With a race distance of approximately 630 nautical miles, the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race has long been considered one of the most challenging and difficult yacht races in the world. Rolex have announced that a total of 82 yachts, captains and their respective crew members will be entering the race this year due to begin on December 26th 2013.
Since it’s inauguration in 1945, the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race has become one of the top three offshore yacht races throughout the world and it continues to grow as more sailors wish to experience the challenge of the Tasman sea – well known for its treacherous waters and unpredictable nature. Those who follow the race and its history will know that this Yacht race has been known to claim many vessels to the ocean as well as honorable sailors’ lives.
The race typically begins in Sydney’s harbor of Vaucluse, where the larger boats will lead off before the fleet converge out to sea and make their way down the eastern coast of Australia to Tasmania’s capital of Hobart. In the beginning years this race could take anywhere between 6 and 11 days for all boats to complete, however fast forward to 2012 and the entire race has been recorded to finish in as little as 2-3 days.
The fastest record was set in 2005 by a New South Wales entered yacht that completed the journey in 1 day and 18 hours & prompted the praise of the race’s ability to enhance performance in racing and yacht design.
With so many entrants, including the return of last year’s winner and the new arrival of relatively unknown international entrants, the race is predicted to be a big success and the winner will be anyone’s guess. Keep your eyes peeled this Christmas for more news of this wonderful race and perhaps consider your own entry for a challenge next year!