sydney to hobart yacht race results 2022

Andoo Comanche takes out Sydney to Hobart as supermaxi makes race history

Australian supermaxi Andoo Comanche secured a fourth line honours victory in the gruelling Sydney-Hobart ocean race Wednesday, but fell short of setting a new course record.

The 100-foot yacht, skippered by John Winning Jnr, triumphed in a nail-biting finish in the early hours of Wednesday after leading the blue water classic for much of the race.

It completed a quartet of line honours wins for the boat in the prestigious event since 2015 under a third different owner.

Andoo Comanche crossed with a time of one day, 11 hours, 56 minutes and 48 seconds -- about 20 minutes in front of rival supermaxi Law Connect -- and just under three hours short of its own record.

The current race record of one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds was set by the same Comanche boat under a different skipper in 2017.

Winning Jnr was part of the team that won the event in 2016, but said it was something special to skipper his own crew.

“To do it in a campaign that I was part of putting together is really quite exceptional,” he told national broadcaster ABC.

Last year’s defending champion Black Jack crossed third, followed by Wild Oats, which fell behind after tearing one of its sails earlier in the race.

The 109-strong racing fleet set off from a sun-splashed Sydney Harbour on Monday afternoon, charting their way through the 628-nautical mile course (1163km) to Hobart.

Favourable weather early in the race raised the prospect of toppling that mark, but the strong winds faded as the boats barrelled towards the finish line in Hobart.

The Bass Strait, which separates Tasmania from the mainland, can unleash perilous conditions.

A deep depression proved catastrophic for the fleet in 1998, when six sailors were killed and 55 more were rescued after five boats sank.

Race officials on Tuesday evening said only three of the starting fleet had been forced to retire so far.

One of them, 40-foot yacht Yeah Baby, withdrew less than four hours into the race after reportedly colliding with a massive sunfish.

Dozens of smaller yachts were still in the water Wednesday morning, competing for the handicap prize, which compensates for boat size.

READ BELOW FOR A FULL WRAP OF ALL THE ACTION FROM THE RACE!

Comanche held a consistent lead of 20 nautical miles throughout the afternoon as it moved towards the Derwent with LawConnect telling the Nine papers they expect to arrive at Constitution Dock in Hobart at around 2am AEDT.

As darkness neared, Wild Oats XI fell back into fourth having suffered sail damage overnight while reigning line honours winner Black Jack was third, some five nautical miles behind LawConnect.

FOLLOW THE LIVE RACE TRACKER HERE

Comanche led the fleet into Bass Strait in the early morning, but slipping well behind LDV Comanche’s race record from 2017. Three of the four supermaxis (100-plus-footers) ran well east of the rhumbline to take advantage of marginally stronger winds, before turning back towards the coast of Tasmania around midday.

There were two retirements on the first day, with two-hander Avalanche the first to pull back to shore with a damaged bowsprit after a collision with Llama II just outside the Sydney Heads. Llama II escaped with only superficial damage.

Yeah Baby then retired in the evening after sustaining rudder damage near Wollongong due to a collision with a sunfish, but returned safely to Sydney.

Koa then became the third retirement after breaking her rudder, and is set to be towed to Eden on the NSW south coast, leaving 106 yachts still in the race. Enterprise Next Generation put in a request for redress after helping their stricken rival.

WILD OATS COPS DAMAGE OVERNIGHT

Hamilton Island Wild Oats came within 0.3 nautical miles of Black Jack around 2am overnight in the hunt for third position, before Black Jack surged in the early morning.

The pair traded positions throughout the day, with Wild Oats taking a line significantly closer to rhumbline.

It followed a wild start where both Comanche and Wild Oats were forced to take penalty turns following a series of near-misses in Sydney Harbour (more below).

Wild Oats - hunting a record tenth line honours win - then suffered damage to one of their two largest sails overnight.

Their veteran crewman Chris Links told NewsLocal a seam across one of their large downwind sails split, requiring running repairs on deck.

“It is not an easy job,’’ Links said.

“It has a cable in it and we had to do the repair on deck.

“It took around one and a half hours to repair.’’

