2021 Race Recap
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Matt Allen's Ichi Ban, Overall Winner for the third time in 2021
Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2021
The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race returned in 2021, with the 76th edition labelled by many as a "traditional Hobart".
A total of 88 yachts were on the start lines on Boxing Day, including 17 in the race's inaugural Two-Handed Division.
Challenging conditions in the first 36 hours led to the retirements of 38 yachts, largely due to boat damage.
Three 100-foot maxis battled it out for Line Honours, and it was Peter Harburg's Reichel/Pugh 100 Black Jack - skippered by Mark Bradford - who claimed the John H Illingworth Challenge Cup, finishing ahead of LawConnect and SHK Scallywag 100. Read more.
Matt Allen's Ichi Ban created history with a second consecutive overall win to lift the Tattersall Cup. Ichi Ban is just the third boat in race history (alongside Freya and Love & War) to win the Tattersall Cup three times. Read more.
Jules Hall and Jan Scholten were the inaugural winners of the Two-Handed Division, as Disko Trooper_Contender Sailcloth swept all three handicaps. Read more.
Race Program
Prior to each race Cruising Yacht Club of Australia publishes a separate official race program (with details of competing boats, the results of past races and articles about the race and its participants and other important events). The 2021 Edition is here.
2021 Rolex Sydney Hobart - Race Documents
Amendment 1 to the Notice of Race
Amendment 1 to the Sailing Instructions
Protests No 1 & 2 - Ichi Ban and Race Committee v Celestial
Case 3 - Ichi Ban and Race Committee v Celestial - Request to Reopen
Race Briefing and Weather Briefing
There is a compulsory race briefing 2 days before the race and a compulsory weather briefing on the morning of the start. Watch them here:
Weather
The 76th edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race began (12 months later than planned) in a 14-19 knot southerly under cloudy skies, with the fleet of 88 yachts setting off from four lines in Sydney Harbour.
The weather situation at start time showed a 1032Hpa High Pressure system south of the Great Australian Bight and a weak High Pressure northwest of NZ, with a series of troughs between the two highs. After five races with fast downwind conditions, the 2021 race was a different story!
Read more about the weather the fleet experienced in the report by the navigator of Ichi Ban below.
Race reports
In recent years the navigator of the overall winner has been invited to write a report on their race, including detail on the weather they experienced. After each race, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's magazine Offshore contains reports and articles on the race. Read on to access them.
Autumn 2022 Offshore - see pages 40 to 65
Race report - Will Oxley, Navigator, Overall Winner, Ichi Ban