sydney to hobart yacht race comanche

LawConnect steals all-time Syd-Hob victory in nailbiting finish after near miss — LIVE

LawConnect has claimed line honours in the 78th Sydney to Hobart with a stunning comeback, hunting down Andoo Comanche on the River Derwent to steal victory in one of the closest-ever finishes.

LawConnect – the perennial bridesmaid in recent editions – sealed a maiden victory for skipper Christian Beck by just 51 seconds, coming home in 1 day, 19 hours, 3 minutes and 58 seconds.

“I can’t believe that result. Honestly, it’s a dream come true,” skipper Christian Beck said.

“I never thought it was possible, actually.”

‘Honestly a s***box’: Skipper’s epic reaction to Sydney-Hobart win he ‘never thought possible’

11 yachts have retired so far in a thrilling edition of the great race, including one of the favourites in SHK Scallywag with a broken bow sprit on the first day.

The two super maxis had traded the lead in a back-and-forth battle throughout the trip down to Tasmania.

But it was Andoo Comanche who led from around midday Wednesday all the way around the Tasman Peninsula – only for the reigning champions’ lead to evaporate amid the notorious light winds on the home stretch up the River Derwent.

LawConnect stalked down the leaders and took the lead at around 7.55am before briefly losing it again minutes later, with the two yachts separated by just metres as they desperately sought out any pocket of wind in the crawl to the finish line.

“The lead changed several times, they took the lead pretty close to the line. We thought there’s no way we could get it back. The wind gust came around... it was a complete surprise to be honest.”

“There was guys that couldn’t watch it, it was really nerve-wracking.”

“We thought we’d definitely lost it 15 minutes before, they were three miles ahead of us.”

In the end, LawConnect clinched victory by 51 seconds – the second-closest finish in race history behind 1982, when Condor of Bermuda beat Apollo by a mere seven seconds.

LawConnect’s owner Christian Beck had finished as runner-up for the past three years, but brilliantly navigated the final stage of the 628 nautical mile race to pip reigning champion and favourite Andoo Comanche.

“We should have been miles ahead of them with our boat,” Andoo Comanche skipper John Winning Jr said.

“The conditions suited us, I think they just outsailed us.”

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Andoo Comanche had also won in 2019 (as Comanche), 2017 (as LDV Comanche) and 2015 (as Comanche).

But this was a first-ever win for LawConnect under skipper Beck, and came against the odds after a main sail was destroyed on the first night of the race.

The same boat had won as Perpetual Loyal under skipper Anthony Bell in 2016, the year before Beck took over.

Beck had told Channel 7 an hour before the finish that they were confident of overturning the big deficit entering the Derwent River, saying: “The Derwent is notorious for having these dead spots you get stuck in.”

He added: “You can watch where they go, and if they go slow, we go somewhere else.”

But there was late drama when a spectator craft came close to Andoo Comanche in the final seconds of the race.

The catamaran moved narrowly past the front of Andoo Comanche as it prepared for its final jibe, with Andoo Comanche sailors heard yelling and gesturing at the catamaran to get out of the way.

No protest has been lodged, and vision appears to show Andoo Comanche was marginally behind her rival at the time.

LawConnect’s sailing master Tony Mutter said: “It’s pretty fair that everyone had troubles with the spectator boats. That’s part of it when it’s so busy.”

Meanwhile, URM Group, Alive, and Moneypenny are battling for third place.

Many of the smaller boats are not likely to finish for another day or two, though conditions on the Bass Strait have calmed down.

Follow live updates below and check out the live tracker here .

6AM THURSDAY — OVERNIGHT UPDATE

There haven’t been any reports of more retirements from the second night of the race with a thrilling finish still looming between Andoo Comanche and LawConnect.

The number of retirements from this year’s race sits at 11 following carnage across the first day-and-a-half.

Andoo Comanche narrowly led over LawConnect as the two yachts went past Port Arthur.

Meanwhile, LawConnect’s Tony Mutter described the drama on the first night when his yacht lost a main sail in the wild weather.

“The first day went okay through the daylight hours, and when night-time came all hell broke loose because there was plenty on,” he said.

10:20PM WEDNESDAY – BIG FINISH LOOMS … AND CHAOS BEHIND

Either Andoo Comanche or LawConnect will claim line honours in the Sydney to Hobart on Thursday morning, and they’ve avoided the worst of the weather which is about to hit the rest of the race.

