About sixty years ago, in 1963, the brothers Halvorsen built a sailing yacht that did something remarkable. It won one of Australia’s most revered titles at the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. With that, they also won the hearts and minds of the Australian people.
Then, in 1964, they did it again. Same brothers. Same boat. And, as if that wasn’t enough, Trygve and Magnus Halvorsen performed a hat trick, winning the race yet again in 1965 for the third time. The brothers were the first ever to win the race three times, all with the sturdy Freya 39, built to withstand a full sail to windward in 30 knots of wind.
Ten years later, in 1974, Simon Kurts raced the Sparkman & Stephens wooden boat Love & War to the overall win position for the Tattersall Cup. Repeating the win in 1978, and again in 2006, the 14.21-meter/47-foot masthead sloop joined the Halvorsens’ Freya as three-time winners of this iconic race. The record stood for a good long time.
In 2020, the race was cancelled, but roared back in December of 2021 with huge crowds and a fleet of 88 boats, anxious for the Boxing Day start and the privilege of claiming the Tattersall Cup. Would the two-time winner Ichi Ban join the rarefied air of Freya and Love & War? Would SHK Scallywag Skipper David Will finally achieve his lifelong goal of a win? And how would the debut of the two-handed classification fare alongside fully crewed boats?
Why Sydney to Hobart Commands Respect
As the crews and boats busily moved about Sydney Harbor, readying for the December 26, 2021, start, all focus was on the weather. A classic race must-have classic conditions, and New South Wales rarely disappoints.
Southerly winds predicted to blow 15 to 20 knots around the 1pm start, increasing to 25 knots around the Sydney Heads. Swells of 1.5 to 2.5 meters expected, with clouds, rain, and thundershowers.
Typical conditions, many say for the Sydney Hobart course, clouds continuing to build as the clock ticked on.
Often, the weather is punishing in the first part of this race, tricky through the Bass Straits and Tasman Island, and intermittently calm, windy, and unpredictable entering the home stretch on the Derwent River to Hobart, where inconsistent winds play havoc with the finish line. Tacticians are very busy during this race, working to match conditions with their boat size, weight, route, the tides, and the crew, balancing risk with reward.
Additionally, there are the competitors in the mix. Different conditions favor different types of boats. Big, heavy boats with lots of righting moment and huge sails like the 300-foot Maxi LawConnect will weather heavy storms best. Lighter weight maxi yachts like Blackjack might not fare as well in heavy weather, but tend to speed ahead as the barometer rises.
While provisional leaders might appear winners, the IRC, ORCI, and PHS handicap systems can shake up the order. Such a diverse fleet, from the Maxis to the diminutive 9.2 meter Army Sailing Club Gunrunner, makes winning the overall cup an even greater challenge. There are so many variables, it just isn’t over until the boats have crossed the finish to earn this grand prize of yachting in Australia.
The Course
Organized by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and supported by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, Rolex has sponsored the race since 2002. From the start line around Shark Island in Sydney Harbor, the boats set out toward the Tasman Sea on the 628 nautical mile course. Sailing along the southeast coast of New South Wales, the boats cross Bass Strait, dividing the mainland from the State of Tasmania, down to the east coast of Tasman Island. Turning west after rounding Tasman Island, the fleet enters Storm Bay, heading up the Derwent River into Hobart.
With a huge sendoff in Sydney Harbor and spectators approaching 400,000, the festive mood is sprinkled with a good dose of apprehension and impatience. Dispersed along the route, fans dot the landscape to watch the race, with the exception of the open ocean portion so exposed to harsh conditions. Once in Hobart, the welcome is immense, with a festival atmosphere, celebrations, and promises for next year. New Year’s Eve fireworks cap the week with a fabulous display none will soon forget.
The 2021 Race
The strong first night Southerly wind, rain, and massive current with four-foot seas took a toll on the fleet, resulting in 38 retirements due to boat damage from 20 hours of bashing until clear of the Sydney Heads. Chatter overheard many crew calling it the hardest conditions in recent years.
SHK Scallywag was ahead at the first turning mark, but found trouble early with a J2 tack fitting, forcing them to raise the storm sail as LawConnect took advantage of their trouble and passed them to take the lead, only to lose electronics and weather information during the night resulting in a penalty that added 40 minutes to their time.
After the massive first night storm calmed, the three super maxis were out front with LawConnect in a narrow lead, Blackjack next, and Scallywag making a solid recovery close behind. Blackjack was the first to make the turn at Tasman Island as the breeze fell away. LawConnect and Blackjack wrestled with the lead down the Tasmanian coast, but as conditions lightened, Peter Harburg’s Blackjack took the lead on the Derwent River, sailing to line honors for first place with an elapsed time of two days, twelve hours, thirty-seven minutes, and seventeen seconds. LawConnect was second with just three minutes between, followed closely by SHK Scallywag just twenty seconds later for third.
Meanwhile, Ichi Ban and Celestial were battling it out for the overall title, with the lead changing many times along the course, but finally, Ichi Ban proved successful in their quest to join Freya and Love & War as a three-time winner of the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
Line honors for the 2-Handed boats went to Sidewinder with four days, seven hours, and twelve minutes. Disko Trooper_Contender Sailcloth was separated by seven minutes for second place. Of the fourteen 2-Handed boats registered, just seven made it through the punishing first night, retired at port for a variety of mechanical reasons. Complete results can be found at https://www.rolexsydneyhobart.com/standings.
The 2022 Race
On December 26, 2022, the 77th edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is expecting about 100 yachts between 36 and 100 feet to start the Boxing Day challenge. Plans for the sendoff in Sydney and the Welcome in Hobart are well underway, so if you would like to have a go, best get started with registration. It is likely to be a challenging, exciting, and memorable race where fine sailing, beautiful yachts, camaraderie, and good sportsmanship abound.
