happy, and even less so when they made it to the first turning mark but misjudged the turn and hit the mark.

They had to do a penalty turn, losing ground on their rivals. However Andoo Comanche raised a protest flag, claiming they had been infringed by another boat.

On board Hamilton Island Wild Oats, a spirited conversation took place between skipper Mark Richards and navigator Stan Honey, with suggestions the boat may have infringed rejected by Richards.

Finally Richards relented, ordering crew to "Deploy the jib! Deploy the jib!" before completing a 720-degree turn.

At one point Black Jack cut back across two of its rivals, running a fine line between LawConnect and Hamilton Island Wild Oats.

Supermaxi LawConnect (right) has hit the front and leads the fleet down the NSW coast on day one of the Sydney to Hobart.  ( ABC News: Tim Swanston  )

After the frantic start, LawConnect took the lead from Black Jack, with a gap to the two boats that had done penalty turns.

As the leaders got out into the ocean to turn south, LawConnect held the lead for some time before Andoo Comanche picked up some solid winds further out from shore and hit the front, 90 minutes into the race.

For much of the afternoon, Andoo Comanche then maintained and extended its lead over LawConnect.

As of 9:20pm AEDT, Andoo Comanche led by 4.6 nautical miles (about 8.5 kilometres) over LawConnect, with Black Jack in third and Hamilton Island Wild Oats in fourth. There were 8.7 nautical miles covering first to fourth.

Andoo Comanche is close to its own record pace, which was set in 2017. 

The record is one day, nine hours, 15 minutes, 24 seconds.

On the race website, the estimated time of arrival for Andoo Comanche as of 9:20pm AEDT is 12:38am and 44 seconds AEDT just past midnight on Thursday morning — which would fall short of the existing mark by about two hours.

In the race for overall honours, NSW boat Celestial — which was in line to win overall last year before being demoted on protest — leads from New Zealand boat Caro, and American entry Warrior Won.

Only two of the 109 entries in the race have retired so far. The two-handed boat Avalanche retired early in the race, with a reported damaged bowsprit, while Yeah Baby retired early on Monday evening.

Look back at how the race unfolded on Monday on our blog.

Andoo Comanche's lead increases - a race record could be on the cards!

We have a battle at the top, lawconnect hits the front as andoo comanche protests, live updates, that's where we'll leave it, a by andrew mcgarry.

It's been an eventful first six hours of this year's Sydney to Hobart, with protests, near misses and a fast start that leaves Andoo Comanche in pole position for line honours and a possible race record.

But don't rule out its rival supermaxis - LawConnect,   Hamilton Island Wild Oats and Black Jack!

The wrap of the day's racing will be live shortly. Keep an eye on this article for any major updates during the evening and there will be new stories tomorrow to keep track of the leaders as they get closer to Hobart.

Thanks to everyone for joining us today on the blog -   from myself, Andrew McGarry, have a good evening.  

Change in the placings

The order of the top boats on the water has not changed for some time, but now as we get towards the evening, there is one change we can report.

Hamilton Island Wild Oats is still getting a decent wind as it sits closest to the shore of the four leaders.

The boat has moved into third spot, passing Black Jack.

Hamilton Island Wild Oats is seven nautical miles from the leader, going at 22.3 knots. Black Jack (20.4 knots) is now 8.2 nautical miles from the leader.

An example of the effect handicap has on the race for overall honours

So when we talk about overall honours, we also call it handicap honours. That is because the organisers use a "handicap" - similar to horse-racing but not based on weight carried - to make the race fair between boats of different sizes.

As said previously, as of now, Andoo Comanche is on course to break its own race record from 2017.

However, when you look at the leaderboard for overall honours, you see why it is hard for the supermaxis to win overall.

The leader, Celestial, is predicted to cross the line on Wednesday morning at about 7:33am AEDT. When the handicap of 1.390 is applied, Celestial's corrected arrival time is for 12:09:48am on the Thursday (i.e) just after midnight.

If we look at Andoo Comanche, the predicted arrival time (which changes constantly) is now 7:53:17pm AEDT tomorrow night.

Because of its size, Andoo Comanche has a handicap of 2.047 - on corrected time, it's expected finish time is 4:13:40am AEDT on December 29, more than 32 hours after it would physically finish the race.

Right now, Andoo Comanche is 14th for overall honours. We will see if the northerly winds that are due to help the supermaxis help move the boat up the list as the race goes on.

Andoo Comanche is keeping up a solid speed on the way south, with the supermaxi still going at 25.4 knots, situated 32 nautical miles south-east of Jervis Bay - that's a lead of 5.5 nautical miles over LawConnect.

The interesting statistic right now is the estimated time of arrival - according to the race website, Andoo Comanche is due to come into Hobart at 7:52pm and 55 seconds AEDT tomorrow night.

If that happens, then the John Winning Jr-owned boat would smash the race record by more than two hours!

As things stand, LawConnect is estimated to finish at 10:16:07pm AEDT - 43 seconds outside the existing record of Comanche.

A word of caution, however. There is NO guarantee that winds will stay this strong all the way, and if there are flat spots then that estimated finish time will blow out.

Plus, of course, there is no idea what the Derwent will have in store. If the winds die down in the river tomorrow evening, then it may not matter how quickly the boats get down there.  

A clip of LawConnect in the Sydney to Hobart

This article contains content that is not available.

LawConnect has had a good day so far, taking the lead for a section of the afternoon before giving up the top spot to Andoo Comanche.

The boat's team have released a clip of them in action on the harbour.

You can also follow them in action on the water with their livestream here .

Still a clear top four at the top

Back to line honours again, and the top four is clear, four hours into the race.

As the leaders approach Jervis Bay, Andoo Comanche leads by four nautical miles from LawConnect, then Black Jack trails the leader by 6.2 nautical miles, and Hamilton Island Wild Oats is fourth, 6.5 nautical miles back.

There is a gap of more than seven nautical miles from Wild Oats to the rest of the fleet, led by Stefan Racing, with Willow just behind further out from shore.

An early update on the race for overall honours

While the focus is on the four at the front, let's take a quick look at the race for the overall win.

As we said previously, the weather may well affect this more than most years. If it's true that the top four could make it to Hobart (or at least the Derwent) on just one set of northerly winds, while the smaller boats could be hit by one or two changes on the way south, then even the handicap may not be enough to even things out.

As of the latest update at 4:30pm AEDT, the American-owned Warrior Won is 21 nautical miles east of Kiama, and is going at 17.7 knots.

It's estimated finish on corrected time is 3:26:38am (AEDT).

It's nearest competitor is New Zealand boat Caro, which is at the same spot - 21 nautical miles east of Kiama - but whose estimated finish is five minutes 26 seconds behind Warrior Won.

In third is the NSW boat Gweilo, a further two minutes 45 seconds behind on estimated time.

Next is Celestial - which won overall line honours before being demoted on protest.

As they say in the (bluewater) classics, this is VERY early days, and will change a fair bit depending on events, the weather patterns and how clear a run the big four get.

Andoo Comanche is ripping along

Things are going well on board the leader Andoo Comanche.

The supermaxi is passing Nowra and has picked up speed again, to be running at 28.4 knots (52.6 kmh).

Clearly the further out you go, the better the wind - at least for them.

The winds are stronger again, with all three of Comanche's rivals going at a minimum of 22 knots (40.7 kmh).

One boat out of the race so far

We have confirmation that the two-handed boat Avalanche is the first entry out of this year's Sydney to Hobart.

It is understood that the James Murchison-owned Hick 40 boat went back to port with a damaged bow sprit.

It is the second time that the boat has been forced to retire from the race - in 2015 Avalanche was launched and contested the race, before retiring with hull damage.

Decent winds predicted for tomorrow evening

It's early days ... but having a look on Windy , the predictions are for 40 to 50km an hour northerly winds blowing the fleet due south through late tomorrow afternoon into the evening and night, which means if it's not going to be a race record, it might not be far off it.

The idea of the leaders being downwind the whole way to the Iron Pot will do their chances no harm - the big question is, what will the River Derwent have in store? Many a contender has slowed down or come to a standstill and watched their chances go out the window in the final stages.

We will have to wait and see.  

The leaders have passed Wollongong

The head of the fleet is going past Port Kembla, two and a half hours after the start.

Andoo Comanche is still getting the best of the wind, furthest out from shore. The leader is picking up speed and going at 24.5 knots, extending the lead over Law Connect to 2.1 nautical miles.

Black Jack is going at 20 knots and is 3.2 nautical miles back, while Hamilton Island Wild Oats is 4.0 nautical miles back, at 21 knots.

Will this be a race of two races?

As we settle in for the run down the coast, the question is what the weather will do and how it will affect the fleet.

So far, the winds are solid but not spectacular. The leading four boats are all travelling at between 19 and 21.5 knots (35.2 - 39.8 kmh).

The expectation is that the winds will remain northerly (i.e. pushing the boats south towards Hobart) and will increase in strength as the afternoon goes on.

The overall forecast is that the winds will stay northerly all the way to Hobart - at least for the leading bunch of boats.

The first real change will come on Wednesday, when a trough is expected to shift the winds to southerly, making it harder for boats to keep speed up.

By the time that trough comes, however, the leading chances may well have finished the race!

Just remember, the race record is one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds - so to set a new mark, boats will have to reach Hobart before 10:15pm AEDT tomorrow night.

It's getting tasty up the front

We are getting a sense of the different plans at play for the leading chances as we head towards the two-hour mark.

There is an arrayed line of four, outside to inside (out to sea to closest to shore).

Andoo Comanche leads on the wide line, with just under 600 nautical miles to go to the finish.

Inside her and a little further astern is LawConnect, which is still travelling well, 0.7 nautical miles behind.

Next is Black Jack, a little further in to shore and 1.5 nautical miles behind.

In fourth is Hamilton Island Wild Oats, but after all the swearing and penalties and lost ground earlier, Mark Richards and his crew are hitting the mark now. The boat is picking up speed on an inside line, and is going at 19.2 knots, just 2.3 nautical miles behind.

Some photographers will do ANYTHING for a Sydney to Hobart picture

There are camera crews on board various boats in the harbour for the start of the race, and they then have to make a hasty exit - unless they want to take the long route to Hobart!

But it's not just the TV folks who brave the water. Getty Images' Mark Evans got up close and personal to the water to get this amazing shot of Stefan Racing . Hopefully he's dry now...

With the leaders well and truly out in the open going down the coast, the supermaxis are able to take advantage of the winds from the north.

Andoo Comanche has found its sea-legs, so to speak, and is absolutely flying! Right now the John Winning Jr-owned entry is the furthest out to sea, going at just under 25 knots.

Comanche has caught up with LawConnect and is officially level, but   has a 3.9 knot wind advantage over its rival.

A little further back is last year's line honours winner Black Jack, travelling at 20.1 knots. Hamilton Island Wild Oats is sticking closer to shore, but isn't getting the big wind. Wild Oats is 1.6 nautical miles behind the two leaders, going at 17.9 knots.

Get ready, this could be a four-way race all the way down the coast!

Big crowds watch the start

The rest of the top 10

We've been focused on the big four, because they are the ones likely to fight it out for line honours.