As of 10:20pm AEDT on Wednesday night Andoo Comanche was 108.7 nautical miles from glory, holding a steady lead of 6-7nm to LawConnect, with URM Group third but a whopping 91.4nm from the leader.

The problems are with the rest of the fleet, with only a handful of boats having actually cleared Bass Strait so far.

“There could easily be 30 retirements by tomorrow night,’’ meteorologist Roger Badham told News Corp late on Wednesday .

“There’s far worse to come for them. It’s not a nice place to be, Bass Strait tomorrow (Thursday). It just gets increasingly bad all day.’’

4PM WEDNESDAY – MORE CASUALTIES AND A TIGHT RACE AT THE FRONT

It’s a race in two with Andoo Comanche 195.1 nautical miles from the finish line, just 7.1nm ahead of LawConnect, as the race ticks over 27 hours.

The pair are nowhere near the race record and the winner is likely to reach Hobart on Thursday morning at this rate but it’s anyone’s guess who will be there first.

Wild weather continues to cause havoc with Tumbleweed (sickness and fatigue), Millennium Falcon (sickness) and Luna Blue (damaged equipment) joining the list of casualties.

12PM WEDNESDAY – MAN OVERBOARD AS RETIREMENTS MOUNT

Currawong has been forced to retire from the race — becoming its sixth casualty — while one of the retirees has opened up about a scary ‘man overboard’ incident.

The Daily Telegraph reports that it’s still unknown why Currawong, the smallest yacht in the fleet, was on the way back to Sydney on Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Shane Connelly from Rum Rebellion, which was one of the first retirements, spoke about the “burst of wind” that ruined their race on Boxing Day.

Connelly was briefly unclipped and was thrown from the boat, which was knocked on its side by the burst.

He was reportedly sent about two metres from the boat but was able to swim back before retiring.

“We are both well and the main thing is our systems and drills all worked well,’’ he said.

6.15AM WEDNESDAY – OVERNIGHT RETIREMENTS

Two yachts retired on the first night of the Sydney to Hobart with Sticky and Maritimo 52 pulling out.

It was a night led by Andoo Comanche and LawConnect with the frontrunners making it through fast overnight conditions unscathed.

Andoo Comanche was slightly ahead of LawConnect as they approached the Bass Strait.

Meanwhile, Sticky was forced to pull out with electrical damage, while Maritimo 52 had damage to rigging.

They join Scallywag, Rum Rebellion and Arcadia as the race’s retirements.

8:30PM TUESDAY – EARLY LEADER OUT IN DISASTER

Scallywag is out of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race after the bow sprit broke while the early leader was in a three-way fight for glory with Andoo Comanche and LawConnect.

News Corp reported skipper David Witt had declared their race over in what was to be their final chance at line honours.

The yacht was involved in the early drama when it performed two 360 penalty turns after an altercation with Andoo Comanche.

Arcadia (torn mainsail) and Rum Rebellion are also out of the race.

At the time of the incident Scallywag was within a couple of nautical miles of the leaders.

At 8:30pm AEDT it was Andoo Comanche travelling at 27.3 knots sitting 498.7nm away from the finish, seven nautical miles ahead of LawConnect – and just five behind LDV Comanche’s 2017 race record.

5:30PM TUESDAY – WEATHER FEARS AS LEADERS PULL AWAY

There are hopes intense weather will be avoided as leader Andoo Comanche, LawConnect and Scallywag made it a race in three at the front.

With the top boats hitting over 25 knots winds have clearly picked up.

The Bureau of Meteorology, whose representatives briefed the competitors ahead of the race, said there was a high degree of uncertainty for the forecasts over coming days.

“A trough and low pressure system over eastern Australia is slowly moving to the southeast and will reach the Tasman Sea later today or tomorrow,” a bureau spokesperson said.

“Uncertainty remains about its exact placement. Weather, wind and wave forecasts will depend on the location of this system.”

At the start of the race, competitors were set for light easterly winds, the bureau said, with the chance of a shower or thunderstorm.

“Thunderstorm potential increases during the afternoon along the NSW coast and over Sydney – with very erratic winds, hail, lightning and heavy rain reducing visibility possible,” the bureau said.

“Strong wind warnings are likely during the race, and there is a slight risk of local gale-force winds over the Bass Strait on Tuesday night.”

2PM TUESDAY – DRAMATIC START INCLUDING PROTEST

LawConnect, the Big Boat Challenge winners, took the early honours to lead early from Teasing Machine, Andoo Comanche and Wild Thing after a heavy downpour in Sydney Harbour cleared for the 1pm starter’s cannon.

