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Event
Information:
The
Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
(sometimes referred to as the 'Bluewater
Classic' in the Australian media) is
hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of
Australia, starting in Sydney,
Australia on Boxing Day and
finishing in Hobart. The race
distance is approximately 630
nautical miles (1,170 km). The race
is run in co-operation with the
Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, and is
widely considered to be one of the
most difficult yacht races in the
world.
The
race was initially planned to be a
cruise by Peter Luke and some
friends who had formed a club for
those who enjoyed cruising as
opposed to racing, however when a
visiting British Royal Navy Officer,
Captain John Illingworth, suggested
it be made a race, the event was
born. The Sydney to Hobart Yacht
Race has grown over the decades,
since the inaugural race in 1945, to
become one of the top three offshore
yacht races in the world and it now
attracts maxi yachts from all around
the globe. The 2004 race marked the
60th running of the event. The
current race record was set in 2005
by Wild Oats XI, which crossed the
line in a time of 1 day, 18 hours,
40 minutes and 10 seconds.
The
longest surviving skipper from the
inaugural race, Peter Luke, who
contributed to the formation of the
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and
the establishment of the Sydney to
Hobart Yacht Race, died on 23
September 2007 aged 92, the last of
the original sailors who pioneered
this event. His yacht, Wayfarer,
still holds the record for the
slowest elapsed time.
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