Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race facts for kids
Map of the Sydney–Hobart Yacht Race route
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| First held | 1945 |
|---|---|
| Start | Sydney, Australia |
| Finish | Hobart, Australia |
| Competitors | 102 (2017) |
| Champion | Ichi Ban (on handicap) LDV Comanche (line honours) |
| Most titles | Freya; Love & War (3) (on handicap) Wild Oats XI (9) (line honours) |
| TV partner(s) | Seven Network |
The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is a famous sailing competition. It happens every year. The race starts in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on Boxing Day (December 26th). It finishes in Hobart, Tasmania. The race is about 630 nautical miles (1,167 kilometers) long. Many people think it is one of the toughest yacht races in the world.
This race began in 1945. It was first planned as a fun trip for friends. But a British Navy officer, Captain John Illingworth, suggested making it a race. Since then, it has become one of the top three offshore yacht races globally. Big boats called maxi yachts come from all over the world to compete. The 2019 race was the 75th time it was held.
There are two main ways to win. The first is called "line honours." This means being the very first boat to cross the finish line. These are usually the biggest and newest yachts. The second way to win is the "handicap competition." This uses a special formula to adjust each boat's time. It makes the race fair for all boats, no matter their size or speed. The overall winner of the handicap competition gets the George Adams Tattersall Cup.
In 2017, a yacht named LDV Comanche set a new record. It finished the race in just 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, and 24 seconds. This beat the old record by a lot! Another famous yacht, Wild Oats XI, has won line honours nine times. It is the first boat to win the "treble." This means winning the race record, line honours, and the overall handicap prize all in the same year.
Contents
History of the Race
The waters between Sydney and Hobart can be very rough. Especially the Bass Strait, which is a shallow area. Even though the race is in summer, strong "southerly buster" storms can make it cold and very challenging. Many boats often have to stop early. They might pull into Eden, which is the last safe harbor before the Bass Strait.
The first race in 1945 had only nine boats. John Illingworth's boat, Rani, won. It took 6 days, 14 hours, and 22 minutes. Over the years, boats got much faster. The record for the fastest time kept dropping. In 2005, Wild Oats XI set a new record of 1 day, 18 hours, 40 minutes, and 10 seconds.
Some yachts have done amazing things. Morna won the race three times in a row from 1946 to 1948. Later, as Kurrewa IV, it won four more times! Wild Oats XI also made history. It won line honours four times in a row from 2005 to 2008. This was the first time any yacht had done that. For the handicap race, Freya won three times in a row from 1963 to 1965.
Safety Improvements After 1998
In 1998, the race faced a very severe storm. It was so strong that five boats sank, and sadly, six people died. Out of 115 boats that started, only 44 finished. Because of this, the rules for who could race became much stricter. Sailors now need to be older and have more experience. This was done to make the race safer for everyone.
In 2004, another storm hit the race. Only 59 out of 116 yachts finished. A very large yacht called Skandia even capsized. These events led to even more focus on safety.
Notable Moments
In 1982, the race had its closest finish ever. Condor of Bermuda won by just seven seconds against Apollo III. It was a very exciting finish!
The 2020 race was cancelled. This was because of the COVID-19 pandemic and travel rules. It was the first time in 76 years the race did not happen. In 2021, a new "two-handed" division was added. This means only two crew members are allowed on the boat.
The "Holy Grail" of the Race
For many years, sailors dreamed of finishing the race in under 40 hours. This was called the "Holy Grail." In 2017, LDV Comanche finally achieved this goal. It set a new record of 33 hours, 15 minutes, and 24 seconds. This was a huge moment in the race's history!
Women in the Race
Women have been part of the Sydney Hobart race since 1946. The first woman to finish was Jane Tate. Her boat, Active, was the only one to reach Hobart in 1946. Because of her achievement, a special award, the Jane Tate Memorial Trophy, is given each year to the first female skipper to finish the race.
In 1975, the first all-women crew sailed on the boat Barbarian. Its skipper was Vicky Willman. In 1996, Kathy Collingridge became the first Indigenous woman to take part in the race.
Many talented women have raced. Adrienne Cahalan is a famous sailor who has sailed around the world. She was part of the winning Wild Oats crew in 2005. In 2011, Jessica Watson, who sailed solo around the world at age 16, skippered a boat in the race. Her crew was the youngest ever to compete. In 2018, Wild Oats X had the first all-professional women's crew.
Over a thousand women have now taken part in this amazing race.
