Please select your home edition
Edition
Selden 2020 - LEADERBOARD

2015 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race - Comanche sheds crew to win

by Bruce Montgomery on 11 Nov 2015
Comanche could cause an upset Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi http://www.carloborlenghi.net
Comanche, the super maxi deemed the most likely to dethrone Wild Oats XI in this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, arrives in Sydney at the start of December with a surprise up its sleeve.

Both Comanche and the other major US challenger, George David’s 88-foor Rambler, have left Italy aboard ships, bound for Sydney and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s blue water classic.

Comanche skipper Ken Read revealed today that, after ceding line honours in last year’s race to Wild Oats XI by just 49 minutes, Comanche will sail this year with 20 per cent fewer crew. Where the crew for last year’s first outing numbered 24, this year it will be just 19 or 20. That means she should be at least 500 kg lighter.

“We’ve learned how to sail her with fewer people,” Read said.

Fewer people means less bodyweight, less displacement. That should mean less drag through the water and faster boat speed.

Handling that speed will be members of the same crew from last year, including America’s Cup winning skipper James Spithill, who has not raced on Comanche since.

Her record since the 2014 Hobart has been impeccable. This year, in winning line honours in the Transatlantic Race from Newport to the Lizard, Comanche set a new 24-hour sailing record for a monohull, 618.01 nautical miles, which is an average of more than 25 knots.

That record distance is just short of the length of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s course for the Hobart race.

Are we looking at a Hobart finish the day after the start?

Is this why Wild Oats XI has to undergo major surgery fore and aft to be competitive?

“If we have 10 hours of light winds and head-on seas we would lose again,” Read says. In other words, he feels they sailed to their best last year and were not holding back because it was a brand new boat. But this year there will be fewer crew.

Comanche is designed by VPLP-Verdier, the French naval architects best known for their IMOCA (International Monohull Open Class Association) 60 designs. In reality, Comanche is a scaled-up version of the Open 60s that are seen in major solo and double-handed races such as the Vendee Globe. Hence, the aircraft carrier proportions of her transom.

What should not be forgotten is that when owners Dr Jim Clark and wife Kristy Hinze Clark collaborated with Read and VPLP-Verdier to produce this radical racing machine, top of the list for them was line honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart. It is their holy grail.

Since last year’s 49-minute loss to Wild Oats XI, Comanche has taken the fastest time in the three major races on her agenda: the 185 nm Stamford to Block Island Race in the US; the 2800 nm Transatlantic Race; the Rolex Fastnet Race.



In the latter two she beat George David’s new 88-foot Rambler. Like Wild Oats XI, Rambler has a side foil able to be deployed to leeward when off the wind helping to keep the bow out of the water.

Her crew comes with America's Cup, Volvo Ocean Race and world championship experience.

“I don't think we could have a better group,” Rambler’s Mick Harvey says.

Both Read and Harvey believe that, while her current surgery to top and tail the hull may be risky, Wild Oats XI will still be the competition.

“They are a smart team and know their strengths and weaknesses, and I'm sure this will give Oats another dimension against the newer boats she may not have had before,” Harvey says.

There are 110 entries in this year’s race, including an all-time record 28 international yachts.

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race starts on Boxing Day, December 26 at 1pm AEDT and will be broadcast live on the Seven Network throughout Australia, webcast live to a global audience on Yahoo!7 and live streamed via mobile.

North Sails Loft 57 PodcastRS Sailing 2021 - FOOTERAllen Dynamic 40 Footer

Related Articles

America's Cup entries open on Sunday
A Cup in turmoil - has Grant Dalton dodged a bullet with the new Cup organisation? Updated story: America's Cup got underway in Rome on Monday, with Round 2 of the official welcoming ceremonies on Wednesday in Naples. Emirates Team NZ CEO Grant Dalton appears to have dodged a bullet with the formation of of new AC organising body.
Posted today at 4:19 am
Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta day 1
Ideal conditions for starting the Southern Wind RendezVous and Trophy The 2025 edition of the Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta, organised by the YCCS with the support of title sponsor Giorgio Armani, got under way right on time today, 28 May 2025 at 11.30 a.m. on the waters off Porto Cervo.
Posted on 28 May
America's Cup Power Plays
And Growing Sailing Through Learning There's always so much speculation and intrigue in-between each edition of the America's Cup. Everyone wants to know what is happening behind closed doors, inside the teams, and when the Challengers meet with the Defender.
Posted on 28 May
2025 is going to be a huge season for IMOCA
Antoine Mermod talks about the season ahead Over the next four years the most exciting monohull class in world offshore ocean racing will take on no less than 17 races, covering tens of thousands of miles of the world's oceans.
Posted on 28 May
America's Cup enthusiastically received in Naples
The Castel dell'Ovo, was the venue for the arrival of the America's Cup in Napes The Castel dell'Ovo, set on the tuft peninsula of Megaride was the outstanding setting for the Official Host Venue Presentation of the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup.
Posted on 28 May
Increased Crowds and Unrivalled Showcase
At 2025 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show The 36th annual Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show (SCIBS) has once again cemented its status as the Southern Hemisphere's premier marine event, drawing an impressive 45,865 visitors over four spectacular days from 22-25 May 2025.
Posted on 28 May
CYCA team to take best shot at the Admiral's Cup
The Australian flag will fly proud on Zen and Back 2 Black The Australian flag will fly proud on Zen and Back 2 Black during the Admiral's Cup to be held in Cowes from the Isle of Wight from 17 July - 1 August.
Posted on 28 May
Doyle Sails: Ragtime blends retro and modern
Launched in 1966, Infidel now Ragtime Sailing, has celebrated her 60th year with a refit Tina Roberts has beautifully restored Ragtime Sailing in honour of her late partner's wishes, choosing Doyle Sails not only for the world-class sails but for the depth of experience, personal commitment, and collaborative support that define the team.
Posted on 28 May
The Ocean's Logbook amplifies global voices
A digital survey that looks beyond cold statistics to capture real stories A powerful new campaign designed to capture the world's emotional connection to the ocean is being launched today ahead of the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France in June.
Posted on 27 May
SP80 kiteboat reaches a top speed of over 58 knots
100 km/h barrier is smashed in Leucate The SP80 kiteboat has reached a top speed of over 58 knots, or 108 km/h. This new personal best makes SP80 the second fastest sailboat ever recorded, behind Vestas Sailrocket II and its 68.01-knot top speed.
Posted on 27 May