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The Sydney 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 Mile s. The race is run in co-operation with the Royal Yacht Club Of Tasmania . 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 legendary 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 pre-eminent offshore yacht races in the world and it now attracts Maxi Yacht s from North America and Europe. 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. {Link without Title} . HISTORY The inaugural race in 1945 had nine starters. ''Rani'' was the winner, taking six days, 14 hours and 22 minutes. Race records for the fastest (elapsed) time dropped rapidly. However, it took 21 years for the 1975 record by ''Kialoa'' from the USA to be broken by the German yacht ''Morning Glory'' in 1996 , and then only by 29 minutes. In 1999 ''Denmark's'' ''Nokia'' sailed the course in one day, 19 hours, 48 minutes and two seconds, a record which stood until 2005 when Wild Oats XI won line and handicap honours in 1 day 18h 40m 10s. There have been some notable achievements by yachts over the years. Sydney yacht, Morna, won the second, third and fourth races ( 1946 - 1948 ) and then, under new owners Frank and John Livingston from Victoria , took a further four titles as Kurrewa IV in 1954 , 1956 , 1957 and 1960 . Other yachts to win three or more titles are Astor ( 1961 , 1963 and 1964 )and Bumblebee IV firstly in 1979 and then again in 1988 and 1990 as Ragamuffin. Wild Oats XI will attempt to claim its third line honours title in the 2007 race, however has already re-written history by being only the second yacht after Rani in the inaugural 1945 race to win line and handicap honours and break the race record in the same year ( 2005 ). Wild Oats XI then went on to win back-to-back titles by winning line honours in 2006 , the first yacht to do so since Astor in the 1960s. For the handicap race the highly respected Halvorsen brothers' Freya won three titles back-to-back (the only yacht in history to do so) between 1963 and 1965 . Although not consecutive, Love & War equalled Freya's three titles by winning its third in 2006 to add to its 1974 and 1978 titles. Sailors who have achieved outstanding commitment to the race are represented most of all by John Bennetto and Lou Abrahams who, after the 2006 race, had each sailed 44 races. Skippers Frank and John Livingston won four line honours titles while Claude Plowman, Peter Warner, S.A "Huey" Long, Jim Kilroy and Bob Bell have each won three. Trygve and Magnus Halvorsen have won four handicap honours titles while a number of skippers have won two handicap titles. Rolex has been the naming rights sponsor of the race since 2002, and since then the race has been known as the ''Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race''. It will continue to have the naming rights until 2010. Traditionally, crews of yachts celebrate on New Year 's Eve at Constitution Dock in Hobart. Bass Strait , and the waters of the Pacific Ocean immediately to its east, are renowned for their high winds and difficult seas. Even though the race is held in the Australian summer, "southerly buster" storms often make the Sydney-Hobart race cold, bumpy, and very challenging for the crew. It is typical for a considerable number of yachts to retire, often at Eden on the New South Wales south coast, the last sheltered harbour before the Bass Strait crossing. The 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race was marred by tragedy when, during an exceptionally strong storm (which had similar strength winds to a lower-category . http://goaustralia.about.com/od/eventsandfestivals/a/sydhob1998.htm In 1999 the race record was broken by ''Nokia,'' a water-ballasted VO60 yacht. She sailed the course in 1 day, 19 hours, 48 minutes and 2 seconds. ''Brindabella'' reached Hobart just under one hour later (1 day, 20 hours, 46 minutes, 33 seconds) and ''Wild Thing'' was a close third (1 day, 21 hours, 13 minutes, 37 seconds). The previous Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race record had been set by ''Morning Glory'' (2 days, 14 hours, 7 minutes, 10 seconds) in 1996. {Link without Title} In 2004 only 59 yachts completed the course of the 116 who set out from Sydney. Storms hit the race. The super maxi ''Skandia'' capsized after losing her keel.http://goaustralia.about.com/od/eventsandfestivals/a/sydhob2004.htm In 2005, ''Wild Oats'' became the first boat since ''Rani'' to win the "treble," taking Line Honours, winning the Corrected Handicap (IRC), and breaking the course record. (1d 18h 40m 10s, over 1hr off of ''Nokia's'' record.) In 2006, 78 boats started the race, including entrants from the 2006 to take