The decision in the battle for overall IRC victory in the 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart Race is expected to be made in the protest room. The International Jury in Hobart will hear the case on the evening of 30 December German time. This was announced by jury chairman David Tillett on the morning of 30 December. The protest comes from the Australian JPK 10.30 "Min River" and is directed against the French JPK 10.80 "BCN - my::Net /Leon".
Rolex Sydney Hobart Race: Protest against the front runners
It is interesting and exciting that these two boats are leading the overall IRC classification in the race, which is still ongoing but has already been fought out on the water. In top position in the battle for the Tattersall Cup in the 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart Race is the slightly larger "BCN - my::Net /Leon", which crossed the finish line in 33rd place. Like "Min River", the front runner was also sailed by a double-handed crew.
"BCN - my::Net /Leon" was powered by former windsurfing world champion Michel Quintin and his co-skipper Yann Rigal in the 628 nautical mile Australian Christmas classic from Syndey to Hobart. When the JPK 10.80 last took part in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race in 2017, it set a new race record for yachts under eleven metres. The record set at the time was 3 days, 3 hours, 22 minutes and 9 seconds - and remains valid.
This year, the two-handed crew on "BCN - my::Net /Leon" crossed the finish line after 3 days, 21 hours, 40 minutes and 5 seconds. The double on the slightly smaller JPK 10.30 "Min River" crossed the finish line just under two hours after their rivals in the battle for overall IRC victory. Owner and skipper Jiang Lin and her furious French co-skipper Alexis Loison set the pace on "Min River".
IRC overall winner: Quirin/Rigal or Lin/Loison?
The talented two-handed sailor Jiang Lin, who grew up in China, named her boat "Min River" after the river that flows through the province where her parents lived. Fifth in the 2023 European Two-handed Championships, she came to Australia with her new JPK just over two years ago and competes in two-handed races Down Under. In Alexis Loison, she had an outstanding offshore performer at her side in the 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart Race.
The 41-year-old Frenchman won the 56th Solitaire du Figaro Paprec for the first time this year at the 19th attempt and is regarded in the French sailing scene as a tireless marathon man with a great fighting heart. Alexis Loison also won the Tour Bretagne Voile 2025 with Corentin Horeau - known among other things as Yoann Richomme's wingman in the Ocean Race Europe and upcoming Vendée Globe première participant with Team Macsf.
This was followed by Alexis Loison's attack in the Rolex Sydney Hoabrt Race alongside Jiang Lin. Whether Lin and Loison will remain in second place in the IRC overall standings or whether their protest will lead to overall victory will have to be determined by the protest hearing later in the evening and the decision of the international jury. The protest of the "Min River" crew against the JPK rivals on "BCN - my::Net /Leon" refers to an alleged infringement of Rule 55.3 (a) the Australian "Racing Rules of Sailing" (2025 to 2028).
Not unusual: protests in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race
The protest, the wording of which was not initially published, refers to racing rule 55.3 (a). There it says about "sheeting sails": "No sail shall be passed over or through any device that exerts outward pressure on a sheet or clew of a sail at a point from which a vertical line would lie outside the hull or deck when the boat is upright, except that: (a) The clew of a headsail may be connected to a jib (as defined in the Equipment Rules for Sailing) provided that no spinnaker is set."
The protest is due to be heard at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania in Hobart on Wednesday (31 December 2025) at 9am Australian time, late Tuesday evening German time. It is not the first time that the decision in the battle for the calculated overall victory in a Rolex Sydney Hobart Race has been influenced by a protest.
The crews on "Wild Oats XI" (2010, 2018) and "Ran" (2010) also saw their success on the water jeopardised by protests on land, but were allowed to keep their line honours. Others - such as "Celestial" in 2021 - lost their crown as a result of a subsequent time penalty. Back then, "Ichi Ban" won. This time it's down to business between two JPKs, each with French participation. The resolution follows.
The line honours have already been awarded
The battle for line honours had already been decided on 28 December: In the triathlon of the 100-foot giants "Master Lock Comanche" prevails against "LawConnect" and "SKH Scullywag". Jost Stollmann's Solaris 80rs "Alithia" crossed the finish line in 18th place. In the PHS handicap rating of the famous Christmas race Down Under this performance brought seventh place.
