After Christian Beck's Juan K 100 Custom "LawConnect" took the line honours at the 79th Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, the Tattersall Cup for the best yacht in the IRC overall standings remained in the club of the host Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. Commodore Sam Hynes and his crew took this year's race by calculated time on a Volvo Open 70.
Rolex Sydney Hobart Race: a dream come true
When Sam Haynes chartered the VO70 from her owners Jim Cooney and Samantha Grant and named her "Celestial V70", he had no idea that the winds would play so well into his and his crew's hands this year. "I always wanted to sail a Volvo Ocean 70. And I wanted to do the race as commodore. So when the opportunity came, I took it," said Sam Haynes after winning the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race.
A crew of 14 successfully brought the 21.5 metre racer, once designed by Argentinian designer Juan Kouyoumdjian and built at the Ericsson shipyard, to the finish line. Before the start of the race, the organisers had noted the following for the team and its boat in the profile: "The Volvo 70 'Celestial' is a good all-rounder that could also do well in the line honours classification if the going gets tough."
It did at the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race this year. "It was a tough race with plenty of wind and plenty of swell," summarised the victorious Sam Haynes. At the same time, the commodore paid tribute to the sailors who lost their lives at sea: "This race feels different. The loss of the lives of two competitors - we are aware of that. My thoughts are with the families." Haynes also paid tribute to his team: "The crew have my utmost respect. I thank them."
Second at the finish, winner according to IRC
At the end of 30 December German time, 68 of the 104 boats that had started had reached the finish. Six smaller boats were still en route. 30 teams had abandoned the 628 nautical mile race from Sydney to Hobart on Tasmania in sometimes very strong winds and rough seas. Among them was the team on the co-favoured 100-foot maxi "Master Lock Comanche".
Sam Haynes and his team had a strong race with "Celestial V70", crossing the finish line off Hobart as the second boat after the Line Honours winner "LawConnect". The team around skipper Haynes was only a good two and a half hours behind "LawConnect". Grant Wharington and Adrian Seiffert's "Wild Thing 100" was the third boat in the Line Honours classification to cross the finish line just under half an hour after "Celestial V70".
All three boats also finished on the podium in the calculated IRC overall standings. Here, however, the "Celestial V70" team took the highest place on the podium. Second place went to "LawConnect" ahead of "Wild Thing 100". Max Klink's "Caro" crew had to be satisfied with fourth place under IRC Handcap. Botin 52 was the sixth boat to cross the finish line after Judel/Vrolijk 62 "Whisper" and David Gotze's Reichel/Pugh 63.
"Kismet" still active in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race
The fact that all shades of sailing are represented in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, from professionals to amateurs, from family crews to double-handed teams and talented youngsters, was once again demonstrated this year by the very different types of boats in the race. For the Illingworth/Penrose 30 "Kismet", the marathon continued into the night. Around midnight, the two-handed team from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia - Peter Inchbold and Sean Lanman - still had a few dozen nautical miles to go before the finish.
By Australian time, it was already morning. Down Under, the memorial service for the two sailors who died as a result of accidents at sea was planned for that day at Constitution Dock in Hobart: "Bowline" crew member Nick Smith and "Flying Fish Arctos" crew member Roy Quaden. Everyone wanted to come together from 11 a.m. local time on 31 December. Wreaths were then to be laid. Sailors and the people of Hobart were invited to take part in the public memorial service.
In memory of Roy Quaden and Nick Smith
According to the organisers, 55-year-old Roy Quaden from Western Australia was a crew member on the 'Flying Fish Arctos' when he was struck by the ship's main boom in an incident about 30 nautical miles east-southeast of Ulladulla (New South Wales) and succumbed to his injuries. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. Also fatally injured was 65-year-old Nick Smith on the Australian "Bowline". He had been hit by the mainsheet, which had thrown him over the boat. He sustained the fatal injuries in the process.
The official awards ceremony for the best in the 79th Rolex Sydney Hobart Race will take place after the memorial service at 2.30pm local time and will be marked by a minute's silence for the deceased.
The winning video for "Celestial V70":
