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Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race: Latest updates and live boat cam coverage

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Rolex Sydney Hobart: How to win the legendary race

• December 21, 2023

World and European Championship-winning professional navigator, Tom Cheney, gives his advice on how to win the Rolex Sydney Hobart race

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race stands as a pinnacle of offshore yacht racing. Its reputation as the hardest of the classic offshore races is well deserved. Compared to the northern hemisphere 600-milers, for example the Fastnet and Middle Sea Races , the 628-mile Sydney Hobart is much more remote. Once out of Sydney Harbour, you quickly lose mobile phone signal and are left feeling isolated from the rest of the world, something which feels quite alien to most of us in 2023.

The New South Wales coast offers relatively few safe havens should you need to retire from the race, though this is nothing compared to the sense of exposure sailing in the Bass Strait. A fetch of thousands of miles of Southern Ocean and chilling sea temperatures create some of the most challenging conditions that many of us will ever experience. It’s easy to see why this race has significantly stricter safety regulations than its northern hemisphere equivalents.

Huge spectator fleets, and three start lines, make for a challenging but spectacular send off for competitors in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. Photo: Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi

Exiting the Heads

The race begins with a true spectacle in Sydney Harbour, where hundreds of Australians gather to watch the start in a now well-established Boxing Day tradition. Television news helicopters, a packed spectator fleet and some key exclusion zones add to the excitement as you make your way out of the iconic Sydney Heads. Unlike many other big races the whole fleet starts at the same time, but spread across three staggered start lines. In order to make the race the same 628-mile length for everyone, the first two turning marks differ depending on your starting group (an extra complexity for the navigator!).

Typically the fleet starts in a north-easterly breeze, which means a fairly square beat to the first mark. The separate starting areas do help to ease the traffic a little for the smaller boats, but keeping a clean lane is paramount as you bounce off the marked spectator boundaries. After mark one, reaching for just over a mile out through the Heads can be a tussle, with plenty of boats still in close proximity. Sea state builds as you leave the harbour and there’s not long to prepare for what is usually (initially) a VMG downwind leg down the New South Wales coast.

Choosing how to negotiate the East Australian Current is the first major decision for navigators.

New South Wales coast

After the excitement of leaving Sydney Harbour, navigators now encounter their first major decision point: choosing the route south through the East Australian Current (EAC) and anticipating any cold fronts that may be moving north-east up the course.

The EAC is a surface current driven by winds over the South Pacific. Usually it is south-flowing between Sydney and Bass Strait with large gyres and meandering eddies. The flow of the EAC is ever changing, but luckily there are some good models and observations that can help you pick your way south. For routing the Australian Bureau of Meteorology has a seven-day forecast called OceanMAPS and there is also a four-hour sea surface temperature observation from IMOS which gives you a good idea of where the eddies are relative to the forecast.

The smaller yachts in the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart yacht race faced a period of intense upwind sailing. Photo: Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi

The trick is to pick a couple of waypoints where you think the best current is going to be and then try to connect the dots. Weighing up your best shot at positive current against positioning for a front/shift is the big challenge here. As you get further south towards the entrance to the strait, you also need to consider the considerable wind bend as the prevailing westerly wind wraps around the south coast.

Bass Strait

The Bass Strait is notorious for its rough seas and volatile weather. If there’s a cold front moving north and east then pleasant, fast downwind conditions can turn into hard, cold upwind conditions very quickly. A big change in wind direction like this often means a potentially boat-breaking confused sea state. The strait can serve up some of the most challenging conditions in ocean racing, with strong westerly winds known as the ‘Roaring Forties’.

Anticipating a big change in conditions like this, and being appropriately prepared, are an absolute necessity for every boat in the race. The ECMWF and GFS global models can be used to track the big picture weather systems and for running weather routing. There is also an Australian ACCESS model, based on the UK Met Office’s Unified Model. This is not so easy to get hold of, but for those taking the race very seriously, the legendary forecaster Roger ‘Clouds’ Badham provides some GRIB file downloads to teams he is forecasting for.

Smuggler off Tasman island during the 2021 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. Photo: Rolex/Andrea Francolini

Approaching Tasmania

Approaching Tasmania the race enters its tactical endgame. The coastline offers shelter and potential wind shadows, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Choosing when to head offshore for wind or inshore for shelter is often the key to this stage.

Weather in the aptly named Storm Bay can be very unpredictable. The area can be becalmed, leaving yachts stranded for hours, or it can be struck by sudden storms, particularly in the afternoon when the heat from the land can generate strong sea breezes or thunderstorms.

The fetch across the bay can build up substantial waves and the wind can accelerate around the Tasman Peninsula, creating gusty and unstable conditions.

Some of these local features are not captured by typical weather models, so keep an eye on observations and any competitors you can see ahead of you on AIS. There are some high resolution WRF weather models for Hobart available through Nick White’s Expedition navigation software that do a good job of modelling some of these local effects.

Famously fickle breezes can hamper boats in Hobart’s River Derwent at the finish. Photo: Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi

The final approach to Hobart is up the Derwent River, where winds can be fickle, and many a lead has been lost in these final miles. If you’re lucky then you might finish in a nice afternoon sea breeze, those less fortunate can be becalmed for hours, particularly when finishing at night or in the early hours.

