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Double handed Min River has race of her life

Home 2025 Double handed Min River has race of her life

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Jiang Lin and Alexis Loison sailed Jiang Lin’s Min River to the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race finish line at 12.38.26pm this afternoon, the pair sailing double handed and keeping onlookers on the edge of their seats as they fought hard to be not only the top double handed pair in the fleet, but also the first double handed in the Overall honours in the race.

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Currently Min River is second Overall, first in Division 6, second in the Double Handed division Overall and second over the line of the double handed entries.

Led into Constitution Dock by officials from Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, the race’s official finishing partner, to loud cheers, Lin looked relieved to be here in Hobart. “I’m tired,” she said. “I feel pretty tired too,” Loison agreed.

Loison said the first 48 hours “were  definitely pretty challenging. But last night also was a strong wind at the end. We knew we could have a good result, so we pushed really hard last night - all night.

“It was downwind with a strong sea. We had to hand steer the boat as the sea state was very bad. But yes, it was okay. This boat is nice for that, it likes downwind.

 Jiang Lin: “And don't ask me how many sails we changed. How many spinnakers I packed. Look at my hands. I need to show people these hands!”

So busy during the harsh first two days, Lin didn’t give a thought to results.

“We didn't think much for the first 48 hours,” Jiang Lin said. “We were in survival mode. Until today, when the weather was nicer going up the river and we started looking at it. I find it quite interesting. We still don't know!”

Lin said the lack of wind at the end of the race was thorn in their sides.

Min River charging downwind - Credit: ROLEX | Kurt Arrigo

  

“It was frustrating. We sat in no wind for hours – and that could be the decisive factor – we don’t know yet.”

On having gun sailor Loison as her co-skipper, Jiang Lin said, “How lucky am I? Wow, yes, he is brilliant.”

And she is right. Loison just sailed his sixth Sydney Hobart and helped Michel Quintin sail Banque De Nouvelle-Calédonie to second overall to win Division 4 in the in 2015 Rolex Sydney Hobart. It is the same boat that Quintin sailed double handed as BNC - my:Net Leon in this year’s race and is currently in the top spot to win the race Overall. 

Loison is also a decorated short-handed sailor. The Frenchman won the double handed Tour de Bretagne à la Voile in duo with Corentin Horeau and is the Rolex Fastnet Race  Class40 champion overall and two handed. And this is just a snapshot of a long list of wins over many years.

After finishing the punishing race, Jiang Lin said her thoughts had turned to “having a nice shower and a beautiful meal tonight.,” while for Loison, it was, “to taste a beer.”

Jiang Lin had plenty of praise for Loison: “Compared to him, I'm a kindergartener. He is a professor.” 

Loison was equally effusive about Jiang Lin: “Winning was the target at the beginning, but it was very nice to sail with Jiang. We have a lot of memories. I hope she learnt a lot. During the last gybe we changed positions.”

Jiang Lin: “I got to do the spinnaker pole for the first time!”

Was there one person doing more navigating? “He was in charge, for sure,” Jiang Lin said.

Di Pearson & Greta Quealy | RSHYR Media