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LAWCONNECT is a 33.59 m Sail Yacht, built in Australia by Cookson and delivered in 2008.

Her top speed is 20.0 kn. She has a 7.35 m beam.

She was designed by Juan Yacht Design , who also completed the naval architecture. Juan Yacht Design has designed 5 yachts and created the naval architecture for 5 yachts for yachts above 24 metres.

LAWCONNECT is one of 390 sailing yachts in the 30-35m size range, and, compared to similarly sized sailing yachts, her top speed is 8.29 kn above the average.

LAWCONNECT is currently sailing under the Australia flag (along with a total of other 171 yachts). She is known to be an active superyacht and has most recently been spotted cruising near Australia. For more information regarding LAWCONNECT's movements, find out more about BOATPro AIS .

Specifications

• Name: LAWCONNECT
• Previous Names: VIRGIN SPEEDBOAT,RAMBLER 100,PERPETUAL LOYAL,INFOTRACK
• Yacht Type: Sail Yacht
• Yacht Subtype: Racing Yacht
• Builder: Cookson
• Naval Architect: Juan Yacht Design
• Exterior Designer: Juan Yacht Design

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'Heartbreaking' details of 12-year-old girl's suicide

Lawconnect skipper’s son reveals he called the boat a ‘s***box’ the night before it won sydney to hobart.

The son of LawConnect’s skipper admitted he called the yacht a ‘s***box’ the night before it won against the world’s fastest superyacht Andoo Comanche in this year’s Sydney to Hobart.

Indy Beck, son of LawConnect’s Christian Beck, admitted he didn’t think his dad would get over the line first in the globally famous yacht race.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Watch LawConnect win The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

“I thought it was (over and) done for us — I don’t believe it to be honest,” Indy told Sunrise’s Annie Pullar on Thursday.

“It’s like, the greatest comeback in sailing, I reckon.

“It was absolutely amazing.”

Annie mentioned she bumped into Indy at a Hobart pub on Wednesday, and he was less than thrilled over the performance of the yacht before the win.

“I ran into you yesterday, what did you call the boat?” Annie asked.

“It’s a s***box,” Indy answered, smiling sheepishly.

Indy admitted he has since changed his mind about the yacht, following the sensational win.

“(It’s) amazing. I still can’t believe it — especially the win on a boat like that,” he said.

LawConnect had a torn sail, which he believed might have helped the team coming into the Derwent River.

LawConnect beat Andoo Comanche by nine seconds — the second-closest time in the race’s history — with the two yachts neck-and-neck.

Andoo Comanche is known as the fastest super-maxi in the world.

Sunrise star Mark Beretta couldn’t contain his excitement over the win.

“This is incredible — LawConnect have done it,” Mark said, beaming.

“Christian Beck, fourth-time lucky — three-times they’ve been runner-up in this race.

“This is just remarkable. What a finish. Unbelievable.”

Mark also spoke about the historic nature of the win.

“One of the closest finishes in Sydney to Hobart history,” he said.

“Comanche, which is regarded as the fastest supermaxi in the world, has been beaten in the Sydney-Hobart.

“That is a massive result - a great effort from the team on LawConnect.”

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• Australia News

LawConnect comes from behind to beat Andoo Comanche by 51 seconds in second closest Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race ever

LawConnect has come from behind to beat Andoo Comanche by 51 seconds in the second closest Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in history.

LawConnect has won the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race with a thrilling comeback to beat reigning champion Andoo Comanchi for line honours.

The supermaxi yachts battled it out in one of the slower editions of the race in recent years but it still came down to the final moments and was the second closest finish in history with the first two boats separated by just 51 seconds.

Thousands lined the shore around Constitution Dock as LawConnect crossed the line in 1:19:03:58 just after 8am on Thursday and Andoo Comanche finished in 1:19:04:49.

LawConnect owner Christian Beck has made it fourth time lucky as the crew broke a streak of three straight second placed finishes.

“I can’t believe that result honestly it’s a dream come true. I never thought it was possible actually,” he said after the race.