How the Race Rules Work
The rules for the Tattersall Cup (the handicap prize) have changed over time. The main idea is to adjust each boat's time based on how fast it is expected to be. This makes it fair for all boats, big or small. Today, the "IRC" system is used to figure out the overall winner.
The race follows special rules for sailing competitions. These rules are set by the International Sailing Federation. Sometimes, rules are changed to allow for faster boats and new designs.
Types of Yachts in the Race
Most boats in the race are "sloops." This means they have one mast and a main sail at the back, plus a jib or Genoa sail at the front. They also use extra sails like spinnakers, which are big, colorful sails used for speed.
The race has encouraged new and better boat designs. A designer from New Zealand named Bruce Farr has designed 15 winning boats between 1945 and 2005.
Winners and Race Facts
| Year | Line honours | Elapsed time d/hh:mm:ss |
Handicap winner | Corrected time d/hh:mm:ss |
fleet size at start |
at finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 |  Rani |
6/14:22 | Rani |
4/09:38 | 9 | 8 |
| 1946 |  Morna |
5/02:53:33 | Christina |
4/11:53:27 | 19 | 11 |
| 1947 | Morna |
5/03:03:54 |  Westward |
4/00:24:56 | 28 | 21 |
| 1948 | Morna |
4/05:01:21 | Westward |
3/07:45:48 | 18 | 13 |
| 1949 | Waltzing Matilda |
5/10:33:10 | Trade Winds |
3/23:39:43 | 15 | 13 |
| 1950 | Margaret Rintoul |
5/05:28:35 |  Nerida |
3/20:17:13 | 16 | 14 |
| 1951 | Margaret Rintoul |
4/02:29:01 | Struen Marie |
2/19:48:26 | 14 | 12 |
| 1952 | Nocturne |
6/02:34:47 | Ingrid |
4/09:56:18 | 17 | 17 |
| 1953 | Solveig IV |
5/07:12:50 | Ripple |
3/16:12:12 | 24 | 20 |
| 1954 |  Kurrewa IV (formerly Morna) |
5:06:09:47 | Solveig IV |
3/17:58:01 | 17 | 15 |
| 1955 | Even |
4/18:13:14 | Moonbi |
3/09:21:05 | 17 | 16 |
| 1956 | Kurrewa IV (formerly Morna) |
4:04:31:44 | Solo |
3/08:33:52 | 28 | 26 |
| 1957 | Kurrewa IV (formerly Morna) |
3:18:30:39 | Anitra V |
3/00:55:37 | 20 | 18 |
| 1958 | Solo |
5/02:32:52 | Siandra |
3/13:46:35 | 22 | 19 |
| 1959 | Solo |
4/13:33:12 | Cherana |
3/08:33:02 | 30 | 24 |
| 1960 | Kurrewa IV (formerly Morna) |
4:08:11:15 | Siandra |
3/07:48:04 | 32 | 30 |
| 1961 | Astor |
4/04:42:11 | Rival |
3/03:57:31 | 35 | 33 |
| 1962 |  Ondine |
3/03:49:16 | Solo |
2/12:45:14 | 42 | 40 |
| 1963 | Astor |
4/10:53:00 | Freya |
3/06:03:17 | 44 | 34 |
| 1964 | Astor |
3/20:05:05 | Freya |
3/05:58:14 | 38 | 31 |
| 1965 |  Stormvogel |
3/20:30:09 | Freya |
3/10:03:26 | 53 | 49 |
| 1966 |  Fidelis |
4/08:39:43 | Cadence |
4/02:46:24 | 46 | 44 |
| 1967 |  Pen Duick III |
4/04:10:31 | Rainbow II |
3/16:39:15 | 66 | 59 |
| 1968 | Ondine II |
4/03:20:02 | Koomooloo |
3/13:38:52 | 67 | 54 |
| 1969 | Crusade |
3/15:07:40 | Morning Cloud |
3/04:25:57 | 79 | 75 |
| 1970 | Buccaneer |
3/14:06:12 | Pacha |
3/10:07:39 | 61 | 47 |
| 1971 | Kialoa II |
3/12:46:21 | PathFinder |
3/03:14:34 | 79 | 76 |
| 1972 | American Eagle |
3/04:42:39 | American Eagle |
3/02:15:59 | 79 | 75 |
| 1973 | Helsal |
3/01:32:09 |  Ceil III |
2/17:28:28 | 92 | 92 |
| 1974 | Ondine III |
3/13:51:56 | Love & War |
3/13:25:02 | 63 | 58 |
| 1975 | Kialoa III |
2/14:36:56 |  Rampage |
2/13:16:56 | 102 | 99 |
| 1976 | Ballyhoo |
3/07:59:26 | Piccolo |