line honours with an elapsed time of 2 days, 8 hours, 52 minutes and 33 seconds. ''Wild Oats XI'' became the first yacht to win the race in consecutive years since 1964 and only the sixth yacht to achieve this since the race's inception. ''Love & War'', owned by Peter Kurts and skippered by Lindsay May , won the race overall (IRC Handicap) in a corrected time of 3 days, 22 hours 2 minutes and 37 seconds. ''Love & War'' became only the second yacht to win the race three times (1974, 1978 and 2006). The yacht ''Freya'' won the race in three consecutive years between 1963 and 1965. ''Gillawa'' from the Australian Capital Territory , skippered by David Kent, was the sixty-ninth and last boat to complete the 2006 race, making it the third consecutive year that the yacht was last in the fleet. {Link without Title} Official Race Results - 2006 HOLY GRAIL With the smashing of the Sydney-Hobart Race Record in 1999 by Nokia, and a host of other super-fast boats, that completed the course in under 2 days for the first time - the Holy Grail of the Sydney-Hobart race, a completion of the course in a time under the 40hr mark became a possibility, rather than an improbability, for the first time. Many of the skippers competing in the Sydney-Hobart race in recent years have expressed a desire to be the first to record a time under the once thought of as impossible mark of 40hrs, and with the right conditions it becomes a tantalisingly close possibilty to strive for. RULES Much public attention focusses on the race for "line honours" - the first boat across the finishing line, typically the newest and largest "maxi" in the fleet. There is also a Handicap Competition , a race for what is regarded as Australia's foremost offshore sailing prize the Tattersalls Cup. The exact rules for the handicap trophy have changed over the years. In general, each boat's time is adjusted on the expected speed of the boat based on its size and other characteristics. The International Offshore Rule s were superseded by the International Measurement System (IMS), and the International Rule Club 2000 (IRC) [http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/editorial.asp?key=537] For 1991, 1992 and 1993 there were two overall winners, one under IMS rules and the other under IOR rules. In 2005, the overall handicap winner will be determined on IRC handicap results [http://www.cyca.com.au/sysfile/downloads/rshyr05_nor.pdf]. In theory, this should make for an even competition between yachts of all sizes, however in practice often only the newest and most advanced boats (regardless of size) can sail fast relative to their rating. In addition, in a race of the length of the Sydney-Hobart weather conditions after the maxi yachts have finished can often determine whether they will win on handicap - if the winds become more favourable after they finish, they will lose on handicap, if they become less favourable they will win. The race is conducted under the Racing Rules Of Sailing determined and published by the International Sailing Federation . For the 2005 race, the event organisers have removed certain restrictions on the boats. As successful sailing is based on a good power to weight ratio, larger sails are expected to help break race records. YACHTS The fleet comprises mostly Sloop s, that is yachts with a single Mast on which is hoisted a Fore-and-aft Rig ged Mainsail and a single Jib or Genoa , plus Extras such as a Spinnaker . The race has encouraged innovation in yacht design. Between 1945 and 2005, the most successful has been the New Zealand designer Bruce Farr , who has designed 15 overall winners. WINNERS & FLEET SIZES Notes:
RECORDS AND STATISTICS
Another Australian offshore race is the Melbourne To Hobart Yacht Race run by the Ocean Racing Club Of Victoria . Known as the West Coaster, this race arrives in Hobart around the same time as the more famous Sydney-Hobart. WOMEN'S INVOLVEMENT Women first participated in the race in 1946. The first woman to take part was Jane Tate , whose boat ''Active'' was the only one to reach Hobart in 1946. Dagmar O'Brien, with boat ''Connella'', also took part this year but retired from the race before finishing. Thus, the Jane Tate Memorial Trophy is awarded each year to the first female Skipper to complete the race. In 1975, the first all-women crew sailed, with boat ''Barbarian''. In 2005, 24 women took part, including Adrienne Cahalan , who is famed for her around-the-world sailing, has been nominated several times for World Yachtswoman of the Year and was Australian Yachtswoman of the Year for 2004-05. In 2005 she was part of the crew for the winning ''Wild Oats''. REFERENCES
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