For a whole section of sailing society Christmas means just one thing; it’s the day before the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. From the breathtaking start in Sydney Harbour, the 628 nautical-mile offers a thrilling journey through some of the world’s most stunning and challenging waters.
Over a hundred yachts tackle the maritime challenge year after year, from 100-foot maxi yachts to professionally crewed international TP52s, to corinthian 30-foot racers.
The race start is one of the most action packed days on the water, anywhere. For sailors all over the world it’s often a lifelong goal to get into the race. To be out on any of the boats that accompany the start is akin to being in a movie.
On the day hundreds of spectator boats, buzzing helicopters, and thousands of onlookers line the shore to watch the fleet dramatically sail out of Sydney Harbour, and out into the vast Tasman Sea, from where they head down the southeast coast of Australia, across the notorious Bass Strait, and along the picturesque east coast of Tasmania. Finally, they turn right at Tasman Island, navigate Storm Bay, and head up the River Derwent to Hobart.
Some crew are local and many have travelled from overseas. Some international teams arrived over a month ago and have been training hard getting used to Australian waters. The aim is to complete one of the most difficult races in the world, and as the yachts approach the finish line at Hobart’s Battery Point, they receive a hero’s welcome, no matter the hour. Crowds gather at Sullivans Cove, cheering the crews who are met with open arms by volunteers from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania. Needless to say, it’s a big party at the city’s waterfront pubs.
From humble beginnings to global phenomenon, the CYCA and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race remain synonymous with the spirit of adventure, camaraderie, and the pursuit of excellence on the high seas.
It was hardly surprising then that Santa found time to visit the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, and as is so often the case, finding ourselves following in his wake, so did Irresistible. We chatted to a few of the crews who are setting out on Boxing Day. Some of them are old hands, and there are plenty of first timers.
Centennial 7
Centennial 7 belongs to Ernesto Echauz from the Philippines. Echauz has a long history of success in Asian offshore races where much softer conditions than the Sydney Hobart prevail. In 2023, Centennial 5, an R/P 75, claimed Line Honours and won IRC Class in the Rolex China Sea Race. The Centennial 7 crew placed 12th overall in the Cabbage Tree Island Race in December – their first race on board the yacht in Australian waters.
Echauz told Irresistible, “To compete in the Rolex Sydney Hobart race is a dream come true. We’ve done the China Series many many times, but this is the first time for all us in this race. The team arrived November 15th, and they’ve been racing and training out on the water since then. We’re ready.” When asked what he’s most worried about he said, “The cold. But we’re prepared. We were lucky to have been able to keep Richard Bott, the boat captain from the previous owner. He’s been great.” He pointed out his team is the first from the Phillipines. “This is the first all- Filipino team ever in Sydney- Hobart. As a crew, we’ve sailed together for more than 20 years, a lot of this team I’ve known since they were very young, so we really know each other. We can’t wait to start.” After the race the team will be back on the water in the South China Sea. “We’ll ship the boat back to Hong Kong, once the team sail it back to Sydney, so we can race again from there.”
Richard Bott knows Centennial 7 well, having been the boat captain in its previous incarnation as Celestial, the overall winner of the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart that also finished second in 2021. This will be Centennial 7’s first race under new ownership. Erchauz only bought the boat a couple of months ago, and renamed it Centennial 7, and Bott stayed on for a handover period and to help get the crew ready for the Rolex Sydney Hobart.
He told Irresistible, “We’ve had the team out on the water intensively, including when we had some bad weather last week. They’re a strong crew and they know what they’re doing. Your first Sydney Hobart is always a shock though. When those winds come at you for the first time around Tasman Island it’s like a freight train.” When asked what he thinks about the conditions for this years race he said, “It looks like it’ll be a fast start. And there may be gale force winds so it definitely won’t be easy. To win is really to finish. And at the other end, they don’t call it Storm Bay for nothing.”
Solace and Orthopaedic Outreach Australia
Orthopaedic surgeon and owner and skipper Paul Pincus hasn’t done Sydney-Hobart before but he’s feeling confident and ready to start. Pincus and some of his Hobart crew did the 2024 Brisbane to Gladstone race together and finished 28th overall. As he told Irresistible, “We have a really experienced crew and we’re well prepared. We want to get everyone to the other end safely. We think we’ll make it in about 4 days.” Teammate and opthalmoplastic surgeon Timothy Sullivan has done Sydney- Hobart before, but 40 years ago. “It’s just taken me that long to get back,’ he said.
The Brisbane based team are raising money for Orthopaedic Outreach Australia, an organisation that Pincus is Board Director of, and which enables Australian orthopaedic teams to travel overseas to treat patients in need and educate local staff. They’re holding a raffle to guess their finish time and the prize is a $1000 bottle of wine.
Bacardi
It’s a first time in Sydney- Hobart for Ollie van der Slot from Bacardi, and for Cosmas Papatsaris it’s number three. As Papatsaras told Irresistible, “It must be Co-owner and Skipper Brett Avery’s tenth time. A couple in the team are on number for or five.” They are a crew that know each other well. “We sail regularly together out of Sandringham Yacht Club near Melbourne,” Papatsaris said. “More often than not we’re together every week. We’re a good crew. We always want to race hard but have fun doing it. And we do. Everyone keeps saying the first 24-30 hours are going to be tough, but we look forward to that.”
van der Slot added, “Bacardi is officially know as The Bus. This boat has done has done more Sydney Hobarts than any other vessel. It’ll be downwind at the start. It’ll be quick. He also told a previous press conference,” I saw my dad leave on Boxing Day to go racing, his arrival in Hobart was something I always looked forward to. It was our goal to finish the race together, so I will be racing this year to honour my dad.”
Clockwork and Orange Sky
The Clockwork team from South Australia left Adelaide on 1st June, and have done 8000 nautical miles, all the way up the coast to Townsville and back, competing in all manner of races and regattas on the way. They have three brilliant women on board. Skipper Mary Ann Harvey told Irresistible, “We’re proudly supporting Orange Sky, a Brisbane based organisation that supports people living on the streets, with laundry services, showers, and community for people who are doing it tough. We’ve been raising money for them all the way.” When asked about the boat she said, “Myself and the other owner Andrew Lloyd bought the boat 2 years ago to do the Hobart. We did O.K. last year but we got in bad weather and there’s images of us right in the middle of it everywhere. We have a stronger crew and better systems this time to deal with heavy weather, so I’m feeling good about it. Last year was 85% upwind, and this year it’s going to be 85% downwind, so it’ll be fast and furious, and more comfortable. We’re good to go.”
Bacchanal
24 year old Declan McGranahan from Florida is sailing in the Rolex Sydney Hobart for the first time. Mainly competing in races around Miami and New York, when the opportunity to get on board in this race came up, he jumped at the chance. As he told Irresistible, “I first walked around the CYCA when I was seven years old. My dad was in Sydney Hobart and we came to see him off. It’s been a lifelong dream ever since.” When asked if he had any top tips from his dad he said, “The main one was don’t fall in.”
Bacchanal has a mainly US crew and owner and skipper Ronald Epstein has been winning plenty of titles recently. In last year’s Rolex Big Boat Series, his J/133, also named Bacchanal, was second in ORC Division A. In April 2024, at Charleston Race Week and new to the Melges 20 class, he sailed that Bacchanal to third in class. In June, Epstein was back aboard his J/133 for California Offshore Race Week Series – Coastal Cup and placed third in Division C. Although new to the country and the Rolex Sydney Hobart, with a new boat, Bacchanal could well win the Rolex Sydney Hobart. Bacchanal’s first race was the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Bird Island Race in November and she finished a promising sixth overall. She then backed that up with a third overall in the Cabbage Tree Island Race in December. As Epstein told an earlier press conference, “We are thrilled to compete in Australia for the upcoming season, with more major races on the horizon.”
Poulpito
This will be Poulpito and her owner David Treguier’s second Sydney Hobart, competing for the first time in 2022 when they finished 69th overall and third in the Sydney 38 Division. Poulpito finished third overall in the 2022 Groupama Around New Caledonia Race. They’re next big race will the next postponed Groupama Around New Caledonia Race which should be happening in June.
Landrieu told Irresistible he last competed in Rolex Sydney Hobart in 2017. “But David and the boat did it in 2022. We’re pretty happy about the forecast. Maybe some heavy weather on the first day. Something probably very tricky around Tasmania. But overall I think it’s OK. It’s very intense and strategic in the first 24 hours so we’re just thinking about that.” When asked about tackling Sydney- Hobart, he said,”The first time is pretty impressive and a little scary. The second time is better as you know what to expect. We’re more prepared this time after all our previous experiences so it should be cool.” The team only arrived four days ago in Sydney and have been totally focused on preparation. “We will go the water today and try some sails and some set- ups. We haven’t had any time to get out into Sydney, so we’ll get some shots in front of the Opera House on the boat to send back today to the family. We’ll be checking the weather again and again.”
Six past Overall winners racing this year:
Alive (2018 and 2023)
Centennial 7 (2022), which won the race as Celestial
Love & War (1974, 1978, 2006), one of only three yachts to have won Overall on three separate occasions (Freya, Love & War, and Ichi Ban)
Porco Rosso (2013) which won as Victoire
Unicoin (1992), which won the race as Assassin
Wild Oats/Wild Rose, won in 1993 and 2014 respectively
Extra information
- The 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart starts in Sydney Harbour at 1300 hours AEDT on Thursday 26 December
- This is the 79th edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart. The inaugural race was conducted in 1945 and has run every year since, apart from 2020, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- The race is 628 nautical miles
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