Rolex Sydney Hobart trophies awarded

by Susan Maffei Plowden on 2 Jan 2007 Mid-evening on New Year's Eve saw the diminutive form of David Kent's Gillawa finally cross the finish line, the last arrival in the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart race. Despite this being the third year in a row that Kent's 32ft Cavalier 975 has taken the wooden spoon (for last boat in) in the annual Boxing Day run south, this year her crew achieved their ambition of reaching Hobart in time for the traditional fireworks display heralding in the New Year.

The official prizegiving for the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart took place at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania this morning, presided over by the The Honourable William Cox, Governor of Tasmania, Doug Parkinson, representing the Premier of Tasmania, Rob Valentine, Lord Mayor of Hobart, Dr Dan Norton of the Tasmanian Ports Corporation, Richard de Leyser of Rolex Australia, Geoff Lavis, Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and Marion Cooper, Commodore of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania.

The majority of the top silverware for the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart was picked up by Bob Oatley's Wild Oats XI and Simon Kurts' Love & War sailed by a team led by skipper Lindsay May. The former was awarded the J. H. Illingworth Trophy for winning line honours, the Jack Rooklyn Memorial Trophy for being the first yacht out of Sydney Heads and the F&J Livingstone Trophy for being the first yacht due south of Tasman Island, as well as finishing second in IRC Division 0 and the Rolex Challenge. Love & War's Lindsay May received the Tattersalls Cup for winning overall under IRC handicap, and a Rolex Yachtmaster timepiece. May was also awarded the Sir Arthur Warner Trophy for coming first in IRC Division 4.

At the prizegiving it was announced that the Wild Oats XI crew had clubbed together to donate AUD$ 2,000 for the cancer fund-raising being carried out during the race by British skipper Michelle Colenso, who's Oyster 55 Capriccio of Rhu won the Cruising Division. Mid-way through a round the world cruise Colenso was diagnosed with breast cancer and she competed in the Rolex Sydney Hobart despite being mid-way through her chemotherapy treatment. The donation from the Wild Oats crew was later matched by Lindsay May.

Looking back at the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race Geoff Lavis, Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, organisers of the event commented: 'I think that this race was one of the better races that we've had. This race was very, very good for sailing and yacht racing in general. It was a fairly hard race, it had retirements, it had a boat sinking, it had injuries, so there was drama. Overall it was a very, very tactical race for the boats competing and it was a great result for the Corinthian style of boat to take first, second and third overall under IRC handicