Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
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The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas Day) and finishes in Hobart. The race distance is approximately 628 nautical miles. The race is run in cooperation with the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania. The inaugural race was 1945, making the 2004 race the 60th running of the event.
The race was intitially planned to be a cruise, but has grown over the decades to become one of the pre-eminent offshore yacht races in the world and it now attracts maxi-yachts from as far afield as the US, the UK and Europe.
Note: The 2004 line honours yacht, Nicorette, is not the same yacht as the 2000 yacht of the same name: The 2004 yacht was launched 3 weeks before the race. This highlights sponsor-naming of yachts for high profile ocean races, a sport notorious for being an expensive exercise. As the saying goes, "Ocean racing is like tearing up $100 bills under a cold shower."
Traditionally, crews of yachts celebrate on New Year's Eve at Constitution Dock in Hobart.
Results
| Year | Line Honour | LH Time | Handicap Winner | HW Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Nicorette | 2d 16h 00m 44s (64h 44s) | Aera | 3d 2h 33m 43s |
| 2003 | Skandia | 2d 15h 14m | ||
| 2002 | Alfa Romeo | |||
| 2001 | Assa Abloy | 2d 20h 46m | ||
| 2000 | Nicorette | |||
| 1999 | Nokia | 1D 19h 48m | ||
| 1998 | Sayonara | |||
| 1997 | Brindabella | 2d 23h 37m | ||
| 1996 | Morning Glory | 2d 14h 7m | ||
| 1995 | Sayonara | 3d 0h 53m | ||
| 1994 | Tasmania | 2d 17h 48m | ||
| 1993 | Ninety Seven | 4D 0h 54m | ||
| 1992 | NZ Endeavour | 2d 19h 19m | ||
| 1991 | Brindabella | 3d 1h 14m | ||
| 1990 | Ragamuffin | 2d 21h 5m | ||
| 1989 | Drumbeat | 3d 6h 21m | ||
| 1988 | Ragamuffin | 3d 15h 29m | ||
| 1987 | Sovereign | 2d 21h 58m | ||
| 1986 | Condor of Bermuda | 2d 23h 26m | ||
| 1985 | Apollo | 3d 4h 32m | ||
| 1984 | New Zealand | 3d 11h 21m | ||
| 1983 | Condor | 3d 0h 50m | ||
| 1982 | Condor of Bermuda | 3d 0h 59m | ||
| 1981 | Vengeance | 3d 22h 30m | ||
| 1980 | New Zealand | 2d 18h 45m | ||
| 1979 | Bumblebee IV | |||
| 1978 | Apollo | |||
| 1977 | Kialoa II | |||
| 1976 | Ballyhoo | |||
| 1975 | Kialoa | |||
| 1974 | Helsal | |||
| 1973 | OndineIII | |||
| 1972 | AmericanEagle | |||
| 1971 | Kialoa | |||
| 1970 | Buccaneer |
Records
- INAUGURAL RACE WINNER, 1945: Rani
- FASTEST RACE: 1 day 19h 48m 2s by Nokia (Denmark), 1999
- SMALLEST FLEET: 9 starters, 1945 (first race)
- SMALLEST YACHT: 27ft (28.23m) Klinger, NSW, 1978
- SMALLEST YACHT LINE WINNER: 35ft - Nocturne, NSW,1952
- LARGEST FLEET: 371 starters, 1994
- LARGEST YACHT: 98ft Skandia, AUS, 2003
- LARGEST YACHT LINE WINNER: 89ft (27.4m) Alfa Romeo Shockwave, AUS/NZ, 2002
- DOUBLE LINE & HANDICAP WINNERS:
- 1945, Rani, NSW
- 1972, American Eagle, USA
- 1977, Kialoa, USA
- 1980, New Zealand, NZ
- 1987, Sovereign, NSW
- CLOSEST RACE FINISH: 7 seconds, 1982; Condor (UK) beat Apollo (NSW)
- MOST SUCCESSFUL YACHT DESIGNER: Bruce Farr (NZ), 14 overall winners
- FIRST ALL FEMALE YACHT: Barbarian, 1975 (skipper: Vicki Wilma)
- MOST RACES FOR WOMAN: 13 by Adrienne Cahalan (AUS); (navigator for 2002 winner Nicorette)
- WORST DISASTER: 1998, 6 sailors died; 115 started but only 43 finished.
Another Australian offshore race is the Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race run by the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria known as the West Coaster, This race starts on 27 December, making Hobart a very exciting place on New Year's Eve.