Race like no other

Finishing the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race is a significant achievement in itself and the reception all boats receive is unlike anywhere else. Whatever time of day, finishing teams are greeted by a cheering crowd at Constitution Dock and the Elizabeth St Pier. It’s also pretty much mandatory to stop at the Customs House pub for a debrief and to exchange stories from the great race.

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Lawconnect comes from behind to win the rolex sydney hobart in epic finish.

Lawconnect wins Sydney to Hobart

It has been hailed as one of the most remarkable come-from-behind wins of all time and it all came down to the thrilling final mile.

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race ended in dramatic circumstances with perennial bridesmaid LawConnect inching past fellow supermaxi Andoo Comanche to claim line honours in a ridiculously close nailbiter.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: LawConnect wins Sydney to Hobart in thrilling finish.

LawConnect, runner-up in the past three events, edged across the River Derwent finish line, 51 seconds ahead of her rival not long after 8am (AEDT) on Thursday.

After almost two days of sailing in ferocious conditions, the 100-footers played a tactical game of cat and mouse in light winds as they neared the finish, with LawConnect crossing the line in a time of 1 day, 19 hours, 03 minutes and 58 seconds

Both performed several jive manoeuvres as they attempted to secure the lead.

It is the second-closest finish in Sydney to Hobart history after Condor of Bermuda beat Apollo by a mere seven seconds in 1982.

The John Winning Jnr skippered Andoo Comanche held the upper hand for most of the 628 nautical mile race but LawConnect skipper and owner Christian Beck was always confident he could hunt down his rival.

As Comanche held a narrow lead into the River Derwent, Beck told Seven’s Sunrise it was game on. Both yachts then performed several jibe manoeuvres in the epic race to the line.

After the race Beck said: “I can’t believe that result. Honestly, it is a dream come true.

“They took the lead pretty close to the line and we thought there was no way we could get it back.

“A wind gust came around. It was a complete surprise.

“There were guys who couldn’t watch. It was very nerve-racking.”

Fans were blown away by the stunning finish.

“Wow, that was a close finish on the Derwent!!,” one wrote on social media.

And another said: “Holy s***! LawConnect passes Comanche in the variable breezes on the Derwent River. Nailbiter!!!”

And another: “Wow wee! What an amazing finish in the Sydney to Hobart! Congratulations LawConnect! I was hoping for a Comanche win.”

Andrew Hawkins, of horse racing fame, said: “Hard to believe it wasn’t the closest finish in Sydney to Hobart history but nine seconds separated LawConnect and Andoo Comanche - the closest was seven seconds in 1982! Still remarkable after 628 nautical miles to have such a close finish.”

LawConnect was first out of the Heads in Sydney on Boxing Day after a dramatic start to the 628-nautical mile bluewater classic and the retirement of fellow supermaxi SHK Scallywag.

Scallywag was forced to retire roughly six hours into the race after breaking her bow sprit.

Eleven of the race’s starting 103-strong fleet pulled the pin, with some reporting damage and seasickness in challenging conditions which included a thunderstorm on the first night.

LawConnect navigator Chris Lewis described the stormy seas as “wild” with 180-degree wind shifts.

Shane Connelly, skipper of retired two-handed entrant Rum Rebellion, was briefly flung overboard on Boxing Day off the NSW coast in strong winds.

Stream free on

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

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Nine casulties have now struck the Sydney to Hobart fleet.

It was announced on Wednesday morning two more yachts had been forced to retire as the fleet made its way along the NSW south coast.

Scallywag was the first big casualty of the race after the Hong Kong-based sailing team’s bow sprit — which carries the yachts biggest sails — broke just hours into the race.

Scallywag had been the early leader and was in a fight with Andoo Comanche and LawConnect before it was forced to abandon its campaign.

Two more vessels were forced to retire in the early hours of Wednesday morning with Sticky and Maritimo 52 pulling out.

Sticky was forced to pull out with electrical damage, while Maritimo 52 had damage to rigging.

Small yacht Rum Rebellion was hit by a burst of water between Cronulla and Wollongong sending the boat on its side.

Shane Connelly was taken overboard and was a few metres from the boat but was able to swim back to it.

“We are both well and the main thing is our systems and drills all worked well,’’ he told News Corp.

As first reported by News Corp , Arcadia on Tuesday returned to Sydney with a torn mainsail and Rum Rebellion also turned back due to an unspecified reason.

Reigning champions Andoo Comanche and LawConnect are continuing to battle for line honours as they head towards Bass Straight.

Tuesday’s retirement was a gut-punch for the Scallywag crew which had already declared the 2023 Sydney to Hobart would be its last.

News Corp reported skipper David Witt and his crew were “devastated”. The vessel has returned safely back to Sydney.

The team earlier confirmed their sad news via its social media channels.

