Sydney to Hobart

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

Map of the Sydney–Hobart Yacht Race route.
Founded	1945
Start	Sydney, Australia
Finish	Hobart, Australia
No. of competitors	88 (2016)
Most recent champion(s)	Giacomo (on handicap) Perpetual LOYAL (line honours)
Most titles	Freya ; Love & War (3) (on handicap) Wild Oats XI (8) (line honours)
TV partner(s)	Seven Network
Official website	http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/

The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is an annual event hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, New South Wales on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart, Tasmania. The race distance is approximately 630 nautical miles (1,170 km). The race is run in co-operation with the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, and is widely considered to be one of the most difficult yacht races in the world. The race was initially planned to be a cruise by Peter Luke and some friends who had formed a club for those who enjoyed cruising as opposed to racing, however when a visiting British Royal Navy Officer, Captain John Illingworth, suggested it be made a race, the event was born. The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race has grown over the decades, since the inaugural race in 1945, to become one of the top three offshore yacht races in the world, and it now attracts maxi yachts from all around the globe. The 2004 race marked the 60th running of the event.

In 2012 Wild Oats XI set a new record by crossing the line in 1 day, 18 hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds, beating its own record of 1 day, 18 hours, 40 minutes and 10 seconds, set in 2005.Wild Oats XI is the first boat to claim the treble – race record, line honours and overall winner – twice.

The longest surviving skipper from the inaugural race, Peter Luke, who contributed to the formation of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and the establishment of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, died on 23 September 2007 aged 92. His yacht, Wayfarer, still holds the record for the slowest elapsed time. Only two sailors from the original race are still alive – Geoffrey Ruggles from the Wayfarer crew and John Gordon from the Horizon crew.

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.