LawConnect then had trouble putting up its big sail forcing it to jibe away from the lead handing the ascendancy to Andoo Comanche, who is defending line honours.

The lead swapped again shortly after but not before an explosive moment between Scallywag and Andoo Comanche.

Dramatic vision showed the two boats coming within a few feet of each other with the latter claiming their rival tacked too late, prompting Andoo Comanche to throw a protest flag.

ABC reported ‘colourful language’ was exchanged between the two boats.

Andoo Comanche Sailing Master Iain Murray was not impressed with the incident when asked about it on Seven’s coverage.

“It’s a classic port-and-starboard (incident). That’s too close (from Scallywag),” he said.

“You can’t do that with 100-footers. We’ll see.”

The controversy allowed Scallywag to sail clear into first place and be first out of the Heads, ahead of Andoo Comanche in second and LawConnect in third.

Earlier the Bureau of Meteorology predicted that potentially dangerous weather could mar this year’s Sydney to Hobart race, which gets underway on Boxing Day.

Rain, strong winds, low visibility and even hail is expected to hit parts of the course, including the Bass Strait crossing, due to a rain-bearing low pressure system impacting the southeast.

Competitors have been advised to prepare for changing conditions throughout the event, with plenty of upwind sailing and winds coming from different directions.

The fleet left the dock at the CYCA well ahead of the 1pm race start with sailors nervous for what lay ahead.

“You’d think after so many races you wouldn’t be nervous but you are,’’ Alive navigator Adrienne Cahalan said.,

“This forecast is a tough one. It will be like a chess game.’’

During Sunday’s briefing, a race official warned participants that they “strongly recommended to take your sea sick tablets in your grab bag’’.

HK Scallywag skipper David Witt declared: “Pack another set of thermal gear. It’ll be cold.”

The 78th edition of the 1163km race, one of Australia’s most famous sporting events, began the day with a fleet of 103.

The course record was set by LDV Comanche in 2017, completing the race in 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds. Last year’s winners Comanche, who is tipped as one of the favourite this year’s race finished in one day, 11 hours, 56 minutes and 48 seconds, the second-fastest time for any Sydney to Hobart victors.

Australians can watch the race on 7mate with coverage starting at 12.30pm AEDT, while ABC TV is providing in-race news footage.

WHEN DOES IT START?

At 1pm AEDT on Boxing Day (December 26). 12pm in Brisbane, 12:30pm in Adelaide, 11:30am in Darwin and 10am in Perth.

Previous winners

2022 Andoo Comanche (NSW)

2021 Black Jack (Monaco)

2019 Comanche (NSW)

2018 Wild Oats (NSW)

2017 LDV Comanche (NSW)

2016 Perpetual LOYAL (NSW)

2015 Comanche (NSW)

2014 Wild Oats XI (NSW)

2013 Wild Oats XI (NSW)

2012 Wild Oats XI (NSW)

Sydney to Hobart race: Andoo Comanche’s John Winning Jr prepares for yacht race by skydiving

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Andoo Comanche competes during the SOLAS Big Boat Challenge race in the harbour in Sydney on December 5. Photo / Getty Images

Even for an adrenaline junkie like Andoo Comanche skipper John Winning Jr, a skydiving binge is unusual preparation for the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

Winning’s Comanche is the reigning line honours champion and favourite for this year’s Sydney-Hobart, a 100ft behemoth that ranks among the most powerful monohull yachts in the world.

Come Boxing Day, three other supermaxis, LawConnect, Wild Thing 100 and SHK Scallywag, will fight to stop her from becoming the first boat since 2014 to clinch back-to-back Hobart line honours wins.

As the hunted, you’d think Winning would’ve spent the lead-up studying weather charts and getting some rest.

Instead, he found himself in the United Arab Emirates jumping out of a plane enough times to give himself back pain.

He can thank the crew behind an upcoming feature documentary that follows Comanche’s 2022 Sydney to Hobart triumph.

The as-yet-untitled Comanche film takes a behind-the-scenes look at the people behind the four-time Hobart line honours-winning yacht.

“There’s only so many people who are interested in watching a sailing movie. But there’s lots of people that are interested in watching a human-centric movie,” Winning told AAP.

“There’s definitely some personalities on the boat, I can say that first-hand.”