LIVE STREAM

Watch live on-board action from LawConnect below.

WILD START CAUSES CHAOS

“Protest, get the flag up, that was f***ing bull***t,” someone yelled on Andoo Comanche in the first two minutes after being cut off by rival supermaxis LawConnect and Black Jack.

URM and LawConnect were also “inches” away from crashing into each other, according to URM skipper Ashley-Jones.

Less than a minute later, one of the crew was heard barking: “you’re asking for a clusterf***, we’re going to be in a collision,” and labelled one rival a “f***ing idiot”.

Comanche hit a turning mark as it exited the heads and was later spotted flying a protest flag of their own, after another boat protested them.

On Wild Oats, which took two penalty turns, skipper Mark Richards could be heard yelling “furl, furl, we are going to do a 720 (penalty turn)”.

Wild Oats famously lost the win in 2017 upon arrival in Hobart, after being handed a one-hour penalty for a rule breach over an incident with Comanche.

That race saw the record time set, with 2022’s Comanche roughly eight nautical miles behind the 2017 edition’s pace late on Monday night and falling further back overnight.

EARLY RACE UPDATES AND PREVIEW (via AFP)

More than 100 yachts set sail Monday on the Sydney-Hobart race as favourable winds raised hopes for a record time in one of the world’s most punishing ocean events.

Fans gathered at coastal vantage points and on spectator boats in a sun-splashed Sydney Harbour, which hours earlier had been shrouded in a thick fog that halted all ferry traffic.

The starting cannon fired to release 109 yachts on the 628-nautical mile (1,200-kilometre) blue water classic.

Crews dashed to get out of the city’s harbour on the first leg of the race down Australia’s eastern coast and across the treacherous Bass Strait towards the finish line in the Tasmanian state capital.

A final weather briefing on race day predicted “fresh to strong” north to northeasterly winds in the next day or so, giving the fastest, 100-foot supermaxi yachts a chance to challenge Comanche’s 2017 record of one day, 9 hours, 15min and 24sec.

Mark Richards, skipper of nine-time line honours-winning supermaxi Wild Oats, said his crew was buoyant after preparing for exactly these conditions.

“We put all our eggs in one basket and we put all our money on black for a downwind forecast and we have ended up getting it,” he told public broadcaster ABC.

“I think Wild Oats is going to be very fast,” Richards added. “The world is going to find out who is the fastest boat downwind.”

Wild Oats is competing for line honours against three rival supermaxis: Andoo Comanche, last year’s line honours winner Black Jack, and LawConnect.

Weather is a critical factor in the race, which was first held in 1945. Though the supermaxis are expected to be powered by northerly winds to a quick finish as early as Tuesday, slower mid- to small-sized boats will still be in the water in the following days facing possible gales and changes in wind direction.

In 1998, when a deep depression exploded over the fleet in the Bass Strait, six men died, five boats sank and 55 sailors were rescued.

Black Jack took line honours last year after a tight tussle with LawConnect, ending years of frustrating near misses to cross the finish line on the River Derwent after two days, 12 hours, 37min and 17sec.

Ichi Ban, which is not racing this year, was the 2021 winner of the overall handicap prize, which takes into account the yachts’ sizes. The boat pipped rival Celestial in a race where dangerous waves and weather conditions saw many withdraw.

International boats are making a return after the race was cancelled in 2020 for the first time due to the pandemic, and Covid hit the fleet last year.

Entrants come from Germany (Orione), Hong Kong (Antipodes), Hungary (Cassiopeia 68), New Caledonia (Eye Candy and Poulpito), New Zealand (Caro), Britain (Sunrise) and the United States (Warrior Won).

Sunrise is a proven ocean racer, winning the 2021 Fastnet Race in Britain, while Caro has been tipped to take out overall handicap honours, although skipper Max Klink played down his prospects ahead of the race saying: “I do not think we are the favourite.”

Published on December 30th, 2022 | by Editor

Two-Handed results for Sydney Hobart

Published on December 30th, 2022 by Editor -->

Rupert Henry and Greg O’Shea have sailed Henry’s Lombard 34 Mistral to victory in the Two-Handed Division of the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, the pair also claiming the Two-Handed ORCi win and third place in the Corinthian IRC division.   Henry and O’Shea placed 29th overall in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s (CYCA) 628 nautical mile race, finishing with an elapsed time of 03:05:26:12 on December 29.   In the Two-Handed Division, they beat their nearest rivals, Sun Fast Racing (Lee Condell and Lincoln Dews), by more than three hours on corrected time. Peter Elkington and Scott Cavanough on Pacman were third, as Elkington battled the odds to make the start line, doing last minute jobs.   Henry had a similar problem, as he left the country to take on the single-handed Route du Rhum with his Class40 boat Eora. Unfortunately, he retired with structural failure before returning to Sydney to make final preparations for the Sydney Hobart.   At the start, life was not easy, according to Henry: “It was rough – and sailing shorthanded especially. The start is chaos. The exit from the Harbor is very hard. This time, starting on third line upwind, there was no clear air.   “We were confident in ourselves, though the boat preparation was rushed, because I was away doing the Route du Rhum,” said Henry.   “That was on my mind, especially when we had rudder troubles east of Eddystone Point (around 185 nautical miles from the finish). I thought ‘here we go’. The port rudder and bracket parted company and both are linked. So we set up a system. We jury rigged and finished.   “At one stage we thought we could get to Tasman before the southerly, but we didn’t get there, even though we went hard. On the night of the 27th, it was blowing 25 knots, but not a cloud in the sky, it was crystal clear.”   The yachtsman felt the front pattern came in too soon. “We were praying for it to come in on the night of the 28th, but it came in the afternoon. The wind was very soft on the first night. I thought we would be further down the coast on the second morning than we were.   “We had problems with our satellite connection, so couldn’t download a lot,” he said.   “I thought about my Dad out there a lot, when I was thinking to myself ‘this is too hard’ – and he’s a lot older than me,” he said of David Henry, who also sailed two-handed on Philosopher and placed 14th in the division with co-skipper, Stephen Prince.   “I got out of bed at 5am to watch him come in.”   On the good side, Henry said, “We had a great match race with Sunrise (the UK JPK 11.80 of Thomas Kneen). That was a highlight for me. We were talking to them – we were that close.”   The most demanding part of the race, “was the afternoon and night of 27th and it was the most exhilarating downwind sailing I’ve ever done. We were sailing the boat at its limit. We saw 22 knots.   “I was amazed at how nicely the boat handled. The Lombard 34s and the Jeanneau 3300s (there were four in the race) are good in big seas downwind. They are very fast for their size.”   Mistral’s skipper believes two-handed racing is a prestigious part of the event now.   “It’s a high profile race and we put together the best campaign we all can, so yes, it’s a big deal to win.”   Will they return for the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart? “I think so. And with this boat. I think I’ve been changing boats too much. The Lombard 34 is just right.”

Race details – Tracker – Results – Facebook

The 628 nm Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is the 77th edition in 2022 and had a fleet of 109 boats for the start on December 26. One hundred fifty seven teams set off in 2019, but since then the 2020 race was cancelled due to the pandemic with 88 entries in 2021.

From the start in Sydney Harbour, the fleet sails out into the Tasman Sea, down the south-east coast of mainland Australia, across Bass Strait (which divides the mainland from the island State of Tasmania), then down the east coast of Tasmania. At Tasman Island the fleet turns right into Storm Bay for the final sail up the Derwent River to the historic port city of Hobart.

Source: RSHYR

Tags: Greg O’Shea , Lombard 34 , Rupert Henry , Sydney Hobart

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Rolex Sydney to Hobart, full Doyle Sails results.

A colourful sea of spinnakers showcased a captivating procession out of Sydney Heads for the start of the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race on Boxing Day. 109 boats started the 77th edition of the race in 10-15 knots of breeze under the glorious sun and blue skies, belying the thick fog that blanketed Sydney at dawn.

In this year’s race, Doyle Sails was proud to support more than forty entries as they vied for victory throughout all divisions. Backed by many Doyle Sails lofts both in Australia and worldwide, it is a true testament to the outstanding performance and service delivered throughout the Doyle Sails network.  

Congratulations to all yachts and crews that took part in this year’s iconic race, particularly those powered by Doyle Sails (highlighted in bold).

Line Honours

• Andoo Comanche

IRC Overall

• Enterprise Next Generation
• Alegria Republic

• South Brittany
• Midnight Rambler
• White Bay 6 Azzuro

ORC Overall

• Sun Fast Racing

Corinthian IRC

• Pretty Woman

Corinthian PHS

2 Handed IRC

2 Handed ORC

For full results, please visit the Rolex Sydney Hobart website here .

ABOUT DOYLE SAILS //  Around the world, Doyle Sails has over 500 sailmakers in 46 different locations, all equally passionate about sailing – living and breathing our ethos ’Global Leaders and Local Experts.’

As sailors, our obsession with sailing connects us to the water. The water is our playground, a sanctuary where we seek enjoyment, a competitive playing field where we race as competitors; it’s sometimes our home and always a place that unlocks our sense of adventure wherever that adventure might take us. Behind every adventure is a Doyle sailor who shares this same obsession as you. We put your journey at the very heart of what we do to deliver the ultimate enjoyment and performance, powering our constant need to push the boundaries in sail design and innovation, to reimagine sailing.

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100 yachts entered for 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

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Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2023

Fast and dramatic start to 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

• 26 Dec, 2022 04:34:00 PM

The 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race got off to a fast and dramatic start today.

The assisting downwind conditions once the boats turned right at the Heads could see the first boat cross the finish line as early as tomorrow night.   The 1pm start on Sydney Harbour got underway in north to north easterly 10-15 knot winds, under glorious sun and blue skies, belying the thick fog that blanketed Sydney at dawn.   Moments after the fleet of 109 boats began their 628 nautical mile race, the race between the four maxis was impacted by drama.   Three of the maxis took the western channel on Sydney Harbour –   Andoo Comanche, Black Jack   and   LawConnect ; while   Hamilton Island Wild Oats   immediately tacked for the eastern side. From there, the fleet regularly tacked up the Harbour to make their way out of the Heads.   Amidst the action that also saw the mid to small size boats make the best of their starts, a standout sight was that of the John Winning Jr-skippered   Andoo Comanche   executing a 720-degree penalty turn due to a possible protest against them.    Hamilton Island Wild Oats , skippered by Mark Richards, also undertook a penalty turn, despite not knowing if it had been required to or not – perhaps they were remembering 2017 when a rule infringement cost them Line Honours and the race record to   LDV Comanche .   By 3pm, the race also had its first drop out, with the Hick 40   Avalanche , a two-handed entry owned by James Murchison and co-skippered by James Francis, reporting a broken bowsprit, reducing the fleet to 108 boats and 19 two-handed entries.   The four maxis were so close in the race to the Heads, they looked set for a thrilling scenario towards the finish down the Derwent River in Hobart, with a couple of red protest flags seen fluttering. The honour of being first out went to   LawConnect , ahead of   Hamilton Island Wild Oats.   Black Jack , the Botin 80   Stefan Racing,   the Reichel/Pugh 72   URM Group ,  Andoo Comanche   and the Reichel/Pugh 69   Moneypenny   were next out in that order. Following close behind were the dozen TP52s, led by   Celestial.   The sight of the fleet heading south towards Tasmania was superb, especially amidst the heightened anticipation of whether or not the Line Honours record would be broken or not.   LDV Comanche   (then owned by Jim Cooney/Samantha Grant) currently holds the record of 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, 24 seconds.   Today’s Rolex Sydney Hobart race start lived up to every expectation on so many fronts. The brilliant summer conditions aside, it attracted a huge spectator fleet, made up of boats of all sizes. Meanwhile, crowds flocked to the key vantage point on land, especially at South Head.   The race, in a fleet that included 20 two-handed entries, was as fast and spectacular as expected once the yachts turned right for Hobart, with the wind behind them.   At the 1pm start, the boats jockeyed for position from four designated start lines, assigned depending on their size and class.   Rupert Guinness/RSHYR Media

Congratulations to all the divisional winners of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2023

PHOTOS | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Official Prizegiving

PHOTOS | Day 5 Morning - Tasman Island and Storm Bay

PHOTOS | Day 5 and Day 6 finishers

PHOTOS | Official Presentation of Tattersall Cup and Rolex Timepiece to the Overall Winner

2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race - A Race for the Ages

VIDEO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race - Rolex Daily Video Summary

VIDEO | Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2023

VIDEO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Official Prizegiving

VIDEO | Race Update - 31 December Morning

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 10

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AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 8

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• Line Honours

Full Standings available approximately three hours after the start.

OFFICIAL ROLEX SYDNEY HOBART MERCHANDISE

Shop the official clothing range of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in person at the Club in New South Head Road, Darling Point or online below.  

From casual to technical clothing, there is something for all occasions. Be quick as stock is limited!

Yacht Mark Twain being refurbished in bid to compete in Sydney to Hobart race once more

For the better part of five decades, one yacht returned to the starting line of the Sydney to Hobart race more than any other.

The timber and fibreglass hulled Mark Twain was built in 1971 and has competed in the race a record-breaking 26 times.

But since its last effort in 2018, it has languished at port.

The yacht's new owner, Rob Payne, who refers to himself as the boat's custodian, has grand plans to refurbish the vessel, a Sparkman and Stephens 39, and return the Mark Twain to its former glory.

Although he hopes to return the boat to the starting line of the Sydney to Hobart, he also believes the yacht can be used for a greater good.

Along with Beaconsfield mine disaster survivor Brant Webb , Mr Payne has plans to establish a group called Old Saltys, which will aim to use sailing as a vessel to empower youth through sharing knowledge.

"Sailing is a metaphor for life. You've got to trim your sails and set your course and you're gonna get buffeted around," he said.

The Old Salty's motto will be 'well-weathered wisdom', and the men believe they have a lot of life experience they can share with young people anywhere Mark Twain can sail.

Mine collapse survivor finds solace on the sea

Brant Webb, who was one of two miners rescued after spending 14 days trapped almost a kilometre underground when a Tasmanian mine collapsed in 2006, says sailing helped him after the ordeal.

"After Beaconsfield, if I was having a bad day I'd call up the GP and he'd say 'get the boat ready, we're going sailing'.

"I've been sailing since I was eight years old. All my life. That's the great thing about it, you can turn your phone off out there and no-one can find you."

Mr Webb said the Old Saltys group was intended for "sailors who are too old to race and too young to cruise".

"It gives us old folk a new lease on life. The whole thing is to connect people, to put the unity in community, which we lost during COVID."

Mr Payne, a recent transplant from New Zealand, said he was heartbroken by the condition of the Mark Twain when he first found it in 2020.

"When I saw it, it broke my heart," he said, adding that he had the opportunity to "do something about" refurbishing the "old girl".

"We're only ever the custodians of these extraordinary vessels."

Once a fine racing yacht, the Mark Twain had fallen into disrepair in port at George Town in recent years.

From its first entry in the Sydney to Hobart in 1971, the boat long held the steadily increasing record for the greatest number of entries in the iconic race, even managing to clinch podium finishes for its class on several occasions.

Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, it competed in more than 20 Sydney to Hobart races, and in 2002 became the first-ever boat to have sailed in 25.

"Thousands of men and women have sailed on this beautiful vessel," Mr Payne said.

It was bought and refurbished for its 26th entry by veteran Sydney to Hobart skipper Michael Spies in 2018, but that was the last time it took part.

Mr Payne spent several months last year refurbishing the boat's hull himself and on Wednesday, March 27, the mast and boom were removed to be restored by a Beauty Point shipwright.

Along with Mr Webb, he hopes to take the Mark Twain around Tasmania, Australia and New Zealand and share their knowledge of the seas.

"My encouragement to youth is to get into sailing and you know, become part of the community within those sailing clubs," Mr Payne said.

"You don't necessarily have to own a huge boat … you can be in a little sabot [dinghy] and have that experience on the water. It's life changing and transformational."

He is keen to share the refurbishment project with anyone who wants to be involved and hopes the Mark Twain will sail again in the next two to three years.

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