But the rest of the top 10 has some interesting names there.

In fifth is the Botin 80 boats Stefan Racing, owned and skippered by Grant Wharington.

Next is the Reichel Pugh Maxi 72 URM Group, followed by Willow, whose best finish was fourth for line honours in 2016.

Then we have Moneypenny, owned and skippered by Sean Langman, and then Tasmanian boat Alive, which won the race overall in 2018. Rounding out the top 10 is Whisper, owned by Phillip Turner and skippered by Duncan Hine.  

What's the wind doing?

At the moment, the winds seem to be northerly / north-easterly, which will assist the boats in going down the coast.

The forecast says the leaders could well get all the way to Hobart with helping winds, which is why the tip is that the race record could be in danger.

The record is held by Comanche - in 2017 the race was won in one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds.

Just to show you how things can change, depending on the winds ... last year, Black Jack took line honours, crossing the line in two days, 12 hours, 37 minutes and 17 seconds.    

LawConnect still the one to catch

LawConnect is going nicely in the lead, the supermaxi has clear air in front.

Black Jack is second, and then there is a fair gap back to the other two leaders. Wild Oats is sticking closer to the coast, while Andoo Comanche is further out to sea in search of the best wind.

Another view from Sydney Harbour

Various ABC reporters have been out and about on the harbour for the start, and Nick Sas has posted this beautiful clip of the boats against a gorgeous blue sky.

2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race | CREDIT: ROLEX | Kurt Arrigo

Christian Beck after winning Line Honours in the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race | CREDIT: CYCA | Salty Dingo

Caro powering through the waves 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race | CREDIT: ROLEX | Kurt Arrigo

Sydney Hobart – Under 100 Days to Race Day

With now only 99 days remaining until the start of the 79th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, this year’s field of competitors is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent memory. A total of 75 yachts have already registered, ranging from seasoned campaigners to first-time entrants – all gearing up for the 628 nautical-mile challenge. 

Yachts will descend on Sydney Harbour from all states. At this stage:

• 40 are from New South Wales
• 11 from Victoria
• 8 from Tasmania
• 7 from Queensland
• 3 from South Australia, and
• 2 from Western Australia

As the countdown continues and entries remain open until Friday 25 October, more competitors are expected to join, eager to test themselves against the elements in one of the world’s most prestigious ocean races.

Maxis and Mini-Maxis

The race will once again see the fierce rivalry between some of the largest and fastest yachts in the world, with a strong fleet of Maxis and Mini-Maxis already confirmed. Among the headline entries are several 100-foot giants, each with their sights set on the coveted Line Honours title. These ocean racing powerhouses will be racing not just against the weather, but also against each other, as they push their boats to the limit in pursuit of the fastest time to Hobart.

Last year’s Line Honours winner,  LawConnect , is once again firmly focused on defending its title, while  Comanche  aims to reaffirm its dominance in the offshore fleet. Joining the biggest of the fleet is the luxury cruiser  Maritimo 100 , the recently-arrived Oyster 100 owned by Billy Barry-Cotter, which will be making its debut in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Alongside these giants are  URM Group ,  Moneypenny ,  No Limit ,  Whisper , and  Willow , forming a highly competitive lineup among the largest boats in this year’s race. With such a formidable field, the stage is set for an intense battle as each team vies for victory. Last year’s overall winner,  Alive , is yet to officially enter but is eagerly anticipating defending its Overall title.

International Entrants

The global appeal of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race remains strong, with many international entrants finding their way to Sydney ahead of Boxing Day. Yachts from countries including the USA, New Zealand, France and Hong Kong have already registered, adding to the event’s reputation as one of the premier ocean races on the international calendar. These crews, many of whom have extensive offshore racing experience, are preparing to take on the unique challenges of Australia’s east coast and the treacherous conditions of the Bass Strait. Among the five international entrants is  Caro , returning for its third journey south. A new contender on the scene is  Bacchanal , a new, locally-built JPK 11.80 to be based in the United States, making its Rolex Sydney Hobart debut. Another JPK 11.80,  Cocody  from France, is currently sailing towards Sydney in preparation for the race. Owner Richard Fromentin, buoyed by  Cocody ’s success in the RORC Transatlantic Race—where it finished first in IRC One and second under IRC Overall—has decided it’s time to take on the challenge of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Double Handed Entrants

The growing popularity of Double Handed sailing is again reflected in this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart fleet, with a strong contingent taking on the race with only two crew members. Double Handed entrants are set to compete not only for the Overall race prize but also to demonstrate their endurance and sailing skills in this increasingly competitive and exciting division. Currently, there are 16 Double Handed entrants, just two fewer than in the 2023 race. Among this year’s entrants is  Fika , co-skippered by the mother-daughter team, Sophie and Annette Hesselmans. For this duo, their offshore journey does not stop in Hobart as this race doubles as a qualifier for the upcoming Melbourne Osaka Cup.

The Oldest of the Fleet

The oldest competing yacht of the fleet is  Katwinchar , the Double Handed entrant Skippered by Michael Spies. Built in 1904 by the Watney Brewery in England,  Katwinchar  was designed for the now-defunct Rater Rule and enjoyed considerable success sailing around England. 

The restored  Katwinchar  made a notable appearance in the 75th Rolex Sydney Hobart race in 2019, where it won its division and led the race overall for a time. With its recent transition to Double Handed racing, the boat has been adapted to a more streamlined setup, including the removal of the mizzenmast and a switch to tiller steering. While the expectations are set high, they are focused on maximizing the boat’s performance and enjoying the challenge ahead. With 99 days to go, anticipation is steadily building for the 79th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. From the powerful maxis to the intrepid double-handed entrants, and with strong inter-state and international representation, this year’s fleet is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent history. 

