Charlie Wyatt’s bucket list completed with historic line honours in Sydney-Hobart race
Home safe and sound with back-to-back line honours wins and a cuddle from grandma for Tasmanian sailor Charlie Watts on the all-conquering supermaxi LawConnect.
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Tasmanian sailor Charlie Wyatt’s bucket list got its biggest tick last year when he sailed into his home port to take line honours on winning yacht LawConnect in the second-closest finish in the history of the Rolex Sydney-Hobart.
Never in his wildest dreams did Charlie, 26, based in Newcastle, think lightning could strike twice.
Unlike last year’s thrilling daylight win over Comanche at a snail’s pace on the Derwent, LawConnect powered home alone under the cover of darkness to make Charlie a two-time Hobart winner in five attempts.
The supermaxi’s bowman, trimmer and helmsman was humble about a victory few experience, and a cuddle from grandma who was waiting on the dock made it more special.
“It’s pretty good,” he said.
“I’m just glad that we got here, really, because it was pretty challenging conditions.
“It’s just good to put it all together and make it.
“It’s always nice to be home, and grandma was on the dock waiting.”
LawConnect had a flying start, leading the fleet of 104 starters through Sydney Heads.
That did not last long _ an issue with a furling headsail slowed them down and rival Comanche blew by.
“That was frustrating but there was something going on with the sail that we had to fix,” he said.
“Luckily we got there in the end.
“Those things happen and it was just ‘play on’ really, I think, and don’t get too stressed about it.”
Wyatt was a jack of all trades on the supermaxi, doing everything from working on the bow, trimming sails and driving the 100-foot beast.
The distance between LawConnect’s mast and bow is as big as the smallest boats in this year’s fleet.
Wyatt is happy to work forward of the mast with some of Spain’s best professional ocean racing warriors.
“The Spanish guys are really great, awesome to work with and we’re really good mates,” he said.
“There is a bit of a language barrier sometimes but you kind of pick up the lingo a little bit and it all works out in the end.”
How’s Charlie’s Spanish?
“Not great,” he said.
Sailing into his home port as a member of the back-to-back line honours-winning crew was “pretty cool”.
“Last year we came in during the morning but to come in at night was really special,” he said.
It was a different feel to winning this year given the loss of two sailors, killed on the opening night.
“It’s very sad to hear about that and definitely makes it different to last year,” he said.
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LawConnect snared a third Sydney to Hobart line honours win under the cover of darkness but her crew were sombre and sad remembering the sailors who would not be docking.
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No trophy, no cheers for LawConnect’s second consecutive line honours crown in Rolex Sydney to Hobart. Here’s what happened.