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Sailors hedge their bets on 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart

Home 2025 Sailors hedge their bets on 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart

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Sydney Hobart sailors fielded questions from the media at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s (CYCA) official launch of the 80th edition of the iconic race.

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Christian Beck (LawConnect), Sam Haynes (Celestial V70), Elizabeth Tucker (First Light), Michael Spies (Maritimo Katwinchar), and Adrienne Cahalan (Aragon) will compete in the Rolex Sydney Hobart on board five of the 133 yachts set to depart across four start lines on Boxing Day, 26 December at 1300 hours.

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Photo one: (From left to right) Adrienne Cahalan, Sam Haynes, Christian Beck, Elizabeth Tucker and Michael Spies. Photo two: The George Adams Tattersall Cup and the John H. Illingworth Challenge Cup - RSHYR/Andrea Francolini pics

The 80th anniversary fleet is the second largest this century (in 2019, 157 yachts competed in the 75th edition).

A total of 67 yachts represent NSW, with 12 from Tasmania (the biggest turnout from Tassie since 2019 when 15 boats competed). Victoria and Queensland each has 15 competitors, while Western Australia has three and South Australia four. In addition, there are 17 international entrants.

Mistral racing in the 2024 Sydney Hobart - Salty Dingo pic

The Double Handed division, inaugurated in 2021, has attracted 19 entrants. Rupert Henry’s Lombard 34 Mistral is the boat to beat in this division. Working with his co-skipper, Spanish professional offshore sailor Pablo Santurde del Arcoa, Henry’s goal is to become the first Double Handed entry to win the race Overall.

He’s come close. In 2023, he and co-skipper Jack Bouttell placed sixth Overall. And in 2024, in what was considered a ‘big boat race’, Henry and French co-skipper, Corentin Douguet, placed ninth and was the smallest boat in IRC Overall and Line Honours.

LawConnect crew seeks third consecutive Line Honours win

Christian Beck and the LawConnect crew face their toughest challenge yet as they chase a third straight Line Honours victory.

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Photo one: Christian Beck has his eyes on the prize – RSHYR/Andrea Francolini pic. Photo two: LawConnect and Master Lock Comanche battling it out in the 2024 SOLAS Big Boat Regatta – Andrea Francolini/CYCA pic

LawConnect is up against four other grand prix maxi yachts (100-foot) — Mark Richards’ Palm Beach XI (formerly Wild Oats XI), Matt Allen and James Mayo’s Master Lock Comanche, Grant Wharington and Adrian Seiffert’s Wild Thing 100 and Seng Huang Lee’s SHK Scallywag skippered by David Witt, which are joined by Bill Barry-Cotter’s cruiser/racer Maritimo 100.

Beck is realistic about their chances – the LawConnect crew face a mighty challenge to make it to three consecutive wins.

“[Master Lock] Comanche is better than us in every way. What we’ve hoped for the last couple of years are conditions that are good for neither of us, which means we’re slower but more competitive with Comanche. The trouble with when it’s slower [less wind], is that it’s good for Palm Beach XI. It’s a very challenging situation.”

Regardless of the result, it will be a memorable race for Beck, whose 18-year-old son Indy will be on board for his first-ever Sydney Hobart. Indy, who recently completed high school, has dreamed of competing in the race since age of 11 in 2018, when his dad bought LawConnect (formerly InfoTrack).

At the time, Indy tried on the crew gear and, Beck joked, didn’t take it off for around two years.

“Indy has loved the boat since the day I bought it. He’s always wanted to do it [the race],” Beck said.

Beck said to achieve a third-consecutive Line Honours win was not “impossible”.“It'd be exceptional [to win again],” Beck said. “We feel lucky to have won the two. So, to win three would be incredible.”

Celestial V70 crew on board for another win

CYCA Commodore Sam Haynes has made it clear that his goal is to join the exclusive group of sailors with three Overall Sydney Hobart victories.

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Photo one: Sam Haynes and the Celestial V70 crew in 2024 – Salty Dingo pic. Photo two: Sam Haynes eyes off the Tattersall Cup – RSHYR/Andrea Francolini

Haynes is confident he has the formula to claim the Overall win for the third time in his Sydney Hobart career. He puts this down to a combination of an incredibly fast Volvo 70 Celestial V70, an exceptional crew and an upgraded sail wardrobe.

Haynes said it was a humbling experience to be the Commodore of the CYCA for the 80th edition of the race.

The Celestial V70 crew celebrate their 2024 win - Salty Dingo pic

“As CYCA Commodore, it's a fantastic position to be in and as defending champion. It's a very special moment for me,” Haynes said.

Women shine on First Light

As part of her preparation for the 2027/28 Global Solo Challenge (a single-handed, non-stop round-the-world race) Elizabeth Tucker will lead an all-women crew to Hobart on First Light. Her team is comprised of amateur sailors Annie Stevenson, Malin Ludwig, Madeline Lyons and Bayley Taylor.

Tucker’s Class40 yacht is the only all-women entry in this year’s race. She is one of 12 women owners and skippers in the 2025 edition.

Rather than assigned crew roles (excluding the navigator), the crew members will do everything on board – from steering, sail trim to bow.

Tucker said this collaborative approach created “a really nice atmosphere” on board.

“Quite a lot of crews that are more competitive have got professional sailors on board who know exactly what they're doing,” Tucker said. “Whereas we work it out together.

“We’re in it to compete, and we’re in it to get there [Hobart].”

Photo one: First Light sailing out of Sydney Heads – Ashley Dart/CYCA pic. Photo two: Elizabeth Tucker next to First Light – RSHYR/Andrea Francolini pic

Aragon’s navigator looks forward to comfort over speed

It’s been 40 years since navigator Adrienne Cahalan first sailed south in 1985. This year, her 33rd Sydney Hobart, Cahalan is navigating the Dutch entry Aragon, Andries Verder’s Marten 72.

Cahalan previously navigated Wild Oats XI to dual Line and Overall wins, along with the race record in 2005 and 2012, in addition to multiple other victories on the ‘silver bullet’. Cahalan said she looked forward to the added comfort on board the elegant cruiser-racer Aragon.

And what brings Cahalan back for her 33rd Sydney Hobart? The race’s uniqueness and the camaraderie it fosters between crew members.

“Every [Rolex Sydney Hobart] race is so different, and it presents challenges for us,” Cahalan said. “Not least that we can all get together in Hobart and talk about old times.”

Adrienne Cahalan is back for another Sydney Hobart - RSHYR/Andrea Francolini pic

Oldest yacht in the fleet after ‘fairy tale’ win

Built in 1904, Maritimo Katwinchar is by far the oldest boat in the fleet. Bill Barry-Cotter owns the 121-year-old 32-foot Canadian red cedar yacht, skippered by Michael Spies again. It is Spies’ 47th Sydney Hobart.

This is the yacht’s fourth race south (1951, 2019 and 2024 where it was forced to retire).

For the 33-footer to claim the Overall win, Spies said the priority was to secure a divisional victory. A ‘longer race’ with weather patterns that slow the front of the fleet would be essential for a small boat to prevail.

Spies knows what it takes to win Overall in a smaller yacht: in 2003, he and Peter Johnson won Overall with the Beneteau 40.7 First National Real Estate.

“If [favourable weather] happens, as it did with us in 2003, who knows? It might be a fairy tale,” Spies said.

Below photos: Maritimo Katwinchar charging along – Vito Feremans/CYCA pic and Michael Spies on board Maritimo Katwinchar – RSHYR/Andrea Francolini pic