Heading into the calmer waters on the Derwent River for the final stretch Andoo Comanche led the two supermaxis but Beck remained confident he could still steal line honours.

“We’re sort of happy at the moment because Comanche looks very slow up there... We’re in with a good chance still,” Beck told Channel 7 while still two nautical miles behind Andoo Comanche.

“The Derwent is notorious for having these dead spots you get stuck in.

“You can watch where they go, and if they go slow, we go somewhere else.”

Within 30 minutes LawConnect had closed the gap to 0.3 nautical miles and soon after was racing side-by-side with Andoo Comanche with less than a kilometre to race.

As the boats approached the finishing buoys Beck’s crew edged ahead and crossed the line by a bit more than the length of a supermaxi to clinch their first title.

LawConnect's victory comes despite facing trouble during a wild storm on the first night when it lost one of its most important sails.

Andoo Comanche set the record for the Sydney to Hobart in 2017 and has taken out line honours in 2022, 2019, 2017, 2015.

The boat is considered the fastest supermaxi in the world but the inclement weather helped LawConnect stay in the fight and Beck thanked his crew for navigating the seas to a stunning victory.

“I think if you look at it, there's two guys that really are instrumental, (sailing masters) Tony Mutter and Chris Nicholson, they had a lot to contend with,” he said.

“Firstly, there's three things, firstly the boat, I jokingly call it a sh*t box, compared to Comanche, it honestly is a sh*t box I know it looks good on TV but if you get up close it's rough as anything. Comanche is a beautiful boat that's better in every way, four tonnes lighter etc.

“Secondly they had a pretty lean budget and thirdly, they had five corporates including me on the boat to deal with none of know all that much about sailing.

“To have all that and still win the race, it’s an incredible feat.”

Mutter confirmed LawConnect was currently flying a protest flag over an incident where the boat slowed down for about half an hour in standby for Andoo Comanche which it believed was in distress.

He added the crew were discussing whether to follow up with the protest and that the crew was not indicating Andoo Comanche had intentionally created the problem.

LawConnect and Andoo Comanche are hours ahead of the rest of the field but there are more boats expected to reach Constitution Dock today.

Smaller boats and handicap title contenders Alive, URM, Wild Thing 100 and Moneypenny are in a tight battle for third (in the line honours) but it’s unlikely to see any other smaller boats finish today.

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Rolex Sydney Hobart: LawConnect takes race lead from Andoo Comanche

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LawConnect Wins 2023 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

Lawconnect overtook andoo comanche in the final moments to win the sydney hobart yacht race..

Christian Beck’s LawConnect claimed line honors at 8:03 a.m. on Thursday, December 28 after sailing for one day, 19 hours, three minutes, and 58 seconds. Reigning champion Andoo Comanche held the upper hand for most of the 628 nautical mile race, but ultimately fell short.

Only 51 seconds separated LawConnect and Andoo Comanche at the end, making it the second closest finish the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has ever seen. Condor beating Apollo over the line by seven seconds in 1982 marks the closest.

While LawConnect and Andoo Comanche were battling for first, there was a close finish for third place, too. URM Group , Alive , and Moneypenny spent most of the race in a tight match, but URM Group jumped away on Thursday, finishing in third. URM Group finished with a time of two days, two hours, seven minutes, and 19 seconds, followed by Alive and then Moneypenny .

Imagery by ROLEX and Kurt Arrigo.

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Nominations for vessels and crew members are now open for the 2023 Design Awards.

About Kevin Maher

Kevin Maher is Triton's editor-in-chief.

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Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

Andoo Comanche skipper lauds LawConnect crew for victory

• 28 Dec, 2023 11:59:00 AM

Andoo Comanche skipper John Winning Jnr could not hide the pain of seeing his dream of a “swansong” victory on the boat slip away in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

This year’s race had added significance for Winning Jnr with his crew including his father John, sister Jamie, and close mates Peter and Nathan Dean, the sons of John Dean, one of six people to die in the 1998 Sydney Hobart who was also a friend of his father.

