Sydney to Hobart 2019: Family affair with celebrity sailors missing from 75th race

Celebrities and sport stars are thin on the ground for the 75th Sydney to Hobart but there are record numbers of another type of sailor.

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Celebrities and sports stars have jumped ship with the 75th Sydney to Hobart instead contested by record numbers of families and first time adventurers.

Over the years the fleet has included a super model in Kristy Hinz Clark, billionaires like Larry Ellison, Ted Turner and Hasso Plattner, cookbook queen Donna Hay, former UK prime minister Ted Heath and Princess Grace of Monaco’s grandson, Prince Pierre Casiraghi.

Also missing are the likes of former celebrity racers including TV personalities Karl Stefanovic and Erin Molan, cricketer Michael Clarke, boxer Danny Green and surfers Layne Beachley and Sally Fitzgibbons who all campaigned past races with Sydney accountant Anthony Bell for charity.

Wild Oats XI on her way to winning the last race.

Crown Prince Pierre Casiraghi raced aboard Maserati in the 2015 Sydney to Hobart.

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Instead the bumper fleet for the anniversary race will be filled with husbands and wives, fathers and sons and other family connections.

Also preparing for the biggest race since the 50th Anniversary race where 371 yachts set sail are multiple former fastest time and corrected time winners including defending champions Wild Oats X1 from Sydney and Alive from Tasmania.

While crew lists are still being compiled, it is estimated there will be 14 or more husband and wives racing together and numerous father and sons and brothers and sisters sailing together or on different boats.

While there is no professional women’s crew this year, female sailors are spotted throughout the fleet and expected to make up around 20 per cent of the estimated 1500 sailors setting sail this year.

Jim Cooney is racing south with his daughter Julia and son James again. The three last raced the Hobart together two years ago.

Both Karl Stefanovic and Larry Emdur and a number of Sydney to Hobart yacht races with Anthony Bell’s Loyal campaigns.

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NSW yachts, predominantly from Sydney, dominate the fleet with 91 entries.

This includes seven from the Central Coast and Hunter Region.

Internationals entries number nine but locals entries are up with the forecast 150 strong fleet the biggest in 25 years.

Sailors have jumped at the chance to be part of the anniversary race with 34 yachts contesting it for the first time.

This is the biggest fleet of first times in recent memory.

Bolstering the quality of the fleet are nine overall winners of the Sydney to Hobart including the timber yacht Love & War, the only boat in the fleet to have won the Australian classic on three separate occasions.

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Also racing is Jim Cooney’s 2017 line honours champion Comanche with his son James and daughter Julia aboard.

It is expected five 18-year-old sailors will be contesting their first race south.

In the wake of the deadly 1998 race a minimum age requirement of 18 for competitors was introduced.