What Date Is The Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race?

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) is inviting eligible boats to participate in the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, a historic 628-nautical mile blue water classic. The race will start on Sydney Harbour at 1300 hrs AEDT on December 26, 2024, and will continue with the firing of a starting cannon at 1.00pm on Boxing Day, December 26. The race is considered one of the most challenging sailing events in the world, taking around 1.5 days to complete.

The top three yachts all are over 60ft and early finishers, with smaller boats also participating. The ceremonial cannon is fired at 1pm AEDT on Boxing Day, marking the start of the race. The race typically begins on Boxing Day and proceeds over the following 3 to 4 days. Winners usually cross the finish line.

The race takes a 4-5 day sail to Hobart, arriving on December 30-31st. Upon arrival, participants will sail past the crowd on Constitution Dock before sailing 628 nautical miles of salt, sweat, and stamina. The 78th edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race will go down in history as a relentlessly demanding test of determination, physical and mental resilience. The race is considered one of the world’s toughest and most prestigious yacht races to date.


📹 The deadly Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race | Four Corners

To mark the 20th anniversary of the deadly 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, Four Corners unearthed this archive episode …


What date is the sydney to hobart yacht race today
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Have all boats finished the Sydney to Hobart?

ROLEX SYDNEY HOBART: Six Yachts Finished – 81 Still Racing – Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.

Just six yachts have so far finished the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, the varied and squally conditions making it difficult for the fleet to sail a simple and quick race, to the point where the next yacht due to cross the finish line is David Gotze’s No Limit (Vic), expected to cross the finish line around midday.

A text from Brad Kellett, reported from Geoff Hill’s Hong Kong entry Antipodes this morning, says it all about the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s race, the first ‘traditional’ style race in some years.

“Hi from Lindsay May’s 50th race,” Kellett said of navigator’s 50th consecutive Sydney Hobart. Well, he’s getting a real Hobart. We’ve had everything except hard running conditions.

How much does it cost to enter the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
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Who won Sydney to Hobart in 2024?

Hine and his crew had to play a waiting game until this morning when the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia declared Alive the winner of the prestigious Tattersall Cup. Hine said he felt more at ease during the waiting game “for that confirmation than in 2018. I felt a lot more confident about it than in 2018,” he said. “I thought it was going to be hard to lose from where we were. If someone had knocked us off, they would have deserved it.”

Hine lauded his 14 crew that included navigator Adrienne Cahalan for whom it was a 31st Sydney Hobart (a record for women), and New Zealanders Gavin Brady and Stu Bannatyne and the rest of the crew.We worked so hard all the way through that race. Everyone put in 100 per cent,” Hine said.”You don’t always walk away feeling like you’ve done the best you could have personally, but I don’t think anyone would have hopped off the boat feeling they could haveput more in.”

Skipper: Duncan Hine, Sailing Master: Gavin Brady, Navigator: Adrienne Cahalan, Darren Jones, Shane Gaddes, Stu Bannatyne, Sam Tiedemann, Dean Van Teylingen, Silas Nolan, Brad Farrand, Sean O’Rourke, Logan Andersen, Christopher Cowan.

What is the longest boat in the Sydney to Hobart race?

At 97-feet in length, Canon is the largest yacht in the fleet, and one of the largest yachts ever entered. Canon’s crew list reads like a who’s who of ocean racing, with 49 Fastnet and 9 Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Races between them, and three currently competing with Team GBR in Auckland. Their experience makes this boat Shockwave’s greatest threat for line honours.

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race 2024
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What is the prize money for the Sydney Hobart yacht race?

What is the prize for Sydney to Hobart?. There’s no prize money – just trophies. Here’s the two main ones:

  • JH Illingworth Challenge Cup: This is for the line honours winner – which is the first boat to cross the finish line.
  • Tattersalls Cup: This goes to the overall winner.

What’s the Sydney to Hobart record?. The line honours record is 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds.

If you’ve got even more questions, go read out Sydney to Hobart explaineror tap the link below to jump back to the top of the story.

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race 2025
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Do Sydney to Hobart crews get paid?

Some crews get paid while others have to pay for the privilege, but wherever you look, the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race is awash with big money.

English cricket’s “barmy army” makes its presence felt but can’t get involved in the actual play. Taking that one big step further will be 13 members of the English crew of Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race competitor Formula 1 Sailing.com.

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Sydney to Hobart Yacht race 2024 dates
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What is the slowest time on the Sydney to Hobart yacht race?