Winning is a keen skydiver, with 500 jumps worth of experience, but rarely films his exploits.

With the movie in its final stages of production, the director was eager to capture some shots of the skipper in his element.

So Winning found himself bound for Dubai to meet with members of the extreme sports team sponsored by Andoo, one of the companies he owns.

“They were able to organise for me to do a lot of jumps in a day. If I do it in Australia, I’m getting about four or five jumps in a day, over there I can get about 10 or 11,” he said.

When the skydiving drop zone in Dubai closed for two days, Winning, who had already jumped 20 times in two days, made his way to an Abu Dhabi military base to keep going.

“I got almost 30 jumps in over four days,” Winning said.

“My back feels every one of those jumps. It’s a lot of up-and-down, up-and-down and hunched over with a pack. It’s like a small brick on your back and then pulling it bends my back.”

Winning has had to juggle massages, stretching and physiotherapist appointments with his tactical race preparations, which have included scoping out the competition.

SHK Scallywag returned to the water in October after extensive modifications, while Wild Thing owner Grant Wharington only recently finished upgrading his own boat from an 80-footer.

For Winning, one challenger is a clearer threat to Comanche’s title defence than the others.

“It’s LawConnect for us. They’re just a very solid team,” Winning said.

“I think Scallywag’s a bit of an unknown.

“We’re not too worried about Wild Thing, unless three of us are off-shore and Wild Thing’s the only one in-shore or three of us are in-shore and Wild Thing’s the only one off-shore, then they might be a threat.

“We don’t want lotteries, we know this boat’s fast.

“But we can’t control it if we’re in 15 knots different breeze or sailing upwind when others are sailing downwind.

“We want to control what we can control and that’s staying near the other boats where we can and when we can’t, it’s making calculated risks.”

What time does the Sydney to Hobart start?

The race kicks off on Sydney Harbour at 3pm (NZT). 113 boats have entered for the 78th running of the event including four 100-foot maxis and several past winners.

How long is the Sydney to Hobart?

The race is 628 nautical miles long and usually takes the winner around 48 hours or just under. The race record of 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, and 24 seconds was set by LDV Comanche for Jim Cooney and Samantha Grant in 2017.

What is the prize for winning the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race?

The Tattersall Cup. It was first presented in 1946 by the Executors of the Estate of the late George Adams.

Who are the previous winners of the Sydney to Hobart?

2000: SAP Ausmaid

2001: Bumblebee 5

2002: Quest

2003: First National

2005: Wild Oats XI

2006: Love & War

2007: Rosebud

2008: Quest

2009: Two True

2010: Secret Men’s Business 3.5

2012: Wild Oats XI

2013: Victoire

2014: Wild Rose

2015: Balance

2016: Giacomo

2017: Ichi Ban

2018: Alive

2019: Ichi Ban

2020: Not conducted

2021: Ichi Ban

2022: Celestial

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Follow all the action as the Sydney to Hobart fleet sets sail in the Blue Water Classic

LINE honours favourite LDV Comanche has started to assert itself on the Sydney to Hobart fleet after lodging a formal protest against rival supermaxi Wild Oats XI following a near miss between the boats.

LDV Comanche raised a protest flag about 15 minutes after the start on Tuesday. Eight-times line honours winner Wild Oats sailed across Comanche after they passed through Sydney Heads. The multimillion-dollar boats containing a cluster of elite sailors, including Jimmy Spithill, Stan Honey and Iain Murray, came frighteningly close to colliding. “We had a near miss with Wild Oats,” Comanche skipper Jim Cooney said. If Wild Oats thought it had done something wrong, it had the option of doing a penalty turn. “We didn’t think there was an infraction,” Wild Oats navigator Ian Burns said. “We discussed the 720-degree penalty and decided we didn’t need to under the circumstances. (We) continued on aware of the fact Comanche put up the red protest flag.” It’s believed Wild Oats could receive a time penalty after the race finishes if it’s found to have done something wrong. Another supermaxi, Black Jack, led the fleet of 102 boats out of Sydney Harbour, with the vessels chasing a race record amid “dream” conditions in the annual dash down Australia’s east coast. The large boats benefited from the light east to south-easterly winds. Comanche took over the lead as the vessels tracked down the coast of New South Wales, ahead of Wild Oats and Black Jack in a close race, with the fourth superyacht, InfoTrack, behind them. InfoTrack, named Perpetual Loyal last year, set a record time of 1 day 13hr 31min 20sec to take the 2016 line honours. - AFP RECAP ALL THE ACTION FROM BOXING SAY IN THE BLOG BELOW

Live Updates

Some incredible images from the Daily Telegraph’s Brett Costello from the first day of the 2017 race

Black Jack in the foreground, Wild Oats XI to the right and Comanche in the background. #SydneytoHobart #yachtrace #BoxingDay pic.twitter.com/V4tLVMeklc — Julia (@jarbullett) December 26, 2017

UPDATE: BLACK JACK MAKES FAST START

Black Jack has made the early running as rival supermaxis LDV Comanche and Wild Oats XI came dangerously close to colliding in the early stages of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. 

