sydney to hobart yacht race telecast

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race | 112 Yachts Competing in the 79th Edition.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) is thrilled to announce that entries for the highly anticipated 79th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race have officially closed and that an impressive fleet of 112 yachts is ready to take on the challenge.

• 08 Nov, 2024 02:49:00 PM

Save the Date | Sydney Race Village Events

The Rolex Sydney Race Village returns to the CYCA this December with fan-favourite events and re-imagined past favourites. The vibrant village offers the chance for competitors and spectators alike to engage in the exciting Sydney sailing community. With December fast approaching, read on below for more information about the events and stay tuned to RSVP.

• 06 Nov, 2024 02:56:00 PM

T-50 Days until the 79th running of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

T-50 days until the yachts are dancing in the moonlight down the Tasman.

• 28 Oct, 2024 11:00:00 AM

Nine becomes the new Home to the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) is delighted to announce that it will be partnering with Nine's multi-platform media network as the new home to the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race for the first time in its 79-year history.

• 25 Oct, 2024 05:15:00 PM

112 Yachts Competing in 79th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

We are thrilled to announce that entries for the highly anticipated 79th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race have officially closed and we have an impressive fleet of 112 yachts ready to take on the challenge.

• 24 Oct, 2024 05:45:00 PM

Join the Adventure. Only 24 hours left to enter the 2024 RSHYR

With only 1 day left until the entries close, you can still compete in the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. For more behind-the-scenes content, race updates, and exclusive photos, be sure to follow us on Instagram n​and Facebook. Stay connected with the latest happenings and never miss an update!

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

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 9

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 8

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 7

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 6

Rolex sydney hobart yacht race | official spectator vessel the jackson.

For an unmatched view of the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, there’s only one place to be – aboard  The Jackson , the   official and only public spectator vessel   permitted inside the race’s Exclusion Zone.

This luxurious superyacht will offer guests a unique, up-close experience at the start of one of the world’s most iconic ocean races.

Sydney to Hobart yacht race — how to watch and what to look for

By James Dunlevie

By Chris Rowbottom

Topic: Sport

The cannon sounds and they are off in the Sydney to Hobart for another year. ( Rolex/Studio Borlenghi )

From its beginning in 1945, the Sydney to Hobart yacht race remains one of the pinnacles for sailing competitors.

Dismissed by some as "rich people and their toy boats", the race is actually a gruelling test of skill, teamwork and boat design — with the weather thrown into the mix. 

If you know what to look for, the S2H can be an enjoyable experience, so here are some tips as to getting the best out of it.

There are two prizes on offer for competitors, with the handicap trophy being generally regarded as being most sought-after, more so than first past the post. ( ABC News: Andrew Whittington )

When does it start?

Around 90 boats ranging from 100ft Super Maxis to smaller 30 footers will be ready to go at 1pm AEDT on Sydney Harbour, Boxing Day.

Even though the race fleet will be fewer in numbers due to COVID (more on that later), there will still be a gazillion sails — competitors, officials, media and spectators — running around the water ahead of the firing of the starting cannon.

The crew of Ichi Ban get their feet wet in 2019. ( Supplied: STHYR/Carlo Borlenghi )

Once the race is on, it's a bolt to The Heads and into the open water of the South Pacific.

The fleet then begins to make its way down the east coast of Australia to Hobart.

How can I watch it?

The Seven Network, through 7Mate, will broadcast the start of the race live around Australia. Their coverage starts at 12:30pm (AEDT).

ABC TV will also be following the fleet down the eastern seaboard and provide all the in-race news footage that is used by the various Australian and International news networks.

For those who can't get to watch the live broadcast of the start of the race on the Seven Network across Australia, Seven West Media will webcast the program.

You can also watch a webcast of the live broadcast on the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race website .

Black Jack powers along in the 2018 race. ( AAP: Mick Tsikas )

If you are in Sydney and on the water, sponsor Rolex advises "if you only plan on watching the start, and don't wish to follow the fleet, then stick to the western side of the harbour".

Good vantage points for spectator boats include "Taylors Bay, Chowder Bay, Obelisk Bay and North Head on the west and Rose Bay, Watsons Bay, Camp Cove and South Head to the east".

Rolex says the harbour will be "very crowded and traffic can be chaotic, so stay alert, follow the advice of race officials and remember to keep well clear of the exclusion zone between 12pm and 2pm".

Rolex also notes the "Clearview glass boat is the only public spectator vessel permitted within the Sydney Harbour exclusion zone".

The crew of InfoTrack leave Sydney and set their sights towards Hobart in the 2018 race. ( Instagram: Official Rolex Sydney Hobart )

How can I follow the boats online?

The race sponsor Rolex has a tracker on their website , which plots the course of yachts as they move south.

The position of yachts is transmitted by a GPS device on each vessel. You can follow your favourite boats easily by clicking on the heart symbol.

You can follow the fortunes of teams with the Sydney to Hobart yacht race tracker. ( rolexsydneyhobart.com )

As the race goes on, you can see the course charted by crews and marvel at how each team plots and schemes their way to the finish.

Unless of course the boat's GPS device gets switched off, rendering it invisible to spectators and other competitors — an accusation which was levelled at Wild Oats XI in 2018 by the owner of Black Jack.

Skulduggery on the high seas! We told you it could be fun.

Wild Oats XI took out line honours in 2018 after being the subject of an unsuccessful protest. They are not competing in 2021. ( ABC News: Monte Bovill )

What should I look out for?

Apart from GPS shenanigans, the wild card is always the weather.

All jokes aside, the Sydney to Hobart yacht race is taken seriously for good reason — people have died when the seas get rough.

The 1998 race has gone down in history as a maritime disaster that cost lives and changed marine forecasting practice .

Six sailors died, five yachts sank, more than 60 yachts retired and 55 participants had to be rescued by helicopter.

In 2015, a squall hit the fleet off the News South Wales coast, ending the race for 29 competitors.

Blackjack heads the field during the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race in 2018. ( AP: Rick Rycroft )

Even in calm conditions, boats under stress break stuff and crews retire for a host of reasons.

In 2016, a slew of boats had to call it quits due to shredded sails and steering problems.

Then there are the underdog v supermaxi battles which pit the hopefuls against the cashed-up crews.

As race sponsor Rolex says, the race is made up from "weekend club sailors to professionals from the America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race circuits".

Lots to watch out for!

The crew on Italian entry Maserati enjoying a bath during the 2015 race. ( Maserati )

When does the race finish?

With the very fast boats (Wild Oats XI, Comanche) not in this year's race, the lines honours winner is likely to come in around 48 hours after the start — noonish or thereabouts on Tuesday, December 28, but who knows what part the weather might play.

It is also important to note there are two prizes at stake in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race .

The finish line proper is 12 nautical miles (22.2 kilometres) up the Derwent River off Battery Point, where a cannon signals the first across the line.

The reigning line honours victor is Comanche. It won in a time of 1 day, 18 hours and 30 minutes in 2019.

The first yacht across the line wins the JH Illingworth Trophy, but the overall winner on handicap wins the Tattersalls Cup.

The overall victory is considered the major prize for sailors and a testament to skill and tactics.

Most of the time, handicap honours are won by a smaller, slower boat, which outdoes its larger opposition when time is adjusted for size and other factors.

The reigning overall winner is Ichi Ban. It finished in 3 days, 4 hours and 11 minutes in 2019.

As a result of the pandemic, the 2021 fleet will be smaller than previous years due to a lack of international entrants, and other flow-on effects.

Good luck to all racers!

Winners are grinners! ( ABC News: David Robertson )