The 70th edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

The 70th edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race concluded on New Years Day, with two yachts claiming the main prizes. Bob Oatley’s 30 metre Wild Oats XI took a record-breaking eighth line honours victory, whilst the original Wild Oats arrived at the finish line with a corrected time finish that would ensure overall victory as well as the Tattersall’s Cup trophy. The 43’ Wild Rose, skippered by Roger Hickman, secured her second victory in the history of the race an impressive 21 years afte

The 628 nm race began on Boxing Day, with 117 yachts and approximately 1,500 competitors arriving in Sydney for the start. Five 100 foot Maxis started the 2014 Rolex Sydney Hobart, ensuring the quest for line honours would be the most dramatic in years. Hull damage on the first night forced Anthony Bell’s Perpetual Loyal out of the race; conditions were unsuited to the American entry RIO 100 and Ragamuffin 100, the latter skippered by Syd Fischer, who at 87 became the oldest sailor in the race’s proud history.

The resulting duel was a forecast heavyweight contest between Oatley’s Mark Richards-skippered Wild Oats XI and the newcomer, Jim Clark and Kristy Hinze-Clark’s Comanche, recently launched and the latest thinking in Maxi yacht design.

Following a glorious Sydney start, with plenty of breeze, Comanche powered towards the Sydney Heads leaving the rest of the fleet in her wake, setting an unofficial record for the fastest boat past the first turning mark: four minutes, 35 seconds.The two Maxis shadowed each other down the New South Wales coast; Comanche led for the first 24 hours but when conditions lightened, Wild Oats XI took charge proving quicker in negotiating a lighter patch of wind. “That was the key moment,” confirmed Wild Oats XI’s Spanish navigator Juan Vila.

Arriving in Hobart after 50 hours at sea, Oatley’s crew enjoyed a rapturous applause from an enthusiastic public. Comanche lived up to her pre-race billing as a serious contender arriving just 49 minutes later. “Our team did an unbelievable job,” explained skipper Ken Read. “On one hand we are disappointed, on the other proud of what we put together. Both boats sailed a flawless race. They had their day, they had 12 hours of Wild Oats weather.”The two winners were awarded Rolex timepieces for their momentous achievements on the water.