A tack from Wild Oats XI 15 minutes in brought it very close to LDV Comanche. Race officials could not confirm whether LDV Comanche had raised a protest flag as suggested by television commentators. 

Black Jack and LDV Comanche were quickest away, with Wild Oats XI jumping at the start before closing up.

In an easterly breeze of about eight knots on Tuesday, light air specialist Black Jack shaded LDV Comanche by one second around the first turning mark and was first out of the Sydney Heads. 

Wild Oats XI turned the mark in third, more than a minute behind the first two, with stablemate Wild Oats X fourth ahead of InfoTrack. 

InfoTrack, which as Perpetual LOYAL was first out of the Heads for the previous two years, went through fifth.

That would have been a disappointment for new owner Christian Beck, who felt his boat had more chance of being first through the Heads than to Hobart. After a sluggish start, Wild Oats XI quickly made up ground and moved into a position to challenge LDV Comanche, the line honours favourite. 

Its tack clearly incurred the ire of some LDV Comanche crew members, who raised their hands above their heads in exasperation. 

After passing through the Heads, Black Jack stayed in front, with Wild Oats moving to second.

Black Jack opted to stay closer to the shore as Wild Oats went further out to sea.

The 73-year-old Freyja was the last of the 102-boat fleet though the Heads. The wind is expected to shift to the northeast later in the afternoon.

– AAP

CLIPPER SKIPPER DOESN’T USE JOKER

Clipper fleet skipper Wendy Tuck has defied expectations and resisted playing her joker in the Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race. 

The Sydneysider helms Sanya Serenity Coast, which is running second in the 11-boat Clipper Round the World race, which includes the Sydney-Hobart as part of its Australian leg. 

Her boat won the first Australian section, from Fremantle to Sydney, earlier this month.

Tuck skippered the first Clipper boat across the line in the 2015 Sydney-Hobart, when she also won the Jane Tate Memorial Trophy for the first female skipper across the line. 

She’s raced the Sydney-Hobart 10 times and was widely expected to play her Clipper joker for the race, which would double any points her boat accumulates. 

“As a team we thought hard about it. Everyone expected us to play it,” Tuck said. 

“There’s too much that can go wrong. It’s a short race and we don’t have weeks to catch up if we have a bad start.

“That’s one of the reasons we didn’t play it and the other reason is everyone expected us to play it so we don’t want to do what everyone expects us to do.” 

The 628-nautical-mile Sydney-Hobart wouldn’t usually be considered a sprint but it’s one of the shortest sections of the mammoth 40,000 nautical miles of the Clipper race. 

“That makes it no less tough because tactics come into play far more than any of the other races,” Tuck said.

The Clipper fleet is among a race record-equalling contingent of 27 overseas boats.

Our camera crew don't travel all the way to Hobart, but how do they get off the yachts? Just like this! Nice jump, Mel! #RolexSydneyHobart pic.twitter.com/dTw155lupX — 7mate (@7mate) December 26, 2017

HAVE A GO AT THIS!

Two multi-million dollar maxis getting VERY close. It's ON between @wildoatsXI and LDV Comanche! Watch #RolexSydneyHobart LIVE on @channel7 now. pic.twitter.com/2bR3OzFPJX — 7mate (@7mate) December 26, 2017

UPDATE from chief sailing writer Amanda Lulham

The Sydney to Hobart favourite LDV Comanche and Wild Oats have come dangerously close to a potentially race-ending collision near Sydney Heads just 15 minutes into the race.

The Mark Richard’s skippered Wild Oats XI appeared to only miss Comanche  by a  matter of centimetres as the two yachts crossed paths in some extremely close combat at sea.

The LDV Comanche crew threw their hands up in dismay after the close call, clearly upset at Richards and his team for tacking too close.

