Special Feature: Rolex Sydney Hobart race sails off

MANILA, Philippines – Less than a hundred entrants,  comprising living legends, past winners, intrepid first timers and competitors from across the globe, will race for prestige and pride in the 72nd edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race,   all determined to spearhead a new chapter in the race’s proud and fascinating history. 

 The 93-strong fleet currently registered comprises four 100-ft Maxis, nine former race winners and a host of Corinthian entrants, including the smallest and also the oldest yacht in the fleet – Sean Langman’s 30-ft, 1935 build Maluka of Kermandie.

Last year’s line honors were claimed by the American yacht Comanche, which will not feature this time. And, while Wild Oats XI is fancied to arrive first in the port city of Hobart, competition for this honor remains fierce.

Anthony Bell’s Perpetual Loyal won line honors in 2011 and has frequently featured among the frontrunners ever since. Finnish sailor Ludde Ingvall, who won line honors in 2000 and 2004 with yachts named Nicorette, owns the recently launched CQS, a radical transformation of the 2004 Nicorette.

Extended from 90 to 100 feet, the yacht reportedly pushes the boundaries of design technology. Among the most noticeable features are the reverse (or Dreadnought) bow, an outsized bowsprit, “wings” that spread the shroud base and a wider cockpit area.

CQS also features the technically sophisticated Dynamic Stability Systems (DSS). DSS is a patent system that utilizes retractable foils to reduce heel angle and provide progressive dynamic lift, increasing power and reducing drag.

Completing the lineup of 100-footers is the Hong Kong entrant Scallywag, the former Ragamuffin. If conditions prove favorable, the frontrunners will be keen to break the existing race record of one day, 18 hours, 23 minutes, 12 seconds set by Wild Oats XI in 2012.

First held in 1945, the Rolex Sydney Hobart is organized by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) with the cooperation of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, and has run every year since that inaugural race which saw nine yachts set sail from Sydney Dec. 26. 

Rolex has been the title sponsor of the 628-nautical-mile race since 2002. Together with the Rolex Fastnet Race, Rolex Middle Sea Race, Rolex China Sea Race and RORC Caribbean 600, this iconic sporting challenge is one of five major offshore races to feature in the portfolio of yachting partnerships held by the leading brand of the Swiss watchmaking industry. 

“Rolex’s  involvement in yachting stretches back over 50 years. It is a sport with which we hold a close affinity and relationship,” explains Arnaud Boetsch, director of communication and image at Rolex.

“The Rolex Sydney Hobart is one of the world’s most renowned yacht races and a treasured part of our yachting portfolio. It is one of the toughest examinations of seamanship and a genuine test of human endeavor. It embodies what we value – rich traditions, pioneering feats and the courageous spirit of adventure among those who participate.”

 The nine former winners of the event, including Wild Oats XI, will all be striving to reclaim the event’s most coveted prize, the Tattersall’s Cup and a specially engraved Rolex Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master 40 timepiece awarded for outright victory on corrected time.

Yet the race is notoriously hard to predict. The skill and performance of the competition, as well as the prevailing weather will have a significant effect on the outcome, inevitably favoring different yacht sizes at different points. The strength and direction of the wind and the resultant state of the ocean play critical roles. How crews approach these elements and manage their resources throughout the days and nights at sea will be decisive.

In 2004 while a huge southerly buster saw many competitors seek more sheltered waters close to the NSW shore, the crew of the 55-ft British yacht Aera headed offshore in search of the perfect windshift that would drive them to the finish. This daring move would win them the overall prize and prove conclusively that courage in one’s convictions, even under extreme pressure, is a fundamental quality required to succeed in this race.

The defending champion is the 52-foot Balance, owned by Paul Clitheroe. Having triumphed under the guise of Quest in 2008, Balance is in fact a two-time race winner. Repeating last year’s triumph will be a tall order.