However, Winning Jnr had nothing but praise for Christian Beck and his crew for how they sailed   LawConnect   towards a sensational come-from-behind Line Honours victory today.

“I don't like coming second. I don't mind it sometimes, but certainly when you are the favourite it's pretty painful,” said Winning Jnr from the boat at dockside in Hobart.

“We were the favourite because we’ve got an amazing boat that should have won the race.

“We've got an amazing crew. I know I beat myself up around not being able to deliver a win for those guys and my sister [Jamie] is included in that. But the other guys [on   LawConnect ] sailed their butts out. They sailed out of their skin. They left nothing on the table.

Credit: CYCA/Salty Dingo

“We should have beaten them had we sailed as well as I know we can. I think our boat was definitely the better boat, as Christian sort of said in the past. I say that with a bigger compliment to them that they didn't just beat us, but they beat us with an underdog boat.”

Andoo Comanche , the defending champion, went into the 628 nautical mile race organised by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) as the major favourite to cross the line first.

The 100-footer, that Winning Jnr was skippering for the last time in the race after chartering it for two years, looked set for back-to-back wins as it entered the Derwent River.

The two maxis had fought neck and neck for much of the race. Then, in the crossing of Storm Bay,   Andoo Comanche   moved away to a 2nm lead. But on the ever-tricky Derwent River,   LawConnect   fought back to catch them in the slight and fluky breeze.

In the last 1.5nm, the lead changed five times as the two maxis executed jibes to milk what wind there was.   LawConnect   managed to finally make the last move to win by 51 seconds.

In arguably the most exciting finish in years,   LawConnect   crossed the finish line in Hobart in first place at 08.03.58am and in the time of 1 day 19 hours 03 minutes 58 seconds.

Andoo Comanche   crossed in 1 day 19 hours 04 minutes and 49 seconds for the second closest finish in race history, the closest being seven seconds between winners   Condor   and   Apollo   in 1982.

“Those guys deserve all the praise they get,” said Winning Jnr of the   LawConnect   crew. “They must have sailed so bloody well to be there with us, then to take us right to the finish.

Winning Jnr took some solace in the fact that the duel between   LawConnect   and   Andoo Comanche   was so dramatic. “It was one of the most epic finishes in probably any sailing race,” he said.

“Unfortunately, I'm on the wrong side of that Battle Royale, but it's amazing for the sport.”

Winning Jnr said he is unlikely to return to the Sydney Hobart next year, even on another boat. “I'm not looking to do another Hobart next year. I want to do some other stuff,” he said.

But he admits he will miss   Andoo Comanche , now that his charter of it is at its end. “We have put a lot of love into her. She's given us so much in return,” he said. “The memories, we will cherish forever. I'll let someone else have their own memories with it. Maybe we'll cross paths at some point. Hopefully someone else is paying the bills and I can be crew.”

Written by Rupert Guinness/RSHYR Media

Congratulations to all the divisional winners of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2023

PHOTOS | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Official Prizegiving

PHOTOS | Day 5 Morning - Tasman Island and Storm Bay

PHOTOS | Day 5 and Day 6 finishers

PHOTOS | Official Presentation of Tattersall Cup and Rolex Timepiece to the Overall Winner

2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race - A Race for the Ages

VIDEO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race - Rolex Daily Video Summary

VIDEO | Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2023

VIDEO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Official Prizegiving

VIDEO | Race Update - 31 December Morning

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 10

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 9

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 8

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 7

AUDIO | 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Sked 6

Official rolex sydney hobart merchandise.

Shop the official clothing range of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in person at the Club in New South Head Road, Darling Point or online below.  

From casual to technical clothing, there is something for all occasions. Be quick as stock is limited!

Sailing: Kiwi-skippered LawConnect wins Sydney to Hobart race in dramatic finish

The boats battle to the finish line. Credits: Image - Getty Images, video - Supplied

It was fourth time lucky for LawConnect's Kiwi skipper Christian Beck as his supermaxi reined in Andoo Comanche over the final approach to claim line honours in the 78th running of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race by 51 seconds on Thursday.

