For the first time in the history of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, a female sailor has won the Tattsersall Cup for overall IRC victory. Together with the French Figaro and Fastnet winner Alexis Loison, Jiang Lin in the Australian Christmas classic over 628 nautical miles. Together they are also the first double-handed crew and the first mixed duo to win the race from Sydney to Hobart in its 80-year history.
80th Rolex Sydney Hobart Race: harsh conditions and a protest
The decision was preceded by a thrilling race in sometimes harsh conditions, in which 35 of the 128 yachts that started in the 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart Race had to retire. This was followed by a protest decision on land. First, on 30 December, the "Min River" crew lodged a protest against the friendly crew on the slightly larger JPK 10.80 "BCN - my::Net / Leon". This was followed by a statement from the "BCN" double-handed crew Michel Quintin and Yann Rigal, who admitted in a report that they had not complied with Article 55.3 of the Australian Racing Rules in the last two nautical miles on course to the finish line before the wind.
During this phase, the crew had set their asymmetric spinnaker A 1.5. The tack was attached to the bowsprit in the classic way and the clew was boomed out to windward through the spinnaker pole. The jury found that the spinnaker pole exerted outward pressure on the sail at a point where a vertical line would lie outside the hull or deck when the boat was upright - not in accordance with the rules. The crew on "BCN - my::Net / Leon" only used this sail setup for the last two nautical miles, which saved the crew around three to five minutes compared to a setup that complied with the rules.
However, the jury could not recognise any deliberate breach of the rules. Especially not in light of the fact that the unauthorised sail configuration was used in the final phase of the race, when the boat was sailing in the spotlight of cameras and in front of many observers. The International Jury therefore imposed a discretionary penalty and, according to its own statement, ensured that "possible performance advantages are taken into account and an appropriate penalty is imposed for the infringement of the rules". The time penalty of 1 hour and 5 minutes cost "BCN - my::Net / Leon" the victory, but not the podium place. Click here for the jury's decision.
Time penalty leads to a swap at the top
The time penalty meant that the top two boats in the overall IRC standings swapped places in the battle for the Tattersall Cup and "Min River" was promoted to overall winner. The 60-year-old owner and skipper Jiang Lin, who bought her JPK 10.30 "Min River" in 2023, said after the decision that she had not started the race with hopes of winning. She thought winning her division was the best possible result. Jiang Lin said: "I had no hopes of winning. Think of all the more than 100 boats out there, all the big boats and the excellent sailors."
Not in my wildest dreams would I have thought that this would come true for me." Jiang Lin
Only in the last day and a half of the race did it become clear that it would be "Min River" and "BCN - my::Net / Leon" who would fight a thrilling duel to the finish for the overall IRC victory. Jiang Lin and Alexis Loison had originally finished the race on the water in second place in the IRC standings, before the protest result and the time penalty against "BCN - my::Net / Leon" saw the two best IRC boats in the 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart Race swap places.
"I haven't fully realised it yet. Maybe I'll wake up and say: 'Oh, that was just a dream'," said Jiang Lin at the award ceremony. Her co-skipper Alexis Loison gilded his already outstandingly successful year with his first victory in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. He, too, had not fancied this triumph before the start of the race, saying: "No, I didn't expect to win."
We had a good strategy, namely to fight very hard. We made a lot of sail changes. We forgot to sleep. It's crazy to win. We are proud of ourselves." Alexis Loison
When asked about possible mixed feelings after the victory at the green table, Jiang Lin said: "No. It is what it is - we are still the winners." Nor would the protest and the decision affect the friendship with the now beaten rivals. Jiang Lin said: "We will have dinner together as a group tomorrow. I have already agreed to come. So we'll have a good drink and celebrate."
The first female winner: to the top in 13 years
Like everyone else in the race, the two double-handed sailors and overall winners found parts of this 80th edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race "pretty tough". Alexis Loison, known as a hardened offshore striker, said: "The first two days and the last night were very tough. But in the end we have a lot of great memories. At the finish we knew we were very close to a very good result."
Jiang Lin had already taken part in the Balmain Sailing Club's Twilight and Sunday summer series. The club had already named the Chinese-born latecomer to sailing the "Most Improved Keelboat Sailor" in 2015 - just three years after she started sailing - at the age of 47.
Jiang Lin has always opted for first-class co-skippers from France and Australia, with whom she sails in Australia and abroad. When asked if she had already signed Loison for the Rolex Sydney Hobart 2026, Jiang Lin laughed and said: "Erm, maybe."