The Sydney–Hobart Yacht Race, arguably the world’s greatest ocean race, began when Jack Earl, a marine artist, planned a cruise from Sydney to Hobart on the family ketch, leaving on Boxing Day, 1945. Friends decided to make a race of it, and eventually nine yachts took part. The winner of both handicap and line honours, John Illingworth’s Rani, took 6 days, 14 hours, 22 minutes, while Peter Luke’s Wayfarer still holds the record for the slowest time: 11 days, 6 hours, 20 minutes. Nokia’s 1999 journey was the fastest – 1 day, 19 hours, 48 minutes.

The fleet has averaged eighty yachts, with a record 371 yachts for the race’s fiftieth anniversary in 1994. Visitors throng Constitution Dock in Hobart to see the entrants, which range in size from the tiny Klinger, 8.23 metres long, to super high-tech maxis that dominate the quest for Line Honours. The closest finish was in 1982 when Condor of Bermuda beat Apollo across the line by seven seconds.

Not all yachts make the finish, and rough weather can cause many withdrawals. In 1993, only 38 yachts finished out of 110 starters. A total of nine sailors have drowned, with the worst year by far 1998, when in exceptionally rough weather, six sailors died. But there are sailors for whom the Sydney-Hobart is an integral part of their life. Sixty yachtsmen have sailed in 25 or more races. Tasmanian John Bennetto holds the record of 43 races, finishing in eighteen consecutive races as owner/skipper of Mirrabooka.

Sydney to Hobart results
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Where can I watch Hobart International?

Stan Sport Watch Hobart International on Stan Sport.

Mertens v Navarro – Final – Hobart International 2024.

Yuan v Navarro – Semi Final – Hobart International 2024.

Mertens v Saville – Semi Final – Hobart International 2024.

Sydney to Hobart yacht race disaster
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How much did the Law Connect yacht cost Sydney Hobart?

In an ending that will be retold for years to come, Christian Beck’s $1.6 million boat LawConnect claimed line honours, but the tech millionaire says he had little to do with the stellar effort.

Beck says he doesn’t really come from sailing stock and is not taking credit for the win.

“To be honest, I don’t actually do much on that boat. I find it performs better when I’m asleep,” he says.

How long does the Sydney to Hobart race take
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What is the top speed of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race?

In 2017, LDV Comanche set a new race record finishing in 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds, beating Perpetual Loyal’s record of 1 day, 13 hours, 31 minutes and 20 seconds, set the previous year. Wild Oats XI, who crossed the line first, received a 1-hour penalty for her role in a near-miss collision at the beginning of the race and disregard of the starboard rule, handing LDV Comanche line honours. Wild Oats XI completed the course in an unofficial record time of 1 day, 08 hours, 48 minutes and 50 seconds.

Wild Oats XI has won line honours on 9 separate occasions (2005–2008, 2010, 2012–2014, 2018) and is the first boat to have claimed the treble – race record, line honours and overall winner.

The Bass Strait, and the waters of the Pacific Ocean immediately to its east are renowned for their high winds and difficult seas. Although the race mostly takes place in the Tasman Sea, the shallowness of Bass Strait and the proximity to the race course means that the fleet is very much under the influence of the Strait as they transit from the mainland to Flinders Island. Even though the race is held in the Australian summer, southerly buster storms often make the Sydney–Hobart race cold, bumpy, and very challenging for the crew. It is typical for a considerable number of yachts to retire, often at Eden on the New South Wales south coast, the last sheltered harbour before Flinders Island.

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race history
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What time does the Sydney to Hobart race start?

With thousands of spectator vessels, helicopters overhead and hundreds of thousands of people lining the Sydney waterfront and cliff tops, the race start at 1pm on Boxing Day each year is an Australian sporting tradition. We’ll assemble in Sydney late on Christmas Day, start the race at 1pm on Boxing Day and arrive in Hobart in time for New Years celebrations, the Taste of Tasmania Festival and a range of great local activities and sights. It’s an absolutely unique experience from the moment to land in Sydney to the time you depart Hobart.

Crew registration. Note: to secure your place for this event, a 50% deposit is required following registration.

The 630nm route from Sydney to Hobart across the infamous Bass Strait.

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024
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Where can I watch the Sydney to Hobart on TV?

How can I watch it?. Race sponsor Rolex says the start will be broadcast live on the Seven Network throughout Australia and live and on demand on the 7Plus app.

Internationally, the race will be available through YouTube on the CYCATV channel or via Rolex Sydney Hobart’s Facebook page.

