sydney to hobart yacht update

Sydney to Hobart chaos as ’horrible’ conditions wipe out more than a QUARTER of fleet

Treacherous conditions have pummelled the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race, forcing dozens of withdrawals as Black Jack led a tight battle for line honours.

Sunday’s starting fleet of 88 yachts for one of the world’s toughest ocean events was cut down to 56 by Monday evening, as competitors peeled off after suffering damage or minor injuries to crew.

A close scrap for line honours was being fought out at the front of the pack between super maxis Black Jack, SHK Scallywag, LawConnect and the slightly shorter 80-foot (24-metre) Stefan Racing.

While Kayo Sports won’t be streaming this year’s Sydney to Hobart, it does offer sailing as one of more than 50 sports it has on offer including the exciting SailGP, which is shown live on Kayo and with replays.

Black Jack, skippered by Mark Bradford, was race leader as they headed into the Bass Strait.

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Commodore Noel Cornish said although the conditions had been “very tough”, the challenge of a “great adventure” is what drew competitors.

“That’s why in the non-Covid world, people come from all over the world to sail in this race. It’s an iconic blue-water challenge,” Cornish said.

The race leaders were now through the worst of the weather and were expected to arrive in the Hobart by Tuesday afternoon if conditions held, he told media in the Tasmanian capital.

“(The) yachts that are out there now are hunkered in, they’re going hard and they’re really looking forward to getting down here.”

Crowds had turned out to watch the boats race out of Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day after Covid-19 forced the blue-water classic’s suspension in 2020.

But the pandemic continued to cause problems. Before the start, four yachts were forced to retire, leaving 88 entrants at the starting line including 17 two-handed crafts, which are allowed to take part for the first time.

It was a sharp reduction from the 157 boats that set out in 2019.

In a dramatic start to this year’s race, a major technical problem cost the 100-foot SHK Scallywag prime position to LawConnect after leading out of the heads.

Numerous withdrawals followed, as southerly winds — which reached 30 knots overnight — whittled the competition down.

Weather is a critical factor in the 628-nautical-mile (1200km) race down Australia’s east coast to the Tasmanian capital.

Six men died, five boats sank and 55 sailors were rescued during the 1998 spectacle when a deep depression exploded over the fleet in the Bass Strait.

The latest weather update predicted south to southeasterly winds to ease on Monday evening in the Strait and onto Tasmania’s coast.

Though the first yacht to reach the finishing line grabs most public attention, the main prize for sailors is regarded as the handicap honours, which take account of the size of the yachts.

LawConnect navigator Bradshaw Kellett told the Sydney Morning Herald conditions were miserable.

“It’s horrible,” he said.

“I’m hiding in the hatch putting on my wet weather jacket. You can’t see.”

Spectator boats had crowded into a cloudy, breezy Sydney Harbour to enjoy the return of the blue-water classic, which was forced by Covid into an outright cancellation last year for the first time since it began in 1945.

The pandemic still cast a shadow, with some of the fastest yachts kept away this year, including the previous line-honours winner super maxi Comanche and nine-time line honours winner Wild Oats XI.

In the last race, in 2019, Ichi Ban was the overall handicap winner. Ichi Ban owner and skipper Matt Allen is sailing his 31st Sydney-Hobart race after starting at the age of 17.

“It was a great adventure doing my first race and it’s a great adventure lining up ahead of number 31 as well,” he said ahead of race day.

“That excitement on Boxing Day, that does not change at all. That little nervousness before the start, that sense of relief once you get out and actually start sailing the boat.”

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76th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race update

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Protests, twists and drama galore at start of Rolex Sydney Hobart

There’s been a dramatic start to the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race with a near collision, shouting, swearing and calls for a protest.

In spectacular and crazy scenes, two race favourites were forced into penalty turns in a wild opening to the 77th race.

WATCH IN THE VIDEO ABOVE: Protests, twists and drama galore at start of Rolex Sydney Hobart

The overwhelming race favourites were the big four supermaxis - LawConnect, Black Jack, Andoo Comanche, and Wild Oats - and they were all vying for the early lead as the boats headed up Sydney Harbour.