Words were shouted and the bowman on Comanche raised his arms in disbelief at the close call.

It appeared Comanche had to alter course, prompting her crew’s reaction.

Butwhile the two yachts were were engaged in their battle, Mark Bradford and his team on the Queensland yacht Black Jack extended their lead on the pair.

Black Jack was the first yacht to the turning mark and the first out to sea after the start, relishing the light easterly winds.

Watching the camera crew jump off the back of the maxi yachts with their camera’s as they head for Hobart is always spectacular. #SydneytoHobart — Jane Hollman (@janehollman) December 26, 2017

Sunrise star Mel Macpherson just jumped off the back of Comanche into the harbour. This is Mel jumping off Investec Loyal in a previous Sydney to Hobart race. Braver than us, Mel! Hats off …

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The Sydney Hobart Is a Dream to Win and Formidable to Navigate

It’s complicated and difficult, but they keep coming back because, said one, ‘it’s the hardest.’

By David Schmidt

In sailboat racing, the fastest route between Port A and Port B is rarely a straight line.

This is certainly true of the annual Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, which starts on Monday. This classic test of seamanship and teamwork involves many complex navigational decisions, including negotiating the course’s mix of coastal and offshore waters, its fast-moving westerly weather fronts and the generally south-flowing East Australian Current.

Navigators invest huge amounts of time and bandwidth before and during the race, leveraging navigation tools and experience to determine how weather and current will affect the course’s challenges.

Lindsay May, who has served as navigator or skipper on boats that have won the race’s top trophy, the Tattersall Cup, three times, described the race’s 628-nautical-mile track as six navigational tests. There’s the start and the sprint out of Sydney Harbor, past the Sydney headlands; the run down Australia’s coast; crossing Bass Strait, which separates Australia from Tasmania; the stretch down Tasmania’s eastern coastline; the crossing of Tasmania’s Storm Bay; and the final leg up the River Derwent.

Bungle any of these and a team’s results can go south, fast.

In addition, teams sometimes elect to sail extra miles to reach faster or safer conditions, or sacrifice mileage for tactical positioning relative to the fleet. “You invest those extra miles sailed with the expectation that you’ll get a return on them,” said Stan Honey, an America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race-winning navigator who helped LDV Comanche set the race’s elapsed-time record in 2017. “The job of the navigator today is making these risk-adjusted investment decisions.”

Getting this right — or less wrong than the competition — demands that navigators possess world-class meteorological and technical skills to select the fastest course for their yacht.

This isn’t trivial.

“The mixture of the East Australian Current, the coastlines of New South Wales and Tasmania with Bass Strait in between, then Storm Bay, and then finally the Derwent River make the racecourse a real navigational-meteorological challenge,” said Will Oxley, a navigator who has also won the Tattersall Cup three times, and who plans to navigate the 100-foot Andoo Comanche (previously LDV Comanche) in this year’s race.

Weather is notorious in the Sydney Hobart. From 1945 to 2021, the race had an average attrition rate of 15 percent . In 2021, 38 yachts out of the race’s starting fleet of 88 retired, many because of equipment or vessel damage.

“The navigator’s role now is largely about weather and strategy, and it’s very much now electronically driven,” said Adrienne Cahalan, a two-time Tattersall Cup-winning navigator who plans to start her 30th race aboard the 39-foot Sunrise this year.

Local knowledge can also be important. “Just because of having lived and breathed the weather systems in this country, that will give you an advantage,” Cahalan said.

So will modern navigation tools. These include computers, software and lots of data.

Before yachts even leave the dock, navigators leverage these tools and information from the yacht’s instruments, its designer and handicap-rating systems (think golf), to create vessel-specific models called polar diagrams.

These predict how fast the boat will sail at different wind angles and velocities. Navigators then use digitized weather and current forecasts — called gridded binary files or GRIBs — which are prepared by official meteorological services. Navigators also use the yacht’s polar diagrams and performance information about each of its sails to advise the skipper on which ones to bring.

Navigators rely on the yacht’s satellite-communications equipment to continually download GRIBs as different models are released. These are fed to computers running weather-routing software to help determine the fastest route based on a specific yacht’s polar diagrams in the forecasted conditions.

Navigators game out multiple routing options based on the latest GRIBs and their yacht’s position relative to the competition.

“In the 2019 Sydney to Hobart race, there was a split breeze in Storm Bay,” Oxley said. “The high-res GRIB files did not show this perfectly, but they did provide strong evidence that it existed.” The team chose a route on the west side of Storm Bay, rather than taking the more standard routing. “This paid off and we managed to win,” he said.