The two big yachts had run neck-and-neck at the front of the fleet of more 100 boats over 628 nautical miles (1163 km) from Sydney harbour to Tasmania's main southern port.

LawConnect, which last won the race under the name Perpetual Loyal in 2016, had finished runner-up in line honours for the last three runnings of the bluewater classic, last year behind Comanche.

Thousands of spectators gathered at Hobart's Constitution Dock to watch one of the closest finishes in the long history of Australia's most prestigious ocean race.

"I can't believe that result, I never thought it was possible," Beck told reporters at the quay.

"We thought we'd definitely lost it 15 minutes before because they were three miles ahead ... (but) wind gusts came in, it was a complete surprise."

Stormy weather had made conditions tough and the winning time was one day, 19 hours, 3 minutes and 58 seconds, well outside the record of one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds set by Comanche in 2017.

More from Newshub

Most of the rest of the fleet remains in the sometimes volatile Bass Strait, which separates the mainland from the island state of Tasmania, and the winner of the overall handicap title might not be known for several days.

Eleven boats have retired from the race but there have been no fatalities, a reflection of improved safety standards since six sailors were killed when a major storm hit the fleet during the 1998 running of the race.

LIVE 0m ago

Sydney to Hobart yacht race: LawConnect wins Sydney to Hobart line honours after two-way river battle

Topic: Sailing

In a finish for the ages, LawConnect has sensationally overtaken Andoo Comanche in the final moments to snatch line honours in the 2023 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

Andoo Comanche held the lead a lot more comfortably when rounding the Tasman Peninsula and entering the River Derwent for the final sprint, but LawConnect started to rapidly gain on them.

LawConnect and Andoo Comanche racing to the finish line. ( ABC News: Maren Preuss )

The two crews could wave to each other, if they wanted to. ( ABC News: Maren Preuss )

The speedier LawConnect closed several nautical miles between them along the river until they were neck and neck to a nail-biting finish. 

LawConnect's finish time in the end was 1 day, 19 hours, 3 minutes and 58 seconds. Andoo Comanche's was just 51 seconds behind.

If you're new to the Sydney to Hobart race, we've got a shortcut guide at the bottom of the story. Tap the link below to get the gist of the race: Explained: Common Sydney to Hobart yacht race questions 

The LawConnect crew celebrate their win. ( ABC News: Maren Preuss )

LawConnect owner Christian Beck described their dramatic win as a dream come true.

"I can't believe that result. Honestly, it's a dream come true," he said.

"I never thought it was possible, actually."

Despite trailing by a significant margin as they passed the Iron Pot on the final approach, LawConnect had the advantage of being able to watch Andoo Comanche to see where the slow spots were.

LawConnect entered with a protest flag flying, after being on standby for about 30 minutes during the race due to concerns Andoo Comanche was in distress, but a formal protest was not lodged.

There was also some interference from a spectator boat in the final moments, with a catamaran passing close to Andoo Comanche and the crew being seen yelling and gesturing.

Tasmania Police said this afternoon action would be taken against a 57-year-old man for "allegedly breaching" marine and safety regulations.

"The man was skippering a private vessel when it reportedly encroached into the exclusion zone set by Marine and Safety Tasmania," it said in a statement. 

The offence carries a fine of up to $3,900.

Sailing master Tony Mutter said spectator boats were something the competitors had to deal with.

"It's pretty fair that everyone had troubles with the spectator boats. That's part of it when it's so busy," he said.

Andoo Comanche skipper John Winning Jr said they only had themselves to blame for the last-minute loss.

LawConnect is racing to the Sydney to Hobart finish line. ( ABC News: Megan Whitfield )

"We should have been miles ahead of them with our boat," he said.

"The conditions suited us, I think they just outsailed us."

First local boat home

URM Group has claimed third place line honours, crossing the finish line at 3:07pm to record a race time of 2 days, 2 hours, 7 minutes and 19 seconds.

The first Tasmanian yacht to finish, Alive, crossed the line almost 12 minutes later.

Alive is currently in first place to win overall handicap honours.