But Andoo Comanche was involved in a very close call with Wild Oats and both supermaxis did penalty turns amid shouts of ‘protest’.

Andoo Comanche did a penalty turn after bumping a turning mark while Wild Oats decided to do one after great confusion and debate.

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race begins

“Furl, furl, we are going to do a 720 (penalty turn),’’ Wild Oats skipper Mark Richards shouted.

‘“I honestly think we’re in trouble.”

During all the chaos, there was also an early retirement after Avalanche damaged its bowsprit and made the call to pull the pin.

Wild Oats XI has returned to the race this year and is looking for a ridiculous tenth line-honours title.

Earlier, Andoo Comanche’s skipper John Winning Jr had opened up on what what to expect and avoid based on his previous experiences.

Finishing the Sydney to Hobart is one challenge, but surviving the post-race celebrations involving alcohol-fuelled, sweaty and unwashed sailors can be another ordeal, according Willing Jr.

He didn’t hold back when fronting the media a few hours before the race’s start about what awaited those intrepid enough to venture into Hobart’s Customs House, the traditional post-race meeting place.

“Will McCarthy off Black Jack has already announced that he is in charge,” Winning said.

“Last time at Customs house when I was there, I think he got me into a headlock and brought me back into the bar and said ‘you’re not going anywhere whippersnapper’.

“He’s a veteran of Customs House and he says we’ve got to follow his lead and I’ll be doing my best to try and avoid him.

“It will celebrating, just be good spirits and having fun and hugging our loved ones and seeing the family and hopefully some sleep and praying for a shower.

“It stinks when you’re down in Customs House when you’re in there with all those sailors that are getting off straight off the boat.

“If you ever go down there to Customs House, if you are there, put some sort of nose plug on.

“There’s a lot of sweaty sailors that have been at sea with no deodorant and no showers for days and it just gets worse and worse

“We grow with the smell from here to there so it doesn’t really matter to us too much. But I remember one day when I was on Loyal I went away and had a shower and came back in clean clothes and ‘phooor, what is that?’ it was like walking into a pig farm.”

Winning said it seemed less likely that his boat’s 2017 race record of one day nine hours 15 minutes 24 seconds would be broken.

“The conditions are just a bit lighter than it was yesterday and we’re going to be early to the transition down the bottom, which is going to hurt us a little bit, we might not see as much wind the whole way down as we thought,” Winning said.

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Nine casulties have now struck the Sydney to Hobart fleet.

It was announced on Wednesday morning two more yachts had been forced to retire as the fleet made its way along the NSW south coast.

Scallywag was the first big casualty of the race after the Hong Kong-based sailing team’s bow sprit — which carries the yachts biggest sails — broke just hours into the race.

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.

Small yacht Rum Rebellion was hit by a burst of water between Cronulla and Wollongong sending the boat on its side.

Shane Connelly was taken overboard and was a few metres from the boat but was able to swim back to it.

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

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.

SHK Scallywag 100 has retired from the 2023 Sydney Hobart with a broken bow sprit. The team are obviously very disappointed given the great progress we were making but thankful no one was injured & that we could safely recover. The team are making their way back to Sydney. pic.twitter.com/fuFApS3DvT — Sun Hung Kai Scallywag (@scallywaghk) December 26, 2023

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.

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.

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.

RETIREMENTS IN THE 2023 SYDNEY TO HOBART

Arcadia – Retired – mainsail damage

Currawong (TH) – Retired – electrical issues

Maritimo 52 – Retired – rigging damage

Pacman (TH) – Retired – runner damage

Rum Rebellion (TH) – Retired – minor injury

SHK Scallywag – Retired – broken bowsprit

Sticky – Retired – electrical damage

Georgia Express – rigging issues

Millennium Falcon - Retired - crew illness

Tumbleweed (TH) - Retired - crew illness

Luna Blue - Retired - damaged equipment

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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

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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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Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

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Standings information for the current race will not be available until approximately three hours after the start.

Race Organiser Notes

Unless otherwise flagged, all positions are obtained by a report from a GPS transceiver on the yachts.