This analysis is critical for making the most important decisions. For Honey, who plans to navigate the 100-foot Hamilton Island Wild Oats this year, these include making calls on how far offshore to sail after passing the Sydney headlands, how to handle the East Australian Current, how close to Tasmania to sail and how to approach Tasman Island.

Even with the polar diagrams, up-to-date meteorological data and weather-routing tools, human expertise still matters.

“The global met models do a great job these days in managing the big picture,” Oxley said. “Where they fall down is in managing the fine detail and dealing with land shadows and breezes.”

Others agree.

“If the forecast is wrong, it won’t be entirely wrong, but it will be wrong by being too fast or too slow, or windy or too light,” Honey said. “You have to think through what kind of characteristic errors you expect to see in the different forecast models, and that’s just experience.”

And it’s also where eyeballs can supersede screens.

“It is important to get your head out of the boat and look around,” said May, who plans to start his 49th race this year aboard the 74-foot Kialoa II . “The art of navigation is to be aware of the science, but the same time use your experience and see and sense what is happening.”

This often entails studying the clouds and sky, and peering between the lines of GRIB data.

“I do believe that intuition and gut feeling is an important part of decision making,” Cahalan said. She added that while contemporary weather modeling was clever, humans still needed to assess what the data presents.

“That’s the experience that you bring to the team, that’s where you bring value,” she said.

Wind whispering aside, navigators must also foster trust with the team’s brain trust.

“For me, the best system is where I spend a lot of time before the race laying out the plan with the whole crew, and especially the key decision makers, and then working to execute the plan,” Oxley said. “I always benefit from watch leaders asking questions and probing my recommendations to improve the final decisions.”

Crew knowledge also matters. Honey said he briefed the on-deck crew every two or three hours. “The better they understand it, the better they’ll sail,” he said, adding that this helps the sailors negotiate gusts, lulls and unexpected squalls.

Communication is especially important if a strategic move that results in a short-term loss of position is made for better position later, or when decisions are not obvious. “I make it clear whether I am 90 percent strong on a recommendation, or whether it is closer to 50-50,” Oxley said.

And in the Sydney Hobart, jump-ball calls can apply until the finish line.

While most of the race’s miles involve exposed coastal or offshore sailing, the out-flowing River Derwent stands as the race’s final crux.

May described the Derwent as miles of frustration, a time when navigators need to play their lucky cards. Arrival time is crucial. Most afternoons and evenings feature a useful breeze, while most nights are calm. “Light winds will only allow you to ghost along the shore, keeping out of the adverse current,” May said of nighttime arrivals.

Cahalan added that many races had been won and lost in the river.

Add up the race’s variables, coupled with its attrition rate, and there’s little question why this race attracts world-class navigators, who keep returning.

“It’s just so complicated and so difficult for the navigator,” Honey said. “It’s my favorite race because it’s the hardest.”

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

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

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.

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.

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.

• 6:45 AM 6:45 AM Mon 26 Dec 2022 at 6:45am Andoo Comanche's lead increases - a race record could be on the cards!
• 3:32 AM 3:32 AM Mon 26 Dec 2022 at 3:32am We have a battle at the top!
• 2:21 AM 2:21 AM Mon 26 Dec 2022 at 2:21am LawConnect hits the front as Andoo Comanche protests!

Live updates

That's where we'll leave it.

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

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...

We have a battle at the top!

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.

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The Start of the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race | CREDIT: ROLEX | Andrea Francolini

2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race – Entries Open

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) is pleased to invite eligible boats to enter 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. The 79 th  edition of the historic 628-nautical mile blue water classic will start on Sydney Harbour at 1300 hrs AEDT on Thursday 26 December 2024.

The 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Notice of Race (NoR) includes a few significant changes to the previous NoR. Most notably, to promote crew diversity and encourage more female and youth participation, IRC Rule 22.4 Crew Number/Weight will allow the addition of one additional crew to a boat’s IRC crew number should the boat have any of the following on board for the race: two female crew, two youth (under 23 years old) crew, one youth and one female. This will only be applied once. 

The 2023 edition saw 103 starters and 85 finishers in Hobart, including a highly-contested fight for Line Honours.

