Progress for Sydney Hobart Race

The Notice of Race for the 2020 Rolex Sydney Hobart, the 76th Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, has included a two-handed division in the 628nm race for the first time.

First conducted in 1945 from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Rushcutters Bay, Sydney, the annual bluewater classic, which starts on Boxing Day each year, has evolved into a pinnacle sailing event, drawing interest and entries from around the globe.

While the 2019 event marked 75 years of competition, this edition will note 75 years of female participation in the race. “The 2020 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race should be one for the history books once again,” CYCA Commodore Paul Billingham said.

“With the introduction of two-handed sailing, ahead of its inclusion in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and the celebration of 75 years of female participation in the race, there’s plenty to look forward to and plenty of reasons why this will be a huge event.”

Editor’s note: Progress for sure, but unlike other 600-milers such as the Newport Bermuda Race and the Fastnet Race, the Sydney Hobart Race still says no to multihulls.

Race details – Entry list – Facebook

The 628nm Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race will be the 76th edition when it gets underway on December 26, 2020. From Sydney Harbour, the fleet sails out into the Tasman Sea, down the south-east coast of mainland Australia, across Bass Strait (which divides the mainland from the island State of Tasmania), then down the east coast of Tasmania. At Tasman Island the fleet turns right into Storm Bay for the final sail up the Derwent River to the historic port city of Hobart.