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Rolex Sydney Hobart plans gesture for Bondi

Home 2025 Rolex Sydney Hobart plans gesture for Bondi

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What began as a quiet, symbolic gesture has grown into one of the most poignant moments of this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, as crews prepare to scatter rose petals off the coast of Bondi in memory of the victims of the recent a terrorist mass shooting.

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Race organisers initially planned for 15 boats to take part in the tribute as the fleet passes Bondi Beach shortly after the Boxing Day start.  

Instead, the response from crews has been overwhelming, with scores of sailors now choosing to participate in the act of remembrance. 

The tribute was outlined during the Compulsory Race Briefing by Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Commodore, Sam Haynes, who said the gesture had resonated far beyond the sailing community. 

The roses - CYCA/Greta Quealy pic.

“The tribute that we mentioned for the tragic events in Bondi has been very well received by the Jewish community, but also internationally recognised worldwide, and obviously here in Australia,” Haynes told the assembled fleet. 

What was intended as a small, coordinated mark of respect has since expanded organically, driven by sailors themselves. Extra rose petals were made available at the briefing, with crews encouraged to take them aboard and scatter them from their boats as they pass the coastline. 

“We actually have an abundance,” Haynes said. Mr Roses (company) has supplied extra in case we wanted them — which I think we do.” 

For many competitors, the moment will provide a pause for reflection early in a race more commonly associated with speed, rivalry and endurance. Just hours after the start, as spinnakers are hoisted and the fleet accelerates south, the scattering of petals will briefly shift attention away from tactics and weather to remembrance and solidarity. 

The scale of the response has underscored the way the race — now in its 80th running — often mirrors the wider community it passes through. 

Haynes also used the briefing to thank Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's management team and race officials for their work in delivering the milestone edition of the race, but it was the quiet call to remember Bondi that lingered longest as sailors filed out. 

As the fleet rounds the Sydney Harbour Heads and turns south, rose petals drifting across the water off Bondi will mark not just a tribute, but a reminder that even in one of offshore sailing’s toughest races, there is room for compassion, reflection and unity. 
 
Steve Dettre/RSHYR media