THE ENTRANTS

Facebook: @RolexSydneyHobart Instagram: @officialrolexsydneyhobart

• The 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart starts in Sydney Harbour at 1300 hours AEDT on Thursday 26 December
• This is the 79th edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart. The inaugural race was conducted in 1945 and has run every year since, apart from 2020, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
• The race is 628 nautical miles
• Entries close Friday 25 October 2024

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Under 100 Days to the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

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Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

Race Updates - 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart

• 30 Dec, 2023 10:00:00 AM

Read a continuously updated race summary

2023 RSHYR UPDATE Saturday 0835hrs

At this morning, just 30 yachts from 103 starters had finished the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, with 16 yachts retired from the race. MWF Kayle , the Lyons 54 owned by the Making Waves Foundation and Will Vicars’ pretty Hoek TC78, Oroton Drumfire , were among the morning arrivals at Castray Esplanade finish line in Hobart.

The first two-handed entry, Mistral , sailed by Rupert Henry and Jack Bouttell crossed the finish line at 08:53:38 am and are currently placed an incredible sixth overall in the open fleet. Henry, Mistral ’s owner, is the defending two-handed champion from last year’s race when Greg O’Shea co-skippered the yacht. With new crew, Bouttell, Mistral is unlikely to be beaten for the top spot again. He described last night’s conditions in the race as, “Brutal. It was very cold and we had strong winds of up to 43 knots in Storm Bay – classic Storm Bay. Bass Strait was upwind. This race has thrown everything at us.”

It is gear-breaking weather and has resulted in some crews having to make repairs at sea, while news came of the retirement of Helsal 3 from the race. Rob Fisher and crew were unable to rectify damage. They will depart Port Arthur tonight with an ETA in Hobart of 0300 hours tomorrow morning. 

Among those still racing though, is Henry’s father, David Henry and his co-skipper Stephen Price. “Dad’s a legend,” Henry acknowledged at Constitution Dock this morning.  

Among those that finished last night was Geoff Hill’s Antipodes , among her crew was navigator Lindsay May, who sailed his 50 th successive Sydney Hobart.  Bruce Taylor’s Chutzpah (Vic) also finished, he and son Drew sailing their 30 th Sydney Hobart together. Taylor’s navigator, Kingsley Piesse, notched up a milestone of his own, sailing his 40 th consecutive Sydney Hobart. And once again, this well sailed crew has nabbed a divisional placing, with third in Division 2.

Bumblebee V, the 2001 winner of the race, now owned by Paul Blakeley, also finished last evening at 8:41:23 pm. 

Today and this evening will be busy, with the bulk of the fleet due to arrive. Spare a thought for those still at sea in what has been described by finishers as “one of the toughest races in years,” due to the wide and unexpected conditions from thunderstorms to lightning shows, no wind, light wind and up to 45 knots worth during the race so far

Malcolm Roe, owner of the elegant Swan 45, Amazingrace , said last evening: “We expect to be rounding Tasman Island after the westerly hits. Just enjoying a nice hot dinner before the big westerly hits…”

Credit: CYCA/Salty Dingo

2023 RSHYR UPDATE Friday 0740hrs

Just six yachts have so far finished the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, the varied and squally conditions making it difficult for the fleet to sail a simple and quick race, to the point where the next yacht due to cross the finish line is David Gotze’s No Limit (Vic), expected to cross the finish line around midday.

A text from Brad Kellett, reported from Geoff Hill’s Hong Kong entry Antipodes this morning, says it all about the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s race, the first ‘traditional’ style race in some years. “Hi from Lindsay May’s 50th race,” Kellett said of navigator’s 50th consecutive Sydney Hobart. Well, he’s getting a real Hobart. We’ve had everything except hard running conditions. “We’ve had some down time on Antipodes (a Santa Cruz 72), with breeze holes that our competitors didn’t get. We’ve got a tear in the new mainsail to repair; we blew out our J2 headsail, which would be up right now in the 12-14 knot southerly. “We’re currently approaching Wineglass Bay sailing upwind. We should be rounding Tasman Island later this afternoon and hopefully should arrive in Howdown (Hobart) in the dark. Hopefully before the (Derwent) shutdown” said Kellett, who is a Lindsay May in waiting. Sailing his 31st consecutive Hobart he is the only one likely to outnumber May in the long run. Kellett ended, “Looking forward to seeing the Lindsay May cheer squad on the dock and enjoying the festivities in Hobart.”

Robbie Fisher, skipper of Helsal 3 , agreed with Kellett summation of the race so far. “We have a minor injury to a crew, a couple of broken ribs. Our navigator was on deck, slipped, and cracked a couple of ribs. That put us down a helmsman as well. We’ve injury to the boat too. A broken halyard, torn main and other little things. We’ve lost a bit of ground, but we’re pressing on. We’re hoping to finish tomorrow,” said Fisher, who is doing Hobart number 23. The Hobart sailor said they had spent six hours in one spot off Gabo Island. “The most we saw in the last hour of that time was 0.8 of a knot. It was so painful. Then we copped a beating across the Strait. We had over 30 knots and it was pretty bad. We broke a halyard and a few bits and pieces. We have persevered though... Right now the breeze is down to 5 knots (at 8.10am). It’s been an interesting trip to say the least.”