3/07:45:07 | 85 | 70 |
| 1977 | Kialoa III |
3/10:14:09 | Kialoa III |
3/13:58:10 | 131 | 72 |
| 1978 | Apollo |
4/02:23:24 | Love & War |
3/12:13:00 | 97 | 87 |
| 1979 | Bumblebee IV |
3/01:45:52 | Screw Loose |
3/03:31:06 | 147 | 142 |
| 1980 | New Zealand |
2/18:45:41 | New Zealand |
2/21:13:29 | 102 | 93 |
| 1981 | Vengeance |
3/22:30:00 | Zeus II |
3/19:25:59 | 159 | 144 |
| 1982 |  Condor of Bermuda |
3/00:59:17 | Scallywag |
2/19:19:16 | 118 | 108 |
| 1983 | Condor |
3/00:50:29 | Challenge II |
2/23:07:42 | 173 | 158 |
| 1984 | New Zealand |
3/11:31:21 | Indian Pacific |
3/07:45:03 | 151 | 46 |
| 1985 | Apollo |
3/04:32:28 | Sagacious |
3/04:34:37 | 179 | 146 |
| 1986 | Condor |
2/23:26:25 | Ex Tension |
3/01:14:30 | 123 | 106 |
| 1987 | Sovereign |
2/21:58:08 | Sovereign |
3/01:58:41 | 154 | 146 |
| 1988 | Ragamuffin (formerly Bumblebee IV) |
3/15:29:27 | Illusion |
3/18:20:35 | 119 | 81 |
| 1989 | Drumbeat |
3/06:21:34 | Challenge II |
3/02:18:45 | 126 | 101 |
| 1990 | Ragamuffin (formerly Bumblebee IV) |
2/21:05:33 | Sagacious V (IOR) Doctor Who (IMS) |
2/19:44:32 2:10:06:28 |
105 | 86 |
| 1991 |  Brindabella |
3/11:14:09 | She's Apples (IMS) Atara (IOR) |
3/15:19:20 2:20:05:11 |
99 | 91 |
| 1992 | New Zealand Endeavour |
2/19:19:18 | Assassin (IMS) Ragamuffin (IOR) |
3/10:50:11 2:21:21:04 |
110 | 102 |
| 1993 | Ninety Seven |
4/00:54:11 | Micropay Cuckoos Nest (IMS) Solbourne Wild Oats (IOR) |
3/18:45:10 3:20:36:30 |
104 | 38 |
| 1994 | Tasmania (formerly New Zealand Endeavour) |
2/16:48:04 |  Raptor (IMS) |
2/11:41:00 | 371 | 309 |
| 1995 | Sayonara |
3/00:53:35 | Terra Firma |
3/10:22:36 | 98 | 92 |
| 1996 | Morning Glory |
2/14:07:10 | Ausmaid |
2/12:35:59 | 95 | 77 |
| 1997 | Brindabella |
2/23:37:12 |  Beau Geste |
2/17:21:27 | 114 | 99 |
| 1998 | Sayonara |
2/19:03:32 | AFR Midnight Rambler |
2/12:36:23 | 115 | 44 |
| 1999 |  Nokia |
1/19:48:02 | Yendys |
1/20:32:53 | 79 | 49 |
| 2000 |  Nicorette II |
2/14:02:09 | SAP Ausmaid (formerly Ausmaid) |
2/19:13:38 | 82 | 58 |
| 2001 | Assa Abloy |
2/20:46:43 | Bumblebee V |
2/19:13:38 | 75 | 57 |
| 2002 | Alfa Romeo I |
2/04:58:52 | Quest |
2/19:13:38 | 57 | 55 |
| 2003 | Skandia |
2/15:14:06 | First National Real Estate |
3/14:14:17 | 56 | 52 |
| 2004 | Nicorette III |
2/16:00:44 | Aera (IRC) |
4/02:52:09 | 116 | 59 |
| 2005 | Wild Oats XI |
1/18:40:10 | Wild Oats XI |
3/03:54:32 | 85 | 80 |
| 2006 | Wild Oats XI |
2/08:52:33 | Love & War |
3/22:02:37 | 78 | 69 |
| 2007 | Wild Oats XI |
1/21:24:32 | Rosebud |
3/09:32:14 | 82 | 79 |
| 2008 | Wild Oats XI |
1/20:34:14 | Quest II |
2/17:43:32 | 100 | 92 |
| 2009 | Alfa Romeo II |
2/09:02:10 | Two True |
4/07:57:43 | 100 | 94 |
| 2010 | Wild Oats XI |
2/07:37:20 | Secret Men's Business 3.5 |
4/01:29:40 | 87 | 69 |
| 2011 | Investec Loyal |
2/06:14:18 | Loki |
3/22:34:32 | 88 | 76 |
| 2012 | Wild Oats XI |
1/18:23:12 | Wild Oats XI |
3/10:26:31 | 76 | 71 |
| 2013 | Wild Oats XI |
2/06:07:27 | Victoire |
3/18:27:43 | 94 | 84 |
| 2014 | Wild Oats XI |
2/02:30:00 | Wild Rose (formerly Solbourne Wild Oats) |
3/07:04:43 | 117 | 103 |
| 2015 | Comanche |
2/08:58:30 | Balance V (formerly Quest II) |
4/07:27:13 | 108 | 77 |
| 2016 | Perpetual LOYAL |
1/13:31:20 | Giacomo |
2/16:13:37 | 88 | 83 |
