The Sydney-Hobart yacht race has 76 entires but no green light to set sail in 2021

The premier has revealed whether or not the 2021 Sydney to Hobart yacht race is likely to go ahead. LATEST >>

THE Sydney to Hobart yacht race is likely to go ahead this year, Premier Peter Gutwein says.

Talks with organisers were at an advanced stage for the race to return after last year’s cancellation.

But it would be subject to conditions to contain the risk of Covid-19, Mr Gutwein said.

“We’ve had good discussions with the organisers of the yacht race,” he said at a media conference on Thursday.

“What it may mean and we said to them in terms of the yachts coming out we we’d expect double vaccinations to occur for those participants and then what we’ll do is review the circumstances as we move closer to the event.

“It may mean that the village that we’ve had down on the docks in past years may be run in a different way, there may be some other controls out in place but I’m broadly confident that race will still go ahead.

“But again we will need to see happens in New South Wales in terms of what happens on the 1st of December.”

Entries roll in for Sydney-Hobart yacht race despite no green light

WITH 100 days to go before the Sydney to Hobart yacht race starts on Boxing Day, organisers remain “hopeful” the coronavirus pandemic will not stop the blue water classic setting sail for the second year in a row and are encouraging all competitors to get vaccinated.

The Covid-19 pandemic sank the 2020 version of the 629 nautical mile race to Hobart, with the 76th event called off only a few days before the starting gun was scheduled to fire on Sydney Harbour.

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Commodore Noel Cornish said the CYCA was “well prepared” to host a Covid-safe race if given the green light by the NSW and Tasmanian governments.

So far 76 boats have been entered in the 2021 event.

“We were so disappointed to have to cancel the 2020 race due to the Covid-19 outbreak,” Cornish said.

Comanche takes the lead over Info Track as the field makes its way down the coast following the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race in Sydney, Thursday, December 26, 2019. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)

“We are once again working through a number of challenges as we prepare for this year’s race.

“We acknowledge that some decisions will be out of our control, but we remain hopeful that the race will go ahead as planned on Boxing Day.

“We are in ongoing discussions with the NSW and Tasmanian state governments to keep abreast of changes to policy.

26-12-19 - The start of the 75th Sydney to Hobart yacht race.Scallywag Picture By Ryan Osland

“The CYCA is focusing on what is in our control. An extensive Covid-safe plan is already in place and is being regularly adapted to comply with the latest Covid-19 restrictions.

“We are also encouraging competitors to consider their vaccination status, in the event this is a condition required by either State Government.”

If the race cannot head to Hobart, the CYCA may consider an alternative course, such as to Lord Howe Island and return among the possibilities.

SAILING - 2019 Rolex Sydney to Hobart yacht race start in Sydney, Australia - Dec 26th, 2019 (Photo by Andrea Francolini) OSKANA

“Given the Tasmanian border is currently closed to NSW residents, the club is looking at options to modify the Rolex Sydney Hobart race course if it should become necessary,” he said.

“Contingency planning is underway and we are considering an alternative race if the border to Tasmania remains closed.

“More information will be available over the coming months, but our priority will always be to preserve the route that has made the Rolex Sydney Hobart the pinnacle of offshore sailing over the last 77 years.”

Cornish thanked major sponsor, Rolex, all CYCA partners and competitors “for their support and understanding as we navigate these challenges together”.