The maxi LawConnect won the John H. Illingworth Challenge Cup for Line Honours after beating defending champion Andoo Comanche by 51 seconds, becoming the second closest Line Honour finish in Rolex Sydney Hobart history.  Phillip Turner’s Alive, led by Duncan Hine, was the Overall Winner of the Tattersall Cup, becoming the second Tasmanian yacht to win the Tattersall Cup twice.

Skipper Duncan Hine confirms Alive’s commitment to race in the 2024 edition, saying “We’re looking forward to coming back for another crack at the Tattersall Cup. We’re in it to win it. Phillip and the whole team are very excited.”  Professional sailor Adrienne Cahalan navigated Alive to victory, earning her third Tattersall Cup. Cahalan currently holds the record for number of Rolex Sydney Hobarts sailed by a yachtswoman at 31 races. The Rolex Sydney Hobart is witnessing an upward trend of women sailors in the race, including professional sailors. The 2023 race saw a record 10 entrants owned/skippered by women. 

Eight international yachts competed in the 78th running, including Caro (winner of the 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race) and Teasing Machine (2017 and 2023 winners of the RORC Transatlantic Race). 

Eighteen double-handers took on the maritime challenge with Rupert Henry’s Lombard 34 Mistral taking IRC honours for the second consecutive year and an impressive sixth IRC Overall. 

Arthur Lane, Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, said: “It is my great pleasure to announce that entries are open for the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. We anticipate a strong fleet for the 79th running where our local Australian teams will be complemented by esteemed international competition.” 

“The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia once again extends its gratitude to Rolex for the ongoing support of the Race and the sport of sailing globally as well as our many valued race partners including our good friends at Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania as Race Finishing Partner.” 

Visit the Rolex Sydney Hobart website to  view entrants . 

Entries for the 2024 race will close on Friday 25 October 2024. 

Facebook: @RolexSydneyHobart Instagram: @officialrolexsydneyhobart

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Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race | Entries Open

• 14 Jun, 2024 02:15:00 PM

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) is pleased to invite eligible boats to enter 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

The 79 th   edition of the historic 628-nautical mile blue water classic will start on Sydney Harbour at 1300 hrs AEDT on Thursday 26 December 2024. The 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Notice of Race (NoR) includes a few significant changes to the previous NoR. Most notably, to promote crew diversity and encourage more female and youth participation, IRC Rule 22.4 Crew Number/Weight will allow the addition of one additional crew to a boat's IRC crew number should the boat have any of the following on board for the race: two female crew, two youth (under 23 years old) crew, one youth and one female. This will only be applied once.  The 2023 edition saw 103 starters and 85 finishers in Hobart, including a highly-contested fight for Line Honours.

The maxi LawConnect won the John H. Illingworth Challenge Cup for Line Honours after beating defending champion Andoo Comanche by 51 seconds, becoming the second closest Line Honour finish in Rolex Sydney Hobart history.    Phillip Turner’s Alive, led by Duncan Hine, was the Overall Winner of the Tattersall Cup, becoming the second Tasmanian yacht to win the Tattersall Cup twice. Skipper Duncan Hine confirms Alive's commitment to race in the 2024 edition, saying "We're looking forward to coming back for another crack at the Tattersall Cup. We're in it to win it. Phillip and the whole team are very excited."    Professional sailor Adrienne Cahalan navigated Alive to victory, earning her third Tattersall Cup. Cahalan currently holds the record for number of Rolex Sydney Hobarts sailed by a yachtswoman at 31 races. The Rolex Sydney Hobart is witnessing an upward trend of women sailors in the race, including professional sailors. The 2023 race saw a record 10 entrants owned/skippered by women.  Eight international yachts competed in the 78th running, including Caro (winner of the 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race) and Teasing Machine (2017 and 2023 winners of the RORC Transatlantic Race).  Eighteen double-handers took on the maritime challenge with Rupert Henry's Lombard 34 Mistral taking IRC honours for the second consecutive year and an impressive sixth IRC Overall.  Arthur Lane, Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, said: "It is my great pleasure to announce that entries are open for the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. We anticipate a strong fleet for the 79th running where our local Australian teams will be complemented by esteemed international competition."  "The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia once again extends its gratitude to Rolex for the ongoing support of the Race and the sport of sailing globally as well as our many valued race partners including our good friends at Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania as Race Finishing Partner."  Visit the Rolex Sydney Hobart website to   view entrants .  Entries for the 2024 race will close on Friday 25 October 2024. 

Congratulations to all the divisional winners of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2023

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AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 10

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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!