Fisher has his family on board, the three doing their first Hobarts. Wife Kerrie, son Brandon and daughter Elizabeth. They also have the ashes of Fisher’s father, Tony, who took Sydney Hobart line honours and broke the race record in 1973 with a former Helsal, built of ferro cement and dubbed ‘The Flying Footpath’. “Dad could have said ‘You should have put more gear up. He’s the lucky one though, he’s lying down in his usual bunk, so he’s relaxed. I don’t think the family will come again (the race). They’ve had enough, but they’ve all done their watches, so I can’t complain. Doing this race with me, experiencing it for themselves, they all think I’m crazy, doing the race so many times.” Fisher continued, “The first night we saw the best lightning show. I’ve never seen anything like it. We were doing 13-14 knots in calm seas and it went on for three quarters of an hour. It was the most eerie experience. During the race we’ve had had everything except hard running conditions. I wanted to put the kite up just show the family what it looked like, but I thought better of it!” Fisher, whose Helsal 3 from Hobart is expected to finish late tomorrow evening, ended, “We saw LawConnect took line honours and everyone on board was cheering for them.”

More retirements during the night, as Salt Lines , She and Gunshot each retired with mainsail damage and going into Eden.

In a happy miscommunication, the New Zealand two-handed crew of husband and wife, Michael and Tracey Carter ( Allegresse ), have not retired from the race. Following a rest period, they resumed racing this morning.

The conditions have been particularly punishing on the two-handed crews. In all, 81 boats are yet to finish the race.

Credit: Antipodes Racing

2023 RSHYR UPDATE Thursday 1900hrs

They said it couldn’t be done and that just drove Grant Wharington to prove the doubters wrong when he built the new 100 foot Wild Thing 100 in five months and made both the start and finish lines of the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Wharington and crew, including son, Oli, on his third Sydney Hobart and 21-year-old daughter Georgia, doing her first, were as thrilled as everyone else when he moored at the King Street Pier late today after crossing the finish line at 06:09:06pm. Wild Thing 100 finished just short of an hour behind Sean Langman’s Moneypenny which had been in a battle royale with URM Group and Alive for the overall win. The pair were fifth and sixth boats to finish the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s race.

Wharington said, “We wouldn’t have gone to the start line if we thought we would not have made the finish line. That would be foolhardy.” Wharington could not heap enough praise on his build team of Theo and Paddy and his main build team of Theo (Somssich) and Paddy (Lambourne). “They worked hard to get the boat done, even working on Christmas Day. I couldn’t have done it without them. We have fantastic people who are dedicated. This morning I saw a few friends had retired; Witty with Scallywag, Spiesy on Maritimo , so I was grateful we finished. Grateful. We knew we couldn’t win, but we are here with our heads held high. We are still starting at the bottom and I know we will get better from here.”

Wharington said having his kids involved in the race “has given me a new enthusiasm for the sport. I like designing and building, so to do this also with the new boat also gave me enthusiasm.”

Earlier, Sean Langman’s chances of winning the race evaporated when he decided to take a ‘short cut’, the most direct route to the finish. Moneypenny , a Reichel/Pugh 69, is currently placed third overall, a great result, but not what Langman was looking for.

The next boats due to finish are David Gotze’s No Limit and the first of the TP52s, Sebastien Bohm’s Smuggler , the Max Klink skippered Caro and Sam Haynes’ 2022 winner, Celestial . The four boats are not due till tomorrow from 9.30am.

In other news, more retirements today. Bacardi , Allegresse and Cyan Moon . Bacardi , which contested its 30th Sydney Hobart, the most by any boat, suffered damage, the New Zealand crew of two-handed entry Allegresse pulled out with fatigue, while Cyan Moon had rig damage.

Credit: ROLEX/Andrea Francolini

2023 RSHYR UPDATE Thursday 1530hrs

The Line Honours podium n the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is now complete, with the RP72 URM Group becoming the third boat in this year’s fleet to cross the finish line this afternoon. URM Group finished the 628 nautical mile race organised by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) in a time of 2 days 02 hours 07 minutes 19 seconds.

Owned by Anthony Johnston, URM Group ’s third place behind line honours winner LawConnect and second placed Andoo Comanche signed off a brilliant race by the team. URM Group spent much of the race in a tight tussle with two other mini maxis, Philip Turner’s RP66 Alive (Tas) and Sean Langman’s RP69 Moneypenny (NSW). However, today URM Group managed to jump away and beat them both to the finish line ending its campaign with a superb sail up the Derwent River into Hobart.

A longer news story will be upload onto the News section of the RSHYR website later today. 

2023 RSHYR UPDATE Thursday 1100hrs

In what has been an epic race from start to finish, Christian Beck’s LawConnect has lost her bridesmaid tag of the last three years to claim line honours in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race this morning, crossing the Castray Esplanade finish line in Hobart at 08.03.58am this morning in the time of 1 day 19 hours 03 minutes 58 seconds

The John Winning Jnr skippered Andoo Comanche held the upper hand for most of the 628 nautical mile race, but LawConnect was always there and overtook her at one point. Early this morning there was little between the two and once again the Derwent sealed both boats fates, as a light, light breeze, teased and cajoled concentrating crews in an absolute thriller to the finish line. Christian Beck’s yacht finished well outside the race record of 1 day 9hrs 15min 24 sec, ironically set by the boat they beat today, which sailed as LDV Comanche to line honours victory in 2017 by her then owners, Jim Cooney and Samantha Grant. It did not matter though.

Only 51 seconds separated LawConnect and Andoo Comanche at the end, in the second closest finish in the history of the race. The closest was in 1982 when Condor beat Apollo over the line by seven seconds.

All 21 crew are celebrating their victory on board the yacht this morning at Kings Pier in Hobart.

An updated News story with interviews can be found here   on the RSHYR website.

