Alive awarded 2023 Tattersall Cup after winning Sydney to Hobart overall honours

There is a beautiful symmetry to Alive’s win in the 78th Sydney-Hobart to match Westward, built and sailed by legendary local sea-dog Jock Muir, as the only two Tasmanian boats to win the great race twice.

Skipper Duncan Hine of Alive goes into the water with Sam Tiedemann, crew member, holding on. Sydney to Hobart 2023 handicap and overall winner Tasmanian yacht Alive. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

There is a beautiful symmetry to Alive’s win in the 78th Sydney-Hobart to match Westward, built and sailed by legendary local sea-dog Jock Muir, as the only two Tasmanian boats to win the great race twice.

For the second time in five races, Alive was awarded the 2023 Tattersall Cup at Kings Piers on Saturday as the winner of the 628 nautical mile race on overall handicap, drawing level with 1947 and 1948 winner Westward, which was moored close by in Constitution Dock.

“That is an amazing thing,” said Alive skipper Duncan Hine.

“I worked for Jock years and years back – not sailing, not woodwork or anything else in the boatyard.

“I used to maintain the slipping rail when I was a kid, while I was still in high school.

“And he was a good man.”

Hine believes Alive has more Sydney-Hobart wins in its future.

Back L-R Matthew Ward, Sam Tiedemann, Dean Van Teylingen. Front L-R Duncan Hine skipper and Darren Jones who are some of the crew of Alive. Sydney to Hobart 2023 handicap and overall winner Tasmanian yacht Alive. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“It’s the best mini-maxi around and for 66-feet she’s a real beauty,” Hine said.

“She hasn’t dated, she’s still as solid as a rock and just a great boat.

“Most of the more modern ones sustain a fair bit of damage but this one is built for it – built for hard offshore racing.”

Hine and Alive’s owner, Tasmanian Phil Turner, are the best of mates but unlike their win in 2018, the boss was not on-board this time.

“He’s absolutely over the moon and very pleased with us,” Hine said.

“Of course he’s devastated that he wasn’t here with us to enjoy it.

“But he watched it and said it was very nailbiting and couldn’t leave the tracker alone – he was living the race with us.”

Turner was tempted to fly back to Tasmania from his home in Thailand for the presentation.

There is little chance he will skip the next year’s Sydney-Hobart as Alive attempts back-to-back titles.

“He will be super-keen and I’m sure he will be here,” Hine said.

Hine also hopes to keep the services of first-timer on-board, Adrienne Cahalan, of Sydney, now a three-time overall winner, six-time line honours winner and two-time race record holder in the Sydney to Hobart.

Alive near the Organ Pipes, on Tasmania's east Coast, Sydney to Hobart race 2023. Picture: Rolex/Kurt Arrigo.

Alive’s navigator with a meteorology degree, Cahalan took the boat 100nm east of the rhumline chasing the wind, which turned out to be a race-winning tactic.

Hine says they could have finished better than fourth in two days, two hours, 19 minutes and four seconds had their key reaching sail not shredded in the opening hours.

“We were one sail down because we blew out our jib topsail and it’s a fast reaching sail and that would have been great for us to have,” Hine said.

“We hung onto [NSW maxi] URM and if we’d had that sail we might have actually been here in front of them.

“In the end the Derwent was kind to people who know it and we had a little home advantage for a pretty strong finish.”

A fleet of 103 yachts started the 2023 edition of the race on Boxing Day, and of those 17 had retired, including NSW pocket-maxi Helsal 3, skippered by Hobart’s Rob Fisher.

Queensland yacht Silver Fern, Two-Handed Kiwi yacht Allegresse, and Two Handed NSW yacht Sylph (with a pet cat on-board) are all due in the New Year.