SHK Scallywag 100 has retired from the 2023 Sydney Hobart with a broken bow sprit. The team are obviously very disappointed given the great progress we were making but thankful no one was injured & that we could safely recover. The team are making their way back to Sydney. pic.twitter.com/fuFApS3DvT — Sun Hung Kai Scallywag (@scallywaghk) December 26, 2023

The five retirements mean there are 98 entries remaining of the 103-yacht fleet that sell sail from Sydney.

Scallywag was also involved in early drama when rival Andoo Comanche flew a protest flag alleging SHK Scallywag had tacked too close as the pair exited Sydney Harbour.

Scallywag subsequently performed a 720 penalty turn to exonerate the vessel from facing a potential disqualification.

The race tracks the eastern coast of Australia southward from Sydney, crossing the Bass Strait, before continuing along the eastern coast of Tasmania and finally reaching Hobart.

Widely considered one of the most challenging yacht races in the world, teams competing in this year’s event — the 78th edition — also risk facing thunderstorms, hail and gale-force winds through the race.

The Bureau of Meteorology, whose representatives briefed the competitors ahead of the race, said there was a high degree of uncertainty for the forecasts over coming days.

With the Bass Strait crossing often the hardest part of the race, teams can expect a larger southwest swell and strong winds.

“This year there is easterly winds and easterly swell forecast, as well as thunderstorms, which will make conditions challenging on Tuesday and Wednesday. These conditions are forecast to ease from later Wednesday,” the bureau said.

Some 113 vessels will be competing in this year’s event.

The record for the race was set in 2017 by LDV Comanche, a 100ft maxi yacht, which completed the event in just over 33 hours.

RETIREMENTS IN THE 2023 SYDNEY TO HOBART

Arcadia – Retired – mainsail damage

Currawong (TH) – Retired – electrical issues

Maritimo 52 – Retired – rigging damage

Pacman (TH) – Retired – runner damage

Rum Rebellion (TH) – Retired – minor injury

SHK Scallywag – Retired – broken bowsprit

Sticky – Retired – electrical damage

Georgia Express – rigging issues

Millennium Falcon - Retired - crew illness

Tumbleweed (TH) - Retired - crew illness

Luna Blue - Retired - damaged equipment

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Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

• Live Finish Tracker New
• Legacy Tracker
• Tracker FAQ
• Google Earth Feed
• Virtual Regatta

Legacy Tracker - How can I find a yacht in the fleet ?

How can i choose favourites , tracker (beta) - can i choose a particular race time, i only want to look at boats within one category or division, tracker (beta) - how can i view previous races, what's the rhumb line , i don’t know what the different coloured sails represent, when should i use the legacy tracker, legacy tracker - can i choose a particular race time, why are there two comanche's shown on the tracker map , legacy tracker - i want to compare the routes of multiple boats, legacy tracker - how can i view previous races, tracker (beta) - how can i find a yacht in the fleet.

Click (or tap for tablets and smartphones) the eye icon beside the name of the yacht.  You will see a green tracking line which represents the yacht's route from the start.

Click (or tap for tables and smartphones) the heart icon beside the name of the yacht.  Your list of favourites can then be found in the drop down selection which is found at the top of the fleet list.

Yes.  The race time for what you can see in the Yacht Tracker window is indicated in the bottom rights hand corner.  You can adjust that time in 10 minute increments by moving the slider under the map.  To show the last recorded timepoint move the slider to the right hand end.

Choose the category you want (IRC, ORCi, PHS, Corinthian, Veteran, Grand Veteran, Sydney 38) using the Filter (Tracker (Beta)) or the dropdown menu under Fleet (Legacy Tracker), then choose the division you want (or "All" if you want to see all the boats in the category).  The map will automatically populate with those boats competing in the category and division you have selected.

Select the race year in the drop down selection at the top of the Yacht Tracker window.  The map will open showing the last time point in the race, and you can adjust the presentation from there.   If you want to view a boat's entire race, select the relevant race year and then move the slider to the left hand end, which will then show all the boats at the time of the race start.  You can then advance the boats in 10 minute increments - see the explanation below.

The rhumb line is the most direct course between the start line in Sydney Harbour and the finish line in Hobart.

Go to the Legend bar under the Fleet and Race Time bars in the Legacy Tracker.

The Legacy Tracker has been retained for those users that find that the Tracker (Beta) does not open or operate properly, particularly if they are using older browsers such as Internet Explorer.

Yes.  Under the bar "Race Time" select the day, hour and minute (in 10 minute increments) and press "Show Earlier Time".  That will then show the position of each boat as at that time.  To revert to current race time for the current year press "Show Latest Time".

The orange coloured sail represents the position of the race record holder ( LDV Comanche ) at the same timepoint in 2017, when she set the current open record.

Choose the boats as favourites, then go to favourites (in the drop down box) and press Toggle Track.  

Select the race year in the drop down selection in the "Race Time" bar in the left hand column of the Tracker window.  From there the other controls work as usual.   If you want to view a boat's entire race, select a race time later than its finishing time in the drop down selection under the race year, and press "Show Earlier Time".  You can also use the Favourites functionality to compare the track of multiple boats, as explained above.

Click (or tap for tablets and smartphones) the row of that yacht in the table in Yacht Tracker.  A dialogue box will open with boat data and you will see a green tracking line which represents that yacht's route from the start