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 )
Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024
- Following the Race
- Past Sydney Hobart Videos
Whatever the results of the Rolex Sydney Hobart, one thing is certain - when the race starts at 1300 AEDT on Boxing Day it will capture the imagination of sailors and spectators worldwide. As this year’s activities are being run as a COVID Safe event, we would request that spectators are mindful of social distancing requirements and join the millions of viewers who tune into the action on TV and online.
/media/3437722/for-spectators-magistic-cruises.jpg "sydney to hobart yacht race live tv")
When the fleet for this year's race jostles for position on four start lines around Shark Island, you'll want to be in prime position yourself. To get the full dose of race atmosphere you need to grab a spot on North or South Head, or even join the action on the water among the colourful spectator fleet (which includes craft of all shapes and sizes from ferries to kayaks and even the odd water taxi). But if you're not lucky enough to be there in person when the starting cannon fires, don't worry - there are plenty of ways to follow the race, no matter where you are.
If you've got access to a boat then you can be on the water with the fleet for the start of the race. Spectator craft positioned in the eastern channel can watch the race begin and then follow the fleet down the harbour to the Heads and out to sea. Once underway the fleet can move fast, so if you want to catch the leaders sail through the Heads, it's advisable to get well down the harbour towards Middle Head before the start. At the Heads keep well clear of the rounding marks.
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.
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.
The Jackson is the only public and official spectator vessel permitted within the Sydney Harbour exclusion zone for the exciting race start.
Bookings and to find out more
On Television
The Boxing Day Race Start can be seen on Nine Network's free-to air television channel as well as 9Now 's live stream and video on demand service. This will also serve as a repository for the Race's archival materials, pre-race interviews, Live Update shows, live streams, in-race content and race highlights packages.
For those who can't get to watch the live broadcast of the start of the Race on the Nine Network across Australia, 9Now will webcast the program. You can also watch a webcast of the live broadcast on the home page of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race YouTube Channel - CYCATV .
Included on the website is the complete list of yachts entered, along with a photograph and description of each boat, a crew list, and the boat's performance data, predicted finishing time and standing for both Line Honours and Handicap Division which is updated every 10 minutes.
There's also archival data including results of past races since the first in 1945, the weather they encountered; a summary of line and overall handicap winners of those races; historical reports and statistical information; designers of those line and overall winners; and profiles of some of the race luminaries over the years.
You'll also be able to follow the event on twitter for race updates http://twitter.com/rshyr and via Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RolexSydneyHobart
Yacht Tracker
The Yacht Tracker page allows viewers to track the entire fleet or a particular boat from start to finish. Yacht Tracker uses a specially designed tool that calculates the predicted results for each and every boat in the fleet, so you can see how each boat is performing.
Each yacht will be fitted with a tracker that will obtain a position using the GPS satellite network, and then transmit that position back to HQ using the Iridium satellite network.
Each yacht's position is then visualised on the race yacht tracker map or overlaid on Google Earth. In addition, the yacht tracker system also shows distance to finish line and progressive corrected time positions under the IRC and PHS handicap divisions
To do this, the tracker is configured to automatically update the yacht's latitude, longitude, course over ground and speed over ground - and transmits that information via satellite to a land station. From there, the data is transferred to the website, which shows in text and graphics each yacht's position in the fleet, its place relative to other boats and known geographic features, and the speed currently being achieved over the land, as well as the direction in which the boat is sailing.
Viewers may view the yachts on a chart through Yacht Tracker or separately on Google Earth. Line honours and progressive predicted corrected times under the IRC, PHS and ORCi handicap categories are updated every 10 minutes.
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.
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