| 2017 |  Comanche |
1/09:15:24 | Ichi Ban |
2/12:13:31 | 102 | 96 |
| 2018 | Wild Oats XI |
1/19:07:21 | Alive |
3/06:41:16 | 85 | 79 |
| 2019 | Comanche |
1/18:30:24 | Ichi Ban |
3/04:11:05 | 157 | 154 |
| 2020 | Race cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. | |||||
| 2021 |  Black Jack |
2/12:37:17 | Ichi Ban |
4/10:17:39 | 88 | 50 |
Notes:
- Time in bold means a new race record time.
- In 1985, Drake's Prayer was disqualified. But the rules didn't allow other boats to move up to first place.
- From 1990-1993, two boats were sometimes named joint handicap winners. Since 1994, there has been only one overall winner.
- The 1975 Kialoa III was changed in 1976. It came back as a different type of boat and won in 1977.
- Apollo in 1978 and 1985 were different yachts.
- New Zealand in 1980 and 1984 were different yachts.
Race Records and Fun Facts
- The very first race winner in 1945 was Rani. It won both line and handicap honours and set the first race record.
- The fastest race ever was in 2017. LDV Comanche finished in just 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, and 24 seconds.
- More than 5,500 yachts have started the race since 1945. About 82% of them have finished.
- The most boats ever in the race was 371 in 1994.
- The smallest number of boats was 9 in the first race in 1945.
- The smallest yacht to win line honours was Nocturne (1952) and Rani (1945), both 10.67 meters long.
- The largest yachts that have entered are 30.48 meters long. These include Wild Oats XI and Comanche.
- Wild Oats XI holds the record for most line honours victories, with 9 wins.
- The skipper with the most line honours wins is Mark Richards, with 9 victories.
- Freya, Love & War, and Ichi Ban have each won the handicap prize 3 times.
- The oldest boat to race was Maluka, built in 1932. It raced in 2008 when it was 76 years old.
- Tony Cable has raced the most times as a skipper, with 49 races.
- The closest line honours finish was in 1982. Condor of Bermuda won by only 7 seconds!
- Some yachts have won line honours but were later disqualified. This means their win was taken away.
- The most successful yacht designer is Bruce Farr. He designed 15 overall winning boats.
- The first Indigenous woman to race was Kathy Collingridge in 1996.
- In 1994, a team from the Making Waves Foundation became the first fully disabled crew to sail in an ocean race. Albert Lee was part of this team.
Sponsors and Prizes
Rolex has been the main sponsor of the race since 2002. This is why it's called the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Other companies also support the race.
It costs a lot of money for the big yachts to get ready for the race. But there is no prize money for winning. The winners get a special Rolex watch from the sponsor. They also get the honour of winning the title.
The overall handicap winner receives the George Adams Tattersall Cup. The boat that wins line honours gets the J H Illingworth Challenge Cup. The Jane Tate Memorial Trophy goes to the first female skipper to finish.
In Popular Culture
The race is mentioned in the 2007 book The Storm Prophet by Hector Macdonald.
See also
In Spanish: Regata Sídney-Hobart para niños
- Fastnet Race
- Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race