If you are in Sydney and on the water, spectators who wish to watch the start but not follow the fleet are advised to stick to the “western side of the harbour”.

Spectators watch the start of the 2022 Sydney to Hobart race.(Getty Images: Jenny Evans)

How long does it take to fly from Sydney to Hobart?
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How long does it take to fly from Sydney to Hobart?

1 hour and 55 minutes The average flight time for direct flights from Sydney to Hobart is 1 hour and 55 minutes. The average distance by plane from Sydney to Hobart is 1150 kilometres.


📹 Why Doesn’t the Sydney Hobart Race Allow Multihulls?!?!?

The Sydney Hobart is one of the pre-eminent mixed-fleet yacht races in the world. The race takes place every year starting on …


What Date Is The Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race
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Debbie Green

I am a school teacher who was bitten by the travel bug many decades ago. My husband Billy has come along for the ride and now shares my dream to travel the world with our three children.The kids Pollyanna, 13, Cooper, 12 and Tommy 9 are in love with plane trips (thank goodness) and discovering new places, experiences and of course Disneyland.

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  • A typical argument is that multihulls are not allowed in the Sydney Hobart for reasons related to safety, and in particular that multihulls typically cannot right themselves once inverted. At the same time several maxi trimarans have successfully broken global circumnavigation records, and in doing so have sailed right past the South East Cape of Tasmania, including IDEC Sport which managed 10 consecutive days above 800 nautical miles in the Southern Ocean. These maxi trimarans must meet World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations for Category 0 trans-oceanic races (sailing.org/inside-world-sailing/rules-regulations/offshore-special-regulations/) “which pass through areas in which air or sea temperatures are likely to be less than 5°C (41°F) other than temporarily, where boats must be completely self-sufficient for very extended periods of time, capable of withstanding heavy storms and prepared to meet serious emergencies without the expectation of outside assistance.”\r The Sidney Hobart does not use the World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations but instead uses the Australian Sailing Special Regulations (cdn.revolutionise.com.au/site/uoa1gvknbxk0adjq.pdf) which are similar but have a few differences. The Sydney Hobart is a Category 1 race which includes “offshore races of long distance and well offshore, where boats must be self-sufficient for extended periods of time, capable of withstanding heavy storms and prepared to meet serious emergencies without the expectation of outside assistance.

  • Shaun Langman’s Team Australia, a French built 60 foot trimaran holds the outright record for the Sydney to Hobart. Shaun also owns and sails the oldest and shortest yacht In the race. His son raced it this year. Shaun has partitioned the SCYC to allow him to race his tri in a seperate class of course. Australia has a great history of multihulls designers like the late Lock Crowther. Your comments are spot on. It’s about money.

  • April, 1992: Fred Gan’s F-31 OSTAC TRIUMPH wins the bi-annual Australian Offshore Multihull Championships. In the associated Brisbane to Gladstone Ocean Race, BOBSLED, a 67 foot million dollar racing monohull, made headlines in breaking the monohull record by an impressive hour and a half. The trailerable F-31 (a family cruiser) had caught and passed BOBSLED finishing an hour and fifteen minutes ahead! Ostac Triumph Bobsled – somewhat larger and a lot more expensive

  • As someone that has done 5 Hobart’s, I really hope they don’t ever allow multihulls. I have nothing against them, but a lot of the appeal of the Hobart is that it still feels like a traditional race. I like up next to boats like Comanche and they just look like a bigger faster version of us. You get that with multihulls. These big offshore, foiling multis are so far removed from anything else it takes away from the competitive feel of the race. I also don’t really know how they handicap them. You talk exclusively about line honours which is what the media focuses on, but the actual race is an IRC race. Can you fairly handicap a trimaran to a 34 ft monohull?

  • Personally I see Mono and Multi-hulls as two very different animals. Same a foils vs no foils. In other terms like matching Stock Cars with F1 cars. Totally different IMHO. Remember when Americas Cup racers were required to sail their 12 Meter boats from home port to defenders port in order to qualify for the race? That and when Dinosaurs roamed the earth.

  • Shaun had a 60ft tri ready as did Vodaphone, there have been a few large Crowthers ready. Scallywag racing has a tri ready as well as a few large Schionings and French Outremers. S2H has become a protect obsecure group of insular minority preventing the best sailing to be displayed. If you want spectacular go multihull like GP sailing coming to Sydney in Feb.

