Sydney to Hobart yacht race: Tasmanian defending champion Alive forced out

Tasmania’s defending Sydney-Hobart champion Alive forced to retire while another local yacht is in contention for the overall win. The details >>

A year after clinching its second win on overall handicap, disaster struck just three hours into the 2024 Rolex Sydney to Hobart yacht race for Tasmanian yacht Alive.

The 66-footer, owned by Tasmanian Phil Turner and skippered by fellow-Tasmanian Duncan Hine, had a brilliant start on Sydney Harbour.

It was third boat through Sydney Heads, with only the two 100-foot supermaxis LawConnect and Comanche beating her out to sea.

Place fourth in the race for line honours as the fleet of 104 starters powered down the NSW Coast, Alive’s hopes were shattered when its race ended abruptly, the crew reporting “engine issues” to race control.

This handout image taken and received from Rolex on December 26, 2024 shows yachts competing at the start of the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race on Boxing Day on Sydney Harbour. (Photo by Carlo Borlenghi / ROLEX / AFP)

The engine is critical to the function of a modern ocean racer to produce electricity to power communications equipment, computers, lights, canting keel and winches.

Hine had only recently replaced Alive’s canard _ a foil mounted forward of the keel to resist leeway _ after discovering it was flexing in a lead-up race.

Alive pulled into Port Kembla to take refuge from the 40-knot north-easterly wind that was hammering the yachts at the time.

The Tasmanian yacht Porco Rosso (Paul McCartney), the reigning line honours champion in the Launceston to Hobart race, was powering along in the Sydney-Hobart’s top 10 on the water.

Launceston to Hobart Yacht 2023 race winner, Paul McCartney on board Porco Rosso. Picture: Linda Higginson

Late on day one it was fourth on overall handicap and well in contention for the Tattersalls Cup.

It was third in IRC division one behind NSW yacht Zeus and New Zealand yacht Caro.

Tasmanian entrant Midnight Rambler (Ed Psaltis) was third in IRC division four and 49th yacht in the fleet.

Also in IRC division four, Tilting at Windmills (Sarah Gunnersen-Dempsey) was ninth on handicap 78th on the water.

Hobart yacht Hip-Nautic (Jean-Pierre Ravanat) was placed sixth in IRC division five on the opening day and 60th in the fleet, and

Launceston father-and-son pairing Ken & Tristan Gourlay excelled on day one, sailing their 42-footer Blue Moon in 92nd on the water and second in the Two-Handed PHS division.

AdvantEdge (Andrew Jones) also had a good opening day, sailing along at 20th in the fleet, placed 28th on overall handicap and sixth in IRC division two.

Tenacity, John Lawrie’s boat from the Bellerive Yacht Club, was 56th on the water and 17th in IRC division two.

Originally published as Sydney to Hobart yacht race: Tasmanian defending champion Alive forced out