Credit: ROLEX/Kurt Arrigo

2023 RSHYR UPDATE - Thursday 0400hrs

Whilst the attention today is understandably on the Maxi & Mini Maxi finishers, there are plenty of other battles going on elsewhere in the fleet which promise to continue over the next few days. Most divisions are wide open & we'll be focusing on these in upcoming Live Updates.

Current Divisional Standings:

IRC DIVISION 0 Moneypenny (Sean Langman) NSW. Reichel Pugh 69 Alive (Philip Turner) TAS. Reichel Pugh 66 URM Group (Anthony Johnston) NSW. Reichel Pugh 72

IRC DIVISION 1 Smuggler (Sebastian Bohm) NSW. TP52 Celestial (Sam Haynes) NSW. TP52 Caro (Max Klink) New Zealand. Botin 52

IRC DIVISION 2 Rush (John Paterson) VIC. Farr 45 Mayfair (James Irvine) QLD. Rogers 46 Amazingrace (Malcolm Roe) NSW. Swan 45

IRC DIVISION 3 Clockwork (Andrew Lloyd & Mary Ann Harvey) SA. Sydney 38 Patriot (Jason Close) VIC. J133 XS Moment BNMH (Ray Hudson) NSW. XP44

IRC DIVISION 4 Toecutter (Robert Hick & Brad Bult) VIC. Hick 10 Rockall 8 (Christopher Opielok) Germany. JPK 10.80 Supernova (Alex Seja & Felicity Nelson) NSW. Sydney 36

IRC DIVISION 5 Azzurro (Jack Kliner) QLD. S&S 34 Kraken III (TH) (Rob Gough & John Saul) TAS. Jeanneau Sunfast 3300 Disko Trooper_ Contender Sailcloth (Jules Hall) NSW. J/99

PHS Insomnia (Marcus Grimes) NSW. JV42 Salt Lines (Matthew Harvey) NSW. Shipwright 70 She's the Culprit (The Culprit Syndicate) NSW. Inglis Jones 39

CORINTHIAN IRC Kraken III (TH) (Rob Gough & John Saul) TAS. Jeanneau Sunfast 3300 Toecutter (Robert Hick & Brad Bult) VIC. Hick 10 Verite (TH) (Paul Beath) NSW. J/99

CORINTHIAN PHS Navy One (RAN) NSW. Beneteau First 40 Ragtime (Steve Watson) NSW. J/130 XS Moment BNMH (Ray Hudson) NSW. XP44

TWO-HANDED IRC Kraken III (TH) (Rob Gough & John Saul) TAS. Jeanneau Sunfast 3300 Verite (TH) (Paul Beath) NSW. J/99 Cinnamon Girl (Cian McCarthy) Ireland. Jeanneau Sunfast 3300

TWO-HANDED PHS Sylph VI (Robert Williams) NSW. Alan Payne Sloop Imalizard (Bruce Watson) NSW. Wellbourn 12

2023 RSHYR UPDATE Thursday 0300hrs

Today is shaping up to be an absolute cracker. With under 60nm now to the finish, the two maxis Andoo Comanche and LawConnect  only have 300 metres separating them in terms of distance to go and are in sight of each other.

Almost 75 miles behind, the three mini maxis, URM Group , Alive and Moneypenny have less than 2nm separating them, and the three are currently atop Overall standings. We'll bring you live coverage of both finishes later this morning & this afternoon.

2023 RSHYR UPDATE - Wednesday 1700hrs

The race for line honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is poised to provide two thrilling finales in one as the leading boats continue their charge towards Tasmania.

Up front in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s race for first place over the line, Andoo Comanche was still leading LawConnect at 1620hrs, but only 5 nautical miles separated the two maxis.

The lead pair were 101 and 107 nautical miles east of Helen’s Point respectively.

In the race for third place only 7.6nm separated URM Group , Moneypenny and Alive .

Anthony Johnston’s URM Group , an RP72, was third on line, followed by Sean Langman’s RP69 Moneypenny which had steadily moved up all day from fifth, followed by Phillip Turner’s RP66 Alive (Tas) which was in third position earlier. They were south of Gabo Island.

Meanwhile, Kathy Veel, owner and co-skipper with Bridget Canham of the Currawong 30, Currawong , which retired earlier this morning, is expected to arrive back at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, at around 7pm this evening.

Currawong , a two-handed entry, was the sixth of 11 boats that have retired from the race to-date.

There are now 92 boats still racing, including 14 two-handed entries. Veel said they had retired due to “various issues with the boat that could not be resolved.” She added that she and Canham were OK.

“We're doing fine,” Veel said from aboard the yacht off Bondi Beach.

“Last night was quite difficult and there was a lot more of that ahead of us in a long race.”

Told that Currawong supporters were disappointed for their retirement after their popular finish as the last to reach Hobart last year, Veel said: “We are too … but we made the right call.”

2023 RSHYR UPDATE - Wednesday 1500hrs

The fight for third place on Line Honours in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is unravelling into a thriller, with URM Group looking ahead and behind at their rivals. While buoyed after taking third place on line honours from the RP66 Alive (Tas) shortly before midday, the URM Group , an RP72, is also wary about the danger of Moneypenny . URM Group and Alive had been in a close fight for third place all morning, but looming behind them and closer to shore in fifth place was Moneypenny , a RP69.

At 1430hrs, URM Group , Alive and Moneypenny were 124, 127 and 111 nautical miles south east of Gabo Island respectively. Eleven nautical miles separated the three boats.

Meanwhile, Andoo Comanche and LawConnect were continuing their close tussle in first and second place, positioned 115 and 130 nautical miles east of Eddystone Point.

