yacht line honours sydney to hobart

LawConnect’s all-time comeback to win Sydney-Hobart line honours in second-closest finish ever

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 of the race – claimed a maiden victory by just 51 seconds, coming home in just over one day and 19 hours.

The two supermaxis 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 to the River Derwent – only for the reigning champions’ lead to evaporate amid the notorious light winds on the home stretch.

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.

In the end, LawConnect came home in 8:03:58 — just 51 seconds before Comanche’s 8:04:49. It was the second-closest finish in race history behind 1982, when Condor of Bermuda beat Apollo by a mere seven seconds.

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

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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 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 bought her.

Beck had told Channel 7 an hour before the finish: “We’re sort of happy at the moment because Comanche looks very slow up there … we’re in with a good chance still.

“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.

“We’ve come second three times in a row, so we really want to win.”

But there could be a potential protest, with a spectator craft appearing to impede Andoo Comanche in the final seconds of the race.

The catamaran cut in front of Andoo Comanche as it prepared for its final jibe.

The ABC reports that eyewitnesses heard Andoo Comanche sailors yelling at the catamaran to get out of the way.

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

Meanwhile, URM Group, Alive, and Moneypenny are battling for third place, but are still some hours from the finish.

Many of the smaller boats are not likely to finish for another day or two.

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 nighttime 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.’’

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.

Scallywag had been the early leader and was in a fight with Andoo Comanche and LawConnect before it was forced to abandon its campaign.

Two more vessels were forced to retire in the early hours of Wednesday morning with Sticky and Maritimo 52 pulling out.

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

As first reported by News Corp , Arcadia on Tuesday returned to Sydney with a torn mainsail and Rum Rebellion also turned back due to an unspecified reason.

Reigning champions Andoo Comanche and LawConnect are continuing to battle for line honours as they head towards Bass Straight.

Tuesday’s retirement was a gut-punch for the Scallywag crew which had already declared the 2023 Sydney to Hobart would be its last.

News Corp reported skipper David Witt and his crew were “devastated”. The vessel has returned safely back to Sydney.

The team earlier confirmed their sad news via its social media channels.

The five retirements mean there are 98 entries remaining of the 103-yacht fleet that sell sail from Sydney.

Scallywag was also involved in early drama when rival Andoo Comanche flew a protest flag alleging SHK Scallywag had tacked too close as the pair exited Sydney Harbour.

Scallywag subsequently performed a 720 penalty turn to exonerate the vessel from facing a potential disqualification.

The race tracks the eastern coast of Australia southward from Sydney, crossing the Bass Strait, before continuing along the eastern coast of Tasmania and finally reaching Hobart.

Widely considered one of the most challenging yacht races in the world, teams competing in this year’s event — the 78th edition — also risk facing thunderstorms, hail and gale-force winds through the race.

With the Bass Strait crossing often the hardest part of the race, teams can expect a larger southwest swell and strong winds.

“This year there is easterly winds and easterly swell forecast, as well as thunderstorms, which will make conditions challenging on Tuesday and Wednesday. These conditions are forecast to ease from later Wednesday,” the bureau said.

Some 113 vessels will be competing in this year’s event.

The record for the race was set in 2017 by LDV Comanche, a 100ft maxi yacht, which completed the event in just over 33 hours.

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

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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.  

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Sydney to Hobart: line honours v handicap honours — who is the real winner of the race?

From athletics to horse racing to Formula One to vast majority of races operate using a simple concept — the first competitor to make it to the finish line is the winner.

In the Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race, however, things get a little more clouded.

News coverage, and public interest, tends to follow the boats at the front who are chasing line honours — the right to be called the first across the line at Constitution Dock in Hobart.

That competition is usually limited to three or four "super-maxis", the biggest, fastest boats in the fleet, which are at least 100-feet in length.

For line honours, the winner gets the J.H Illingworth Trophy, named after Captain John Illingworth, who won the first edition of the race on Rani.

Among most sailors, however, the more important challenge is the race for handicap honours.

The winner on handicap wins the Tattersall's Cup, which was donated to the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in 1946. The name of the 1945 winner was subsequently added.

Boats are rated (or handicapped) by their expected speed based on the vessel's size and other statistics.

In years where an entry breaks the race record, such as Wild Oats XI in 2012 — where the super-maxi finished in one day, 18 hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds — they usually win handicap as well as line honours.

But most of the time, handicap honours are won by a smaller, physically slower boat, which nevertheless outdoes its opposition when time is adjusted for size and other factors.

Handicap system an 'equaliser' for the fleet

The Commodore of the CYCA, John Markos, says the handicap system has been designed "to create an equaliser" for the fleet.

"There are so many contexts that go into creating the system," he said.

"You talk about displacement, how much water that a boat displaces (when fully loaded). Then there is sail area, that has an effect, and the mast size does too.

"There are a lot of these things that have been studied closely to come up with the formula.

"That (handicap honours) is the one that counts for a great many sailors."

According to Commodore Markos, there will be plenty of people racing boats that are much older, up to 50 years old, who he says will still be capable of making the 628 nautical miles to Hobart and giving it a shot for handicap honours.

Last year's winner on handicap, Balance, was owned and skippered by Paul Clitheroe.

Balance's crew had to wait for half a day to find out if they had won, because there was a boat still out on the water called Quikpoint Azzurro, skippered by Shane Kearns, that had a handicap that could have won it the Tattersall's Cup.

For a while it looked like Quikpoint Azzurro, the smallest boat in the fleet, at just 10.1m long, would win the race overall.

But the wind that was pushing Quikpoint Azzurro toward victory died in the River Derwent, and in the end, Balance won on handicap by less than three hours.

Wide range of sailors in the blue water classic

"Many of the people there (in the race) are professional sailors who are there to race to their maximum performance," Markos said.

"Then you have the Corinthians — amateur crews with no professionals on board — they want to have a bash at their division ... and they may be capable of winning the race (on handicap).

"Then you have design classes, like the TP52, there are about 10 of them in the fleet. It all comes down to the crew, because the boats are virtually identical.

"And then you have some people who just want to sail down to Hobart!"

In the end, we return to the question of line honours.

"I think line honours will probably be contested by the four supermaxis, the 100-footers," he said.

"Each of them will find their own weather pattern. Some will be set up for downwind, some for upwind. It (the result) really will turn on the weather.

"These boats will be at the centre of technical development, with large sails and (crews with) experience at the elite level."

First and foremost, there is Wild Oats XI, which is the most successful entrant in Sydney-to-Hobart history, with a record eight line honours wins.

Wild Oats XI has also had two clean sweeps, taking out line honours, handicap honours and the race record. She will be skippered again by Mark Richards.

Next is Perpetual LOYAL, which will hope for a better run than the last two years. In 2014, LOYAL was forced to retire on the second morning after hitting an object at sea the previous night and taking on water.

Last year, owner and skipper Anthony Bell had to turn the boat around and head back to Sydney for the second straight year after LOYAL suffered hull damage. Bell and his crew will be hoping for big winds to take advantage of LOYAL's big hull.

Next is Scallywag. This supermaxi was previously raced as Syd Fischer's Ragamuffin 100 - now owned by Seng Huang Lee, Scallywag has a bigger mainsail and will also be looking for strong winds in a bid for line honours.

Last, but by no means least, of the four is CQS, skippered by Ludde Ingvall. Formerly a 90-footer, Nicorette, which won line honours in 2004, CQS has had a serious transformation — with a reverse curved bow, wings and a canting keel, and lengthened to the 100-foot mark to make it a supermaxi.

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