Final Sydney-Hobart yacht docks with famous crew member Oli the cat

An eventful seven days and 19 hours at sea for the crew of Sylph VI came to an end as the final yacht finished the 2023 Sydney to Hobart. Yet, a crowd gathered to meet one pop-purr-lar crew member. SEE THE PHOTOS >>

Gift bags and hugs were exchanged at Hobart’s Franklin Wharf as the final yacht in the 2023 Sydney to Hobart race Sylph VI and its crew docked on Wednesday.

But, gifts weren’t for the crew.

Yacht owner Robert William’s cat Oli has taken the Australian and international public by storm as the first cat to race in the Sydney to Hobart, gaining the sea-legged feline a horde of fans waiting at the Hobart waterfront.

The ten-year-old cat took the 628-nautical mile journey like a champ according to his owner, despite rough sailing across the Bass Strait with the crew and co-skipper Chris Warren.

Sylph VI, Robert Williams, with shipmate, Oli the cat. Picture: Chris Kidd

“It was probably the most tiring night crossing the Bass Strait, just because of the navigation and the concentration, light winds, but strong headwinds,” he said.

While finishing after the target of New Year’s Day, Mr William’s said the result of seven days and 19 hours was good for one of the oldest boats in the race fleet in its first competitive race in the Sydney to Hobart.

“It’s an older and obviously slower boat and with the conditions we got, light winds and stronger headwinds, it doesn’t suit the performance profile of the boat,” he said.

“There were a couple of times where we dropped the sails and just floated because we weren’t going anywhere.

Meet Sydney to Hobart’s unlikely celebrity: Oli the cat

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“Finishing a Sydney to Hobart, even if you finish last, is an incredible feeling.”

The Sylph VI crew also had the honours of scattering the ashes of David ‘Lawso’ Lawson 60 miles east of Flinders Island as part of his dying wish to rest at sea.

A Life member of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and a renowned member in the sailing community, Mr Lawson had competed five times on the Sylph VI as well as on 28 other occasions in the Sydney to Hobart.

Sylph VI, crewed by Robert Williams and Chris Warren. Picture: Chris Kidd

“I felt very privileged to do that on behalf of the Lawson family and it was a really nice intergenerational connection with the boat,” Mr Williams said.

Arriving into Hobart, Mr Williams and co-skipper Warren were shocked to see the amount of fanfare for the maritime-moggy Oli.

“The crowds singing Oli a song on the finish line was really special,” Mr Warren said.

“We had heard a few things, but had little connectivity offshore, we know that he has had a lot of publicity though.”

Originally published as Final Sydney-Hobart yacht docks with famous crew member Oli the cat