• No Report Position unknown
• Deduced Reckoning No report received - position deduced using previous position
• Estimate No report received - position estimated
• Radio Report No report received - position obtained by radio from yacht
• Sighting No report received - position obtained by sighting of the yacht
• Interpolation No report received - position interpolated from earlier and later known positions.
• Protest Pending
• Penalty Applied
• Redress Applied

Why Sydney's skyline is short compared to other cities and a history of tall buildings in the CBD

Two proposals for towers in Sydney's CBD have been submitted that, if approved, would be the tallest in the city. 

According to some figures, Sydney's skyline is considerably shorter compared to other world cities, including Melbourne.

Sydney building heights, according to one commentator, is the result of years of red tape and a previous desire to have Sydney Tower be the highest point in the city.

Sydney is world renowned for its architectural landmarks — but in one respect it falls short.

While skyscrapers are not new to Sydney's skyline, the City of Sydney council is considering the addition of two new buildings that could reach new heights.

At 305 and 309 metres, these two proposals would match the city's tallest structure, Sydney Tower, and be the tallest structures in the CBD.

"We can build tall towers in the city, we can see our skyline rise with iconic, sustainable buildings by following deep, evidence-based work that considers the current and future commercial, residential and recreational needs of our city," Sydney Mayor Clover Moore  said of the proposals .

Sydney's skyline is distinctively shorter than many other cities of its size around the world, ranking 41 globally by the number of buildings over 150m and 15 over 200, according to one analysis .

By comparison, Melbourne has the 23rd most buildings over 150m with 77, 29 over 200m and one over 300m — making it easily Australia's tallest skyline.

Australia's tallest building is Surfers Paradise's Q1, which stands at 322.5m.

History of a short city

Building height restrictions have had a long history in Sydney.

In 1912, NSW parliament passed legislation that limited the height of new buildings in Sydney to 150m.

According to a 2011 University of Sydney paper , the arguments against skyscrapers included concerns of fire and public health risks and that skyscrapers may transform Sydney into a "morally suspect city" like New York.

"Politicians may have liked to promote Sydney as a progressive city, but ultimately its parliamentarians were attached to old world ideals: Sydney's first building act had been based on English legislation, and the English influences continued to hold sway in 1912," the authors wrote.

"Sydney was to be a city that grew outwards, not upwards."

This bill remained in effect until 1957 . But restrictions still exist.

Currently, the maximum height of a building in Sydney is no more than 235 metres.

This requirement was introduced with aviation authorities, given the proximity of Kingsford Smith Airport. But there may have been additional motivations.

Architect and City Committee Member of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Philip Vivian, says "the red tape for many years has been the height limit in the city".

"Sydney's had a height limit that's based on the underside of Centrepoint Tower [now known as Sydney Tower], which was built in the late 70s early 80s," he said.

"The aim was to keep that as the tall point — the highest aspiration in the city."

Since the mid-to-late 2010s, case-by-case exemptions to the 235m rule have been allowed, including the 271m Crown Sydney and 263m Salesforce Tower.

In 2021, the City of Sydney announced that the state government had approved its planning framework that would allow buildings of up to 310m if they met certain criteria.

This criteria includes ensuring sun access, wind and airport regulation requirements.

'A step in the evolution of our city'

The potential new skyscrapers have been welcomed by both politicians and industry figures.

"CBDs are the place to put really tall buildings. And I think we have to be comfortable with, and I think most Sydneysiders are comfortable with the idea that we're a big international city," Mr Vivian said.

Property Council of Australia NSW executive director Katie Stevenson welcomed the move, saying there needs to be more office space in Sydney's CBD.

Ms Stevenson added there should be more measures to encourage investment in Sydney's centre.

"That means cutting down red tape, making sure planning approvals move through the system much quicker and that businesses can get on with the job of building those developments so that workers have great new office spaces to come and work in our CBD," she said.

Mr Vivian felt the potential two new skyscrapers were a step in the right direction.

"The cities are an expression of the aspirations of people. They are the built embodiment of society, and height has always been an expression of aspiration, confidence and indeed power in cities," he said.

"I see this as just a step in the evolution of our city of Sydney, and an important step."

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