Smooth Sailing at the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

While most of Australia winds down in the warm, balmy days after Christmas, some of the best sailors in the world will be preparing for one of the most grueling nautical races in the world — the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and beginning in Sydney Harbour on the 26th of December.

On paper the course is intimidating — a 628-nautical-mile (or 1,163-kilometer) dash down the eastern coast of Australia, departing from the stunning natural beauty of Sydney Harbour, cheered on by crowds of well-wishers, before a challenging, and sometimes perilous race south through the Tasman Sea, and across the Bass Strait before rounding into Storm Bay, and up the Derwent River for the final dash into Hobart. It’s a race that tests the mettle of the boats and the will of the crew. Beyond that, the race is a complex dance. Weight is crucial. The less the boat carries, the faster it goes — so every pro and con of every kilogram brought on board are carefully considered. And while the race itself is over in a matter of days, the real race begins as soon as the previous one is run. Boats are modified and optimized. Crew are trained, weather and route are analyzed. Every element is carefully choreographed — down to the second — resulting in a ballet of wind, sail and sailor that is as beautiful as it is punishingly intricate.

Rolex has been keeping the grueling 1,163-kilometer race on time since 2002
Rolex has been keeping the grueling 1,163-kilometer race on time since 2002
Rolex has been keeping the grueling 1,163-kilometer race on time since 2002
Rolex has been keeping the grueling 1,163-kilometer race on time since 2002
Rolex has been keeping the grueling 1,163-kilometer race on time since 2002

The pace of this dance has become faster over the years too. In 1945, Captain John Illingworth sailed in the first race in his 30-foot yacht Rani, having never sailed further south than Sydney. Unfamiliar seas weren’t enough to stop Illingworth though, as six days, 14 hours, and 22 minutes later, he was first across the line in Hobart. Technology has changed over the years, and with them the times. Today the faster boats will complete the race in less than two days, and none has been faster than LDV Comanche’s 2017 record of one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds. With this line honors win, LDV Comanche attained what is known as the holy grail of the race — a course time of less than 40 hours, a time once thought impossible, until they set a time just north of 33 hours.

Slingsby Says

One sailor with intimate experience of this grueling race is Tom Slingsby. He’s one of Australia’s most successful competitive sailors. He started his career in Laser dinghies, winning gold at the London Olympics in 2012. A few years later — in 2016 — he skippered his first Sydney Hobart Yacht Race win, in the Supermaxi Perpetual LOYAL. In 2021, he won the World Sailor of the Year Awards for the second time. We wanted to know how significant this was within the scope of his career. “If I am honest, neither of the Rolex World Sailor Awards means more than the other. They are 11 years apart, so it is quite nice to know that I’ve had a long, successful career. I won my first when I was 26 years old and my second when I was 37 years old, so maybe I am still improving in my old age.”

Tom Slingsby lifiting the Championship Trophy after winning the grand final of the second season of Sail GP
Tom Slingsby lifiting the Championship Trophy after winning the grand final of the second season of Sail GP

We asked Slingsby what it takes to be such a high caliber sailor, and what advice he would give to his younger self, or those just learning the ropes. “The best lesson I’ve learnt is to keep an open mind. I’m 38 years old and every day I hit the water, I learn something new. So, to have that mindset that every day you are on the water you can improve, and that every day is an opportunity, an opportunity to get better. Setting goals is another. It gives you motivation and something to work for, a bigger purpose. I must say I set less goals now, and live more in the moment.” Slingsby, being a consummate sailor, races in inshore races as well as offshore events such as the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. We wondered if they were separate disciplines or if there was a significant crossover.

Scenery and sails dominate the Rolex Syndey Hobart Yacht Race
Scenery and sails dominate the Rolex Syndey Hobart Yacht Race

“I find my inshore skills do transfer well to offshore,” Slingsby explains, “Those skills are racing a boat as hard and as fast as you possibly can. That transfers well to offshore racing. But you must be much tougher and more durable to be able to do it day in day out, and to keep the level of concentration up for days at a time. I don’t really see myself as an ocean racer. I’m not tough enough, and I like to get the race done as quick as possible so I can get back into my own bed.”

The Rolex Yacht-Master 40, Tom Slingsby’s choice
The Rolex Yacht-Master 40, Tom Slingsby’s choice

It should come as no surprise that the award-winning sailor wears a Rolex — the brand is famous for the performance of its watches above the waves and under them. As for his model of choice, Slingsby says, “My favorite Rolex is the Rolex Yacht-Master 40 with a bright blue dial. It was a prize for winning the Rolex World Sailor last year. The first one I won in 2010, I gave to my dad, and he has worn it for the past 12 years.”

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