Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, 2017, review: A sedate start to the fastest finish ever
IT was a year of stunning comebacks, memorable debuts, dramas at sea and one almighty stink back on the dock. Everything you need to know about the 2017 Sydney to Hobart race.
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IT was a race of highs and lows, phenomenal speeds, race records and a controversy which claimed headlines around the world.
There were stunning comebacks, memorable debuts, frighteningly close calls, dramas at sea and one almighty stink back on the dock.
The 2017 Sydney to Hobart had it all — and then some.
NEVER EXPECTED TO WIN: Skippers surprise at winning
2017 RACE WRAP: Highs, lows and the big blow
From a fairly sedate start on Sydney Harbour to the fastest finish in the Derwent River, the 73rd race will enter the history books as one of the most drama-packed in recent memory.
We take a look at the moments that mattered in this year’s race south.
NUMBER ONE: Matt Allen’s Ichi Ban the winner
THE FASTEST
The Jim Cooney-skippered supermaxi LDV Comanche was the line honours winner in a record-breaking performance after it covered the 628-nautical-mile course in one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds.
THE BEST
Sydney skipper Matt Allen and his team on brand new 52-footer Ichi Ban “drove it like it had been stolen” to deliver the Sailing Australia president his first overall handicap win as a skipper. His first, as a crew, was in 1983.
THE SMALLEST
The mighty Maluka, just 30-foot long and the minnow of the fleet, made it into Hobart on December 30 at the end of a race made tough by light winds at the start and 50-knot winds at the end.
DANISH ROYALS: Prince Fredrik, Princess Mary sail on Sydney Harbour
SUPERMAXI CENTRAL: Big race on the cards in 2018
THE OLDEST
The American stunner Dorade showed there’s still plenty of life left in the old girl when she finished the race in 77th, in just over three days and six hours, at the ripe old age of 87.
THE SLOWEST
The Richard Lees-skippered Freyja was still out at sea on New Year’s Eve but expected to be home for the first day of the new year.
MIGHTY MINNOW: Maluka set to be retired
CONTROVERSY: Drama at the start with near collision
THE CONTROVERSY
On December 27, the Mark Richards-skippered Wild Oats XI provisionally claimed her ninth line-honours crown and third race record when she finished the Sydney to Hobart in one day, eight hours, 48 minutes and 50 seconds.
A day later she was relegated to second place after an international jury issued her with a one-hour time penalty following a protest by Comanche regarding a close call soon after the start.
PLAY OF THE DAY
Geoff Bauchop finished the race on the Sydney 46-footer Patrice, jumped ashore, lowered himself on to one knee and proposed to girlfriend Paula Dredge.
WOW POWER
There were a record number of female skippers, sailors and an all-female team. But it was Wendy Tuck on the Clipper yacht Sanya who was the first woman skipper home to win the Jane Tate Trophy in honour of the first woman to complete the Sydney to Hobart in 1946.
LIGHTNING STRIKE: Wild Oats' bolt from the blue
PIRATE: Female pirate inspires Sydney to Hobart campaign
MARINE LIFE
Not a single report of a collision with a sunfish or shark or contact with a flying fish but St Jude sailor Geoff Cropley reported racing alongside a pod of more than 100 dolphins in a stunning spectacle at sea.
FAMILY FIRST
Julia and James Cooney became the first sister and brother team to be on a line-honours winner after their father Jim bought LDV Comanche a fortnight before the Sydney to Hobart. Julia, 20, is now also the youngest female line-honours winner.
THIRD-TIME LUCKY
It was third-time lucky for the all-Chinese crew on DeRucci. The team, with an average age under 24, finished 20th — the best by a crew of entirely Chinese nationals. They were hit by a rival boat in the first year they did the race and last year limped home with a broken boom.
THIRD-TIME UNLUCKY
Wild Oats XI became the third yacht in history to loose her line-honours crown after the race. The first was Nirvana in 1983 and in 1990 it was Rothmans for breaching advertising rules.
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOUR
A record-equalling 27 crews from overseas contested the race. The Hong Kong entry Beau Geste was the first international yacht across the line in fourth, while American entry Wizard was fifth. Both had their results improved when InfoTrack received a time penalty for a paperwork issue.
WOW : Our women on water earn accolades
AMBITION: Olivia Price prepared to get wet and wild on Superfoiler Grand Prix series
THE CASUALTIES
On Boxing Day, 102 yachts set sail but only 96 finished. Jazz Player, Blunderbuss, Imalizard, Opt2Go Scamp, Rockall and retired Wots Next all retired with damage or breakage.
LINE HONOURS
1. LDV Comanche, NSW, 1:09.15.24.
2. Wild Oats XI, Qld, 1:09.48.50
3. Black Jack Qld, 1:11.41.32
OVERALL HANDICAP
1. Ichi Ban (NSW)
2. Quest (NSW)
3. Patrice (NSW)