Gearing up for Sydney-Hobart 2024

Since its inauguration nearly 80 years ago, the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has built an esteemed global reputation and become one of the most famous fixtures on the international sporting calendar. Rolex has partnered the event and its organizer, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA), since 2002, the race forming an integral part of the Swiss watchmaker’s long-standing support for sailing.

The 2024 edition will be the 79th of the 628-nautical mile (1,163 kilometre) offshore race from Sydney Harbour to Hobart, the state capital of Tasmania. The start, as ever, on 26 December takes place in the heart of the Australian summer, the mood festive as crowds swell along the shoreline, eager to be part of this celebratory occasion.

Once through the Sydney Heads, the fleet embarks on the long leg southwards down the New South Wales coast and across the infamous eastern edge of the exposed Bass Strait. While competitors are often out of sight, public interest remains strong to the end. The reception in Hobart, where the CYCA enjoys the support of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, is often as rousing as the departure.

Tom Slingsby, an Olympic gold medalist and three-time Rolex World Sailor of the Year, is one of Australia’s greatest sailors. Having competed in the “great race south” six times, he is well placed to articulate the event’s significance.

“When I go back to Australia and people ask what I do, as soon as I say I am a professional sailor, the first question anyone asks is ‘how many Rolex Sydney Hobarts have you done?'”

Staged annually since its inception in 1945, the race has forged its towering reputation through the achievements of some 60,000 competitors and 7,500 yachts that have embraced the challenge. Many of the greatest sailors of their generations have been drawn to participate, as have the most eye-catching boats of their respective eras.

For all of Slingsby’s accolades, his line honors win at the 2016 Rolex Sydney Hobart looms large, “Whenever I’m chatting to an Australian about my sporting career, I can say I have won line honors in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and broken the race record. If that was not the case, people might not take me seriously as a professional sailor.”

Like Slingsby, Sir Ben Ainslie has enjoyed an illustrious career, from the Olympic Games through to the America’s Cup and SailGP. Sailing more 600-nautical mile classic races remains an ambition, especially as his experience at the Rolex Sydney Hobart left a lasting impression.

“When I went offshore at the Rolex Sydney Hobart, I was lucky to be racing on a 100-foot Maxi and it took just under two days. The experience has given me a real appreciation of the sailing ability and camaraderie inherent in these races, especially within the Corinthian boats taking two or three times as long and not quite so comfortable.”

Despite the presence of professional crews and some of the world’s most cutting-edge racing craft, the Rolex Sydney Hobart, like other offshore classics the Rolex Fastnet Race and Rolex Middle Sea Race, is imbued with the traditional spirit of sailing. The majority of the fleet, drawn from all corners of Australia and internationally, are comprised of skilled, amateur sailors.

In addition to the thrill of competing in and completing such an iconic race, they are all in contention for one of sport’s most emblematic prizes, the Tattersall Cup, awarded to the overall winner on handicap.

The CYCA has long played a key role in the event’s development and the race remains central to its identity. As Commodore Dr Sam Haynes explains, “The appeal of the Rolex Sydney Hobart is as strong as ever. Over 100 yachts have registered for this year’s edition, from first timers to those experienced in its numerous challenges. What unites them all is a passion to test themselves against the elements, their peers, and to become part of the rich fabric of this epic race.”

Over the last few editions, there have been a number of dramatic finishes for line honors. Last year, a mere 51 seconds separated the first two yachts. With regard to the overall victory, the democratic nature of offshore racing is demonstrated by the diverse range of recent winners, from 100-foot (30.48 metre) Maxis to smaller yachts in the 40–60ft (12–18m) range.

The fleet of 108 yachts is set to take on the 79th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race on December 26, 2024. Previous Tattersall Cup winners including defending champion Alive, Centennial 7 (previously Celestial), Love & War, and Unicoin (won as Assassin) are in the fleet.

Love & War is a classic yacht and one of a trio to win the race three times. This year, Phillip Kurts, son of owner, Simon Kurts, is her skipper for the first time. The Kurts family are the first three generational family to sail the race – and on the same yacht as skippers. “We’re absolutely capable of [winning the race]. The tougher the race is, the better we’ll go,” Kurts said of the weather forecast.