URM Group navigator, Alice Parker, was in high spirits, despite her own struggle with some sea sickness in the tough conditions that have seen rain, thunder and lightning. “I had a good few moments with a bucket between my legs, but otherwise, everyone is in good spirits,” she said. “We're all a bit wet, sliding around a bit, but the boat's in really good shape.” As she spoke, URM Group , owned by Anthony Johnston and skippered by Marcus Ashley-Jones, was 105nm behind Andoo Comanche , sailing at 15 knots with the wind from the east.

While happy with their race against Alive , owned by Phillip Turner and skippered by Duncan Hine, Parker said Moneypenny , owned by Sean Langman was also a danger. “Over the last couple of hours, we've been sailing quite well … we’re now matching them [ Alive ], or slightly in front, with Moneypenny at our stern. “We’re a bit nervous about some of the 52s on the ‘beach,’ [referring to sailing close to the coast] or closer to the south-east corner of Victoria. They've been ripping along in what looks like a pretty good ‘sou-easterly. But things are looking good for us now. The big boats are doing really well. LawConnect and Comanche have just had the perfect conditions really with strong reaching conditions. I think we'll just miss out on getting that all the way to the finish. I suspect we'll end up in a bit of a front that is meant to come through the early hours of tomorrow.”

Parker said that based on the current indicators, URM Group could possibly reach the finish in Hobart “sometime around lunchtime, or just after that,” tomorrow.

In other news, two more boats have retired. Tumbleweed , the two-handed entry of Graham Biehl and Nigel Nattrass, who cite seasickness and fatigue, while David Watson’s Luna Blue has damaged equipment. Both boats are likely to head back to Sydney.

2023 RSHYR UPDATE - Wednesday 1300hrs

LawConnect threw down the gauntlet in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race by taking the race lead from defending Line Honours champion, Andoo Comanche this morning.  The fight for Line Honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is turning into a veritable arm wrestle with the two front runners swapping the lead twice this morning. At 12.45pm, Andoo Comanche was back in front and 2.6 nautical miles ahead of LawConnect that had only taken the lead from Andoo Comanche a few hours earlier. AndooComanche and LawConnect were respectively 134 and 144 nautical miles east of Flinders Island in the 628 nautical mile Cruising Yacht Club of Australia race. Both were sailing in Bass Strait, east of the rhumb line - Andoo Comanche at 28.7 knots and LawConnect at 26.8 knots. The tussle between the two maxis has been a thrilling one in conditions that have pitted them and the remaining fleet of 95 against rain, thunderstorms, lightning and squalls.

Behind Andoo Comanche and LawConnect , the race for third place had also seen a change in positions. Moving into third, from fourth place, was URM Group ,the RP72 owned by Anthony Johnston and skippered by Marcus Ashley-Jones. Whereas, Alive (Tas), the RP66 owned by Phillip Turner and skippered by Duncan Hine had fallen from third to fourth. They were 91.3nm and 94nm respectively behind Andoo Comanche at the time of this update.

Credit: CYCA/Ashley Dart Photo

2023 RSHYR UPDATE - Wednesday 1100hrs

LawConnect threw down the gauntlet in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race by taking the race lead from defending Line Honours champion, Andoo Comanche this morning.  After stalking the John Winning Jnr skippered Andoo Comanche all night and early this morning, the Christian Beck owned LawConnect passed their rivals at about 10am today. At 10.20 am, the margin was still tight between two race leaders in the 628 nautical mile Cruising Yacht Club of Australia event. Less than one nautical mile separated them.  LawConnect and Andoo Comanche were respectively 137 and 135 nautical miles south-east of Gabo Island and sailing east of the rhumb line. 

Still in third was Alive (Tas), the RP66 owned by Phillip Turner and skippered by Duncan Hine, while in fourth was URM Group , the RP72 owned by Anthony Johnston and skippered by Marcus Ashley-Jones. They were 68nm and 69nm respectively behind LawConnect. 

Meanwhile, the fleet also dropped to 95 boats, including 15 two-handed entries following the withdrawal of Mumm 36 Georgia Express (NSW) with rigging issues. 

2023 RSHYR UPDATE - Wednesday 0900hrs

LawConnect continues to stalk Andoo Comanche in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, but squalls of 30 knots-plus are hampering the crew’s ability to keep their rivals in sight. At 9am, the margin was still tight between the two race leaders of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia event with nine nautical miles separating them. But LawConnect boat captain Ty Oxley said after a close battle with Andoo Comanche overnight, the tough conditions this morning had limited their ability to see the race leaders. "We are pretty close after we were neck and neck overnight,” said Oxley at 8.20am on Wednesday. “They would take a couple of miles on us, and then we would take them back.”

Asked if the LawConnect crew could see Andoo Comanche ahead of them, Oxley replied: ”No … because it’s raining and there are squalls everywhere, clouds on the horizon … “It’s hard to see the bow of the boat at times. We can’t actually see them.” Asked about the sea state as they headed into Bass Strait, Oxley said: “The sea state is not too bad. On Bass Strait it’s only a couple of metres. “The squalls are pretty full on. The last one that came through would have been 40-plus knots. But they have generally been 30-plus.” “But we’re doing ok. We have put a couple of reefs in … chugging along.”

At 9am, the John Winning Jr skippered Andoo Comanche and Christian Beck’s LawConnect were respectively 125 and 129 nautical miles south-east of Gabo Island.

Still in third place was Alive (Tas), the RP66 owned by Phillip Turner and skippered by Duncan Hine and URM Group , the RP72 owned by Anthony Johnston and skippered by Marcus Ashley-Jones. The two yachts were 69nm and 72nm respectively behind LawConnect .

