Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is an annual event drawing challengers from all over the world to compete against one another in Australia. Starting December 26, crews of various experience levels from weekend club sailors to seasoned professionals sail yachts ranging in size from 30 feet to nearly 100 feet. This extremely wide range of sailors and yachts is a large part of what makes the Sydney to Hobart race so exciting.

The Race

Described as “the most grueling long ocean race in the world,” the 628 nautical mile course begins in Sydney Harbour then heads out into the Tasman Sea. The course continues down Australia’s southeast coast, across Bass Strait, and then down the east coast of Tasmania. From there, the fleet must turn right at Tasman Island into Storm Bay. The final stretch of the race is up the Derwent River to the finish line in Hobart.

The first yacht across the finish line receives the deeply coveted line honors, as well as an escort of media and spectator boats. Handicap winners, also referred to as “overall winners,” are determined by a variety of criteria set forth by the International Rule Club. These criteria determine the winner of the Tattersalls Cup, Australia’s foremost offshore sailing prize.

Origin and History

The first Sydney to Hobart race took place in 1945 with nine yachts competing. Rani, the winning boat of that inaugural event, took six days, 14 hours and 22 minutes to finish the course. Over the next 30 years, race times plummeted, and in 1975, the American yacht Kialoa set a world record. That record would not be broken until 21 years later by Morning Glory, a German yacht, in 1996.

In 2002, Rolex attained naming rights to the race. Since then, the event has been known as the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

Danger and Disaster

Any yachting event holds a certain amount of risk by the sport’s very nature. For 53 years, the Sydney to Hobart race took place without major incident. That all changed in 1998. On the day of the race, severe weather conditions occurred off the southeastern coast of Australia resulting in 70-knot winds similar to those found in lower category hurricanes. The storm produced a waterspout that resulted in the sinking of five boats and the drowning of six sailors.

Of the 115 boats that started the 1998 race, only 44 would finish. Rescue helicopters airlifted 55 sailors from their yachts. The overall rescue efforts that day are considered to be Australia’s largest ever peacetime rescue operation, involving 27 Royal Australian Navy vessels and 35 military and civilian aircraft.

New Safety Measures

The tragic events of the 1998 race caused race officials and organizers to take a hard look at what went wrong and how it could have been prevented. A coroner’s report indicted the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, saying that the organization “abdicated its responsibility to manage the race.” As a result, the CYCA has since taken several safety measures, including raising the age and experience minimums for crew eligibility.

The Bureau of Meteorology also came under harsh criticism after the 1998 race for not alerting the race organizers of the updated forecast regarding the severe storm located south of Eden. Now, wave height and maximum wind gust speed are required as part of the weather forecast for the race.

Recent Notable Races

In 1999, there was reason to celebrate when Nokia completed the course in one day, 19 hours, 48 minutes and two seconds. This proved that the “Holy Grail” goal of a finish under 40 hours was indeed possible. Six years later, Wild Oats XI set a new record with a time of one day, 18 hours, 40 minutes and ten seconds.

Wild Oats XI made history again in 2008, claiming line honors for the fourth time. That year, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia also extended the overall maximum yacht length from 98 to 100 feet.

The most challenging races are not always the most exciting. Participants remembered the 2009 Sydney to Hobart event as “the most benign and mentally frustrating Hobart ever.” Light to moderate winds vexed the 100-yacht racing fleet.

Sydney to Hobart 2011

The 67th Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race saw 88 boats at the starting line. Line honors went to the New South Wales maxi Investec Loyal, with a time of two days, six hours, 14 minutes and 18 seconds. Loki, also from New South Wales, took the handicap win with a corrected time of three days, 22 hours, 34 minutes and 32 seconds (actual elapsed time was two days, 14 hours, 20 minutes and 38 seconds).

The Future 

The future of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is bright. This iconic Australian summer event is one of the most popular sporting events in the country, not to mention one of the most popular yachting events in the world. Finishing in the midst of the Taste of Tasmania Festival, this is a race that is sure to please both participants and spectators for years to come.

This guest post article was written and provided by Erica Gustafson who is an avid Australia traveler, freelance writer and digital media consultant for Expedia.  She helps others to compare cheap hotels and find the best rates worldwide.