Four yachts have now docked at Kings Pier, with Moneypenny and Wild Thing 100 expected to be the next to arrive.

Live Moment

Join us for the finish of the 2023 Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

Possible problem?

In the final moments, a catamaran appeared to cut in front of Andoo Comanche as the boat turned into the finish.

Eyewitness accounts say crew on Comanche were yelling at the catamaran to move as they tried to turn.

Could this make for an official race protest? We'll have to see.

After leading all the way into the River Derwent, Andoo Comanche won't make it back-to-back Line Honours wins. LawConnect snatched it away from them at the last moment!

How incredible. These boats set off together three days ago and it came down to mere seconds to the finish.

Andoo Comanche was in the lead when it approached the Tasman Peninsula this morning. ( Supplied: Andrea Francolini )

It has been a testing 78th edition of the Sydney to Hobart, with a man overboard, stormy seas, damaged yachts and rapid wind changes.

Eleven boats have retired, including race favourite SHK Scallywag, which broke its bow sprit on the first day.

The skipper of two-handed Rum Rebellion, Shane Connelly, was sent overboard at 6pm on Boxing Day after encountering rapid wind changes off the coast between Cronulla and Wollongong.

Two-handed Currawong also retired, after facing various issues in rough conditions off New South Wales.

Owner Kathy Veel said they were disappointed but believed they made the right decision.

"Last night was quite difficult and there was a lot more of that ahead of us in a long race," she said.

They were the last boat to cross the finishing line at last year's event, making a well-received arrival in Hobart at midnight on New Year's Eve.

Your questions answered

Here are the answers to some of the most common questions.

Who won Sydney to Hobart 2023?

When we talk about the Sydney to Hobart race, there are two major "winners":

• Line honours: This is the order in which boats cross the finish line.
• Overall winners: The order of winners once race times have been calculated to take into account the differences between boats (handicaps). This is because the boats aren't exactly the same — adjustments have to be made for things like the weight and length of the boat.

Line honours will always go to the biggest, fastest yachts (supermaxis) but is likely one of the smaller vessels will be crowned the overall winner (which is seen as the more prestigious of the two prizes).

Here's the line honours as of Thursday morning:

• Andoo Comanche

The difference between the two was just 51 seconds. 

But the overall winner won't be decided for days. 

Until then, we can only wait.

However, before the race, there were a few main contenders for the overall title – here they are listed in alphabetical order:

• SHK Scallywag

Who owns LawConnect?

Christen Beck. 

Mr Beck is the founder of a legal software company, which he created off the back of building a system for his father's legal firm in the 90s. 

In 2017, he was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year and in 2018, he was ranked 99th on the Financial Review's Rich List . 

Who owns Andoo Comanche?

John 'Herman' Winning Jnr.

He's the chief executive of Winning Appliances, a company started by his great grandfather in 1906. 

Mr Winning Jnr took over the role from his father in 2011. 

How far is the Sydney to Hobart distance?

It's a 628-nautical-mile course – that's  1,163 kilometres .

Starting at Sydney Harbour, the course runs down the south-east coast of Australia, across the Bass Strait before turning into the Derwent River to finish in Hobart. 

It usually takes about 48 hours for the first boat to cross the finish line.

What is a nautical mile?

A nautical mile is the equivalent to 1.852 kilometres .

It's an internationally used standardised term used for maritime navigation, based on the Earth's latitude and longitude coordinates.

A nautical mile is the equivalent of one minute of latitude. 

Because of this, a nautical mile is slightly longer than land mile. 

How many boats are in the Sydney to Hobart race?

There's 103 this year. 

What is the prize for Sydney to Hobart?

There's no prize money – just trophies. Here's the two main ones:

• JH Illingworth Challenge Cup: This is for the line honours winner – which is the first boat to cross the finish line.
• Tattersalls Cup: This goes to the overall winner.

What's the Sydney to Hobart record?

The line honours record is 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds .

It was set in 2017 by LDV Comanche.

If you've got even more questions, go read out Sydney to Hobart explainer  or tap the link below to jump back to the top of the story.

Take me back to the top to read the recap