Troy Grafton marks 25th Rolex Sydney to Hobart with a journey of triumph and setbacks

Tasmanian yachtsman Troy Grafton, doing his 25th race, has experienced the highs and lows of the Sydney-Hobart, from winning the race to losing friends at sea.

Sydney to Hobart sailor Troy Grafton at Bellerive Yacht Club. Picture: Linda Higginson

Troy Grafton has ridden a wave of success and disappointment in the Rolex Sydney to Hobart yacht race to get to his 25th event this year.

The gun Hobart sailor had his first taste of the blue water classic in the 50th anniversary event in 1994 when a world record 371 yacht set sail.

He was in the 1998 race when a weather bomb decimated the fleet and killed six sailors, some of them his friends.

He was on NSW yacht Celestial that won the race on handicap in 2021 was the 2021 winner on handicap only to be stripped of the Tattersalls Cup on protest from a rival yacht on a technicality involving its non-functioning satellite phone and the accidental activation of a crewmate’s emergency beacon.

In 2022, Celestial won again and this time kept the Tattersalls Cup, giving Troy a victory most sailors can only dream about.

Tasmanian crewman, Troy Grafton on board Celestial with the Tattersalls Cup after winning the overall winner of the Sydney to Hobart. Picture: Linda Higginson

“Getting the win and turning into runner-up in 2021 was bitter-sweet, and to win it again in 2022 was awesome,” he said.

By reaching the milestone, Grafton becomes a Hobart Hero and will receive the award at the official trophy presentations in Hobart on Wednesday.

Grafton’s 25th race comes on the 30th anniversary of his race debut in aboard the Hobart yacht Kamehameha, which did it in 4 days 13 hours 28 minutes.

“It was a great experience,” he said.

“I sailed with dad and a few of his mates, so it was pretty cool. I was 19 at the time,” he said.

“We finished in Constitution Dock and there were 370 boats and all the people about and cheering as you finished.”

Grafton describes his Sydney-Hobart career as: “They’ve all had there ups and downs.”

In 1998 he was on the Tasmanian yacht Valheru, owned by Launceston doctor Tony Lyall.

There were big waves, obviously, but the worst part was knowing about those people who didn’t make it,” he said.

“We knew some of the Tassie guys, because they were Launceston-based same as Tony.”

Grafton will race on his 10th yacht this year, the NSW 38-footer The Goat as a helmsman, watch captain and tactician.

“A mate who I did the Gladstone race with asked me if I’d be interested, and I said yes,” he said.

“We’re hoping to be up there in the Sydney 38 division _ it would be nice to try and win that.”

Originally published as Troy Grafton marks 25th Rolex Sydney to Hobart with a journey of triumph and setbacks