Rolex Sydney Hobart Race: First a dream start, then a broken mast and the favourites out
Tatjana Pokorny
· 26.12.2024
A bright and busy Sydney Harbour, sunshine, blue skies and building north-easterly winds of 18-24 knots made for a spectacular start to the 79th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. 104 crews engaged in exciting battles at the start of the Christmas classic from Sydney across the Tasman Sea to Hobart, before the fleet gradually dispersed.
Rolex Sydney Hobart Race: Record possible
The colourful spectacle, whose roots date back to 1945, began at 1pm local time on Boxing Day in Sydney. It was initially the 100-foot maxi "LawConnect" that led the fleet of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024 through the Sydney Heads. The joy didn't last long, however, because a furler line was misplaced.
The competition on "Master Lock Comanche" took advantage of the mishap and initially overtook their rivals in the battle for line honours. Half a day after the start, however, Christian Beck's team on "LawConnect" led the field again. The front runner was followed by the V70 "Celestial", Grant Wharington's "Wild Thing" and Michael Firmin's i52 "Zeus".
With a projected finish time of 1 day and just under 9 hours, the 2017 race record for the fastest boats in the current edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race was within reach. Seven years ago, "LDV Comanche" had mastered the course in 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds and set the still standing record.
Two-time overall winner "Alive" out of the race
The fast start was predicted. The fresh winds then fuelled the big boats in particular on their course along the coast of New South Wales. The first retirement on day one hit a well-known crew. The overall winners from 2018 and 2023 had to retire with generator problems. Phillip Turner's Tasmanian "Alive" will no longer be able to compete for the coveted Tattersall Cup this year.
This is the most important prize in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race and goes to the overall winner based on corrected IRC time. As many as six former Tattersall Cup winners turned up at the start line. In addition, 23 double-handed crews and six yachts from overseas travelled all the way down under to take part in one of the most famous long-distance races in the sailing world.
The New Zealand "Giacomo" was the last non-Australian yacht to win the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race in 2016. The fleet, which consists mainly of amateur and family crews, also includes "Kismet", the smallest participant with a length of 9.30 metres.
Mast breakage for a father-son duo
For the team on the Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300 "Transcendence Rudy Project", things got even worse in the current race after the abandonment of "Alive". As a father-and-son duo, Martin and John Cross had just completed 50 nautical miles when their mast broke off the coast of New South Wales.
The next shock came in the afternoon of 26 December German time: one of the top favourites, "Master Lock Comanche", retired from her eighth participation. The crew reported damage to the mainsail. This meant that a total of six yachts were out of the race at this point.
Shortly afterwards, the "Wild Oats" team also had to retire with rig damage. With a total of eight retirements by the early evening of 26 December German time, 96 boats and their crews remained in the challenging 628 nautical mile race.
Wow! The impressive start scenes from the 79th Rolex Sydney Hobart Race:
