Division winners announced for 61st Rolex Sydney Hobart

• NEWS
• 30 Dec, 2005 05:04:00 PM

Division winners announced for 61st Rolex Sydney Hobart

The Overall Winner and Division Winners of the 61st Rolex Sydney Hobart have been announced at a dockside presentation ceremony in Hobart this afternoon.

The Overall Winner and Division Winners of the 61st Rolex Sydney Hobart have been announced at a dockside presentation ceremony in Hobart this afternoon.

Wild Oats XI owner Bob Oatley, skipper Mark Richards and crewmembers, including Steve 'Mothy' Jarvin (who now has a personal tally of 5 line honours wins, 2 race records and one Overall Win) and local Tasmanian Chris Harmsen, collected the Tattersalls Trophy for Overall Winner and medals for the 24 crew members.  Wild Oats XI now joins only five other yachts to have won both the Tattersalls Trophy for Overall Winner and the Illingworth Trophy for Line Honours.  Wild Oats XI also took out the IRC Division A.

Ireland’s Gerard O’Rourke won IRC Division B with his Cookson 50 Chieftain, completing his dream of competing in a Rolex Sydney Hobart.  His family travelled with him to Australia to watch the start in Sydney and to welcome him in Hobart.

Veteran sailor Lou Abrahams capped off his 43rd race by winning IRC Division C and the Sydney 38 Division with Challenge.  Finishing in Hobart today, Lou said that at this stage he planned to do one more Hobart to equal old friend John Bennetto’s standing record of 44 races. 

Wot’s Next skipper Graeme Wood has marked his initiation into Rolex Sydney Hobart ocean racing with a win in IRC Division D.

The oldest boat in the fleet, 37 year old Ray White Koomooloo, sailed into Hobart at noon today to win IRC Division E.  The battle for Division E went down to the wire as Wild Rose had to wait 10  agonising hours to see Ray White Koomooloo sneak in just ahead of deadline to take the title.  Ray White Koomooloo won Overall in 1968 with an elapsed time 4 days, 10 hours, 26 min and 52sec. This year she bettered that time by more than eleven hours to finish in 3 days, 22hours, 51min and 39sec. 

Japan-based David Ferrall and his yacht Pekljus won the Performance Handicap System (PHS) Division, a pleasing result in their second Rolex Sydney Hobart after retiring in last year’s challenging conditions.

At 3:00pm today, 17 yachts were still at sea.  Most of those are expected to arrive at Constitution Dock in time to celebrate New Year’s Eve.  However, with 270 nautical miles still to go, pity the crew of ACT entry Gillawa who are going to have to create their own party at sea yet again.

Rolex Sydney Hobart 2005 Divisional Winners:

Overall:                        Wild Oats XI (Aus, NSW/Qld) - Bob Oatley, Mark Richards

IRC Division A:            Wild Oats XI (Aus, NSW/Qld) - Bob Oatley, Mark Richards

IRC Division B:            Chieftain (Ireland) - Gerard O’Rourke

IRC Division C:            Challenge (Aus, Vic) - Lou Abrahams

IRC Division D:            Wot’s Next (Aus, NSW) - Graeme Wood

IRC Division E:             Ray White Koomooloo (Aus, Qld) - Mike Freebairn

PHS:                            Pekljus (Aus, NSW) - David Ferrall

Sydney 38:                  Challenge (Aus, Vic) - Lou Abrahams