Six international entrants are in the 628 nautical mile race: Cocody (FRA), Poulpito (New Caledonia), Antipodes (Hong Kong), Centennial 7 (Philippines), Caro (New Zealand) and Bacchanal (USA).

All six states in Australia are represented, with New South Wales boasting 60 entries, Queensland 15, Victoria 13, Tasmania 8, South Australia 4 and Western Australia 2.

Four 100-footers are entered. Defending Line Honours winner, Christian Beck’s LawConnect, returns. She has twice won the John H Illingworth Challenge Cup, awarded to the Line Honours victor, the first time back in 2016 as Perpetual LOYAL.

Record holder and four-time Line Honours winner, Master Lock Comanche, is LawConnect’s main rival. Comanche is the race record holder, having broken the 2016 record. She has taken Line Honours four times now, with different owners and different prefixes in front of her name. Last year there was just 51 seconds between her and LawConnect. “It was such a painful lead up to come second three times. To win was unbelievable,” Beck said of last year’s finish.

In a first, four-time Sydney Hobart Overall winner, Matt Allen and James Mayo, who was aboard Sovereign when she won the Line Honours and Overall double, will co-skipper Master Lock Comanche in the race. “It’s such an iconic boat. It’s such an iconic race. To give it another run is just a terrific feeling,” Allen said.

Grant Wharington’s Wild Thing 100 is back, but still carrying the mast she had as an 80 footer. Bill Barry-Cotter’s Maritimo 100, joins the fleet for the first time, but all comfort and luxury, she is not expected to challenge the others.

In the mix for Overall honors and expected to cross the finish line at the front end of the fleet, are the likes of CYCA Commodore Sam Haynes’ Celestial, the Volvo Open 70 formerly known as Willow. The Commodore won the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart with his TP52 of the same name and placed second in 2021, amongst his other notable results.

There are six 52 footers of various designs aiming to win the Tattersall Cup, including Smuggler, a TP52 owned by Sebastian Bohm. Smuggler leads the CYCA’s Audi Blue Water Pointscore with two races remaining – the final race is the non-discardable Sydney Hobart.

“To win the Blue Water Pointscore would be just a dream come true,” Bohm said. “We don’t mind when it gets windy. We’ve got quite a good crew that can handle it well. That sets us apart from the other boats.”

Caro, a Botin 52 skippered by Max Klink, could throw a spanner in the works. She was third in the 2022 Hobart, won the 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race and won the CYCA’s Bird Island Race last weekend. However, Smuggler beat Caro in last year’s Hobart, so who knows?

Unicoin, Peter Bremner’s Farr 277 was originally an IMS Farr 40 one-off called Assassin. She co-won the Sydney Hobart in her launch year, 1992, when winners were announced in two rating bands. Bremner, who was aboard for her 1992 win, bought her in February and has been busy converting her for the IRC rule, from which the Overall winner is decided. “We’re confident that we’ve put together a program that can be competitive given the right conditions,” Bremner said.

Twenty-two Double Handed entries are competing. Gizmo will be co-skippered by Tuck and Meg Niblett, one of three all-female double handed teams in the race. “It’s a lovely boat,” Tuck said of Gizmo. “It feels solid. It feels comfortable in the breeze. This boat feels like it’s going to get to Hobart and it’s going to get to Hobart fast.”

The two oldest yachts are also competing double handed. Maritimo Katwinchar, built in 1904, is the oldest in the history of the race and 45 Sydney Hobarts veteran, Michael Spies will co-skipper her. Kismet, an Illingworth 30 launched in 1955, is second oldest and at 9.3 metres, the smallest. She is owned and co-skippered by 32-Hobarts yachtsman, Sean Langman.

Women’s numbers continue to rise. Apart from those crewing, there are 16 owners or skippers, and/or co-skippers, in a fleet that offers everything from 30 to 100-footers. Unusually, nearly half the fleet is 40 feet and under.

Event details: https://rolexsydneyhobart.com

Source: Event Media