Meanwhile, the race fleet now numbers 96, including 15 two-handed entries, following the withdrawal of two more boats this morning. They were the two-handed entries, the Currawong 30, Currawong (NSW) due to various issues, and the Young 11 Pacman (Qld) with runner chainplate problems. The crews on both boats are okay.

2023 RSHYR UPDATE - Wednesday 0700hrs

The margin between Andoo Comanche and LawConnect remains tight with seven nautical miles now separating the two maxis that lead the Rolex Sydney Hobart fleet.

Meanwhile, in the fleet that now numbers 98 after two more overnight withdrawals ( Maritimo 52 and Sticky ), the first night was hectic for the Geoff Hill owned Santa Cruz 72, Antipodes . At 7am, Antipodes crewmember Geoff Cropley reported: “We had lightning and thunder for hours. Then there was a major shift which auto gybed the boat. “The spinnaker got wrapped in the drop along with spinnaker staysail. All the team were up and trying to untwist and get that down. It took us about 40 minutes. We were heading NE, sailing backwards, for a period of time. “We’re now hunkered down with a reef in. There’s little bit of blue sky. It’s quite nice out here. We’ve got about 100nm to go to Green Cape.” Cropley added that crewmate Lindsay May is also “enjoying his 50th Sydney Hobart so far.”

At the front of the fleet at 7.45am, the John Winning Jr skippered Andoo Comanche and Christian Beck’s LawConnect were respectively 117 and 120 nautical miles south-east of Gabo Island.

Still in third place was the 2018 winner, Alive (Tas), the RP66 owned by Phillip Turner and skippered by Duncan Hine and race favourite, URM Group , the RP72 owned by Anthony Johnston and skippered by Marcus Ashley-Jones. The two yachts were 42nm and 57nm respectively behind LawConnect .

Current standings:

MRV, Smuggler, Chutzpah, Highly Sprung, Mayfair

Helsal 3, Insomnia, MWF Kayle, Oroton Drumfire

Two-handed IRC

Mistral, Kraken III, Cinnamon Girl - Eden Capital

Corinthian IRC

Mayfair, Pretty Woman, Calibre 12

Corinthian PHS

Pretty Woman, Calibre 12, Ragtime

2023 RSHYR UPDATE - Wednesday 0500hrs

After 16 hours of racing, Andoo Comanche is going toe-to-toe with LawConnect around 90nm SE of Green Cape. She is doing 17.2kts, having averaged 12kts for the journey and has only a half mile lead over her rival.

URM Group  and  Alive have overtaken the other maxi Wild Thing 100  and are alongside each other 7 miles back in another tight battle.

Caro currently sits in 7th place on standings, with the two TP52s Smuggler  and  Highly Sprung on her tail. No Limit , Whisper , Celestial , Teasing Machine  and Denali lead the rest.

The fleet is strung back to Wollongong where Currawong , Sylph VI and Silver Fern are presently doing 7.5 knots.

There have been two more retirements overnight. All are well.  Richard Harris' Cookson 50 Sticky (RPAYC) suffered a lightning strike and electrical damage.

Bill Barry Cotter's TP52 Maritimo 52 (Southport Yacht Club) has had rigging damage to a forestay fitting.

Alive, Highly Sprung, URM Group, Smuggler, Chutzpah

Helsal 3, Insomnia, Mako, MWF Kayle, Gunshot

Mayfair, Denali, Pretty Woman

Pretty Woman, Calibre 12, Supernova

2023 RSHYR UPDATE - Wednesday 0000hrs

After a clean start at 1300hrs following a passing shower, the fleet of 103 boats made their way out the Harbour from their four respective start lines in a 9kt SE breeze with messy 1.4m E swell.

LawConnect started strongly but had issue with a furling line during a sail change after the first mark and was soon overtaken by SHK Scallywag  and Andoo Comanche who were the the first two out the Heads. John 'Herman' Winning Jr was quick to protest David Witt when he tacked close in front of him forcing him to alter course, but the Hong-Kong based entry expunged the possible infraction by doing a 720-degree turn before Bondi.

Breeze continued to build through the afternoon and swing into the east and by 1630hrs, Andoo Comanche was doing 26kts in a comfortable seaway and had just overtaken SHK Scallywag .

SHK Scallywag was later forced to retire from the race when she blew up her bowsprit, leaving Andoo Comanche  and  Law Connect to battle it out doing 20 kts in 18kts of breeze.

Arcadia (torn mainsail) and Rum Rebellion were the other afternoon retirements - both now safe in port.

At midnight, the lead boats were 60 miles east of Green Cape jumping off into the open expanse of 'Bass Strait'. Andoo Comanche has a 5.5nm lead and is not far off her record pace set back in 2017.

They have put a gap on the shorter rigged Wild Thing 100 a further 35nm astern, with the pack of mini maxis around 10 miles back - URM Group , Alive , Moneypenny , Whisper  and No Limit - the Botin 52 Rolex Fastnet winner Caro splitting them. Celestial leads the rest in close proximity.

Smuggler, LawConnect, Caro, Sticky, Highly Sprung

Helsal 3, Insomnia, Enigma, Gunshot, MWF Kayle

TWO-HANDED IRC

Mistral, Cinnamon Girl - Eden Capital, Kraken III

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

2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race - A Race for the Ages

VIDEO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race - Rolex Daily Video Summary

VIDEO | Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2023

VIDEO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Official Prizegiving

VIDEO | Race Update - 31 December Morning

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 10

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 9

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 8

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 7

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 6

Official rolex sydney hobart merchandise.

Shop the official clothing range of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in person at the Club in New South Head Road, Darling Point or online below.  

From casual to technical clothing, there is something for all occasions. Be quick as stock is limited!