  • As a multihull sailor, it is hard to give the huge budget, half boats the credit they desire. It is not that I don’t admire the grace and technology of them… it is the simple fact that all craft has a purpose. Multihulls are for speed. I understand the old guard and the investment made by the owners of the huge maxi’s. it is hard, however, to give full credit to a race that only allows the half boats. I understand we all have our views but it should be noted that we see it as a race of tall ships or couta boats. They are beautiful though 😊

  • to me we the French have a real expertise in multihull. It was Eric Tabarly the first to think that multihulls could have big benefits vs monohull so i can understand that some races are just open to monohull and national companies because of the money invested…even if it’s not very fair and representative of the modern sailing…i think futur is multihulls (GP is a good exemple) and monohull scow (another French creation and expertise)

  • I am sure these multi hulls designed to sail around the world could manage the Hobart, though 600 miles sitting right on the edge of the continental shelf, especially across Bass Strait would contain some nasty wave forms different from the southern ocean. My question is, where would they put them. The Marina’s around Hobart are not set up for them and why invest in docking space for a type of boat which is of relatively little interest to the sailing community to actually sail, and only might turn up for a couple of days a year.

  • Not only should multihulls not be allowed in the Hobart, but nor should vessels who’s systems require an engine to run 24/7 to power them, as do the current crop of 100 footers. Yep, sorry to burst your bubble but Comanche, Wild Oats XI, Blackjack, etc all need a 150 hp diesel engine running the whole time to power the winches and hydraulics that are used to trim the sails, canting keels and dagger boards etc. So essentially they’re motorboats. How is this sailing?

  • Ocean racing would be far more interesting, and produce healthier boats that contribute more to yacht design, if there were a cargo requirement. This could also help even out the multi/mono divide. Race entries are to be weighed on a travel lift. Just before the race the cargo is announced, loaded, and secured. Cargo is apportioned as a percentage of boat mass. The exact cargo makeup and % of mass is not known ahead of time. It is randomly generated from allowable ranges just before loading. It is always a mix chosen from predetermined forms simulating traditional cargo: long lumber, cylindrical barrels of dense liquid, low density 1 meter cubes, burlap sacks of grain, ???. The cargo has sensors to measure “damage” like shock, dryness, compression, tampering, depending on cargo type. Crew and powered automation are more tightly regulated than dimensions or rig. All sail area on board is counted in handicap. What gets produced are hopefully designs which could haul an interior, and cruising stores, while still being fast, rugged, and flexible in trim. Rigs with a little extra power and flexibility that don’t require as large a crew, and require fewer large sail changes.

  • Not 100% sure on the premise. IMOCA 60’s are allowed to race in the Sydney Hobart and that division abroad is totally dominated by Europeans but gets usually gets little in the hobart race. Also, International monohulls have always been a regular appearances in the hobart race. Ondine(s), Kialoa(s), Condor(s), Sayona, Morning Glory, Nicorette, a couple of Scandinavian Volvo 60’s and most importantly Comanche, are or were all non pacific entries that dominated the race on more than one occasion. While money certainly has some consideration, I think the main reason is that the CYC prides itself on safety and has always erred on the more cautious side of things, in regards to regulations, safety and development. Powered winches, water ballast, canting keels were all initially and not that long ago, banned due to safety concerns. A foiling (or non foiling for that matter) tri or cat is probably more of a risk than the CYC want to take on at this time.

  • If they allowed multihulls, the race would be over in 24 hours or less, then everyone would switch off the telly and go to the pub. Event sponsors would get less time to promote their goods and services. They could always make the multihulls do a round trip. Sydney, then leave Tasmania to starboard and back to Sydney. Speaking of Trimarans. How long is the bowsprit on your F82? Is it in a tube or is it hinged at the bow? What is your opinion on those 2 different methods of mounting a bowsprit? Thanks Glenn

  • I’m OK with only monos in the Syd to Hob. Not sure why people want the multies to race in the event for- tradition should mean something. I don’t think they allow multies in the Melb to Hob “Westcoaster” either. Perhaps a separate race for the multies, Hob to Syd starting the day after new years day?

  • Sorry to rain on your parade, Team Australia did the journey in absolute dream conditions. I have crossed Bass Strait multiple times and can tell you 95% of the time conditions range from Bad to the downright ugly all the way to the conditions that occurred during the 1978 Fastnet Race. Modern multihulls are not strong enough to withstand those sorts of conditions. Imagine sitting on a wave where your outriggers are on the crest of a wave with the main hull suspended 20 feet or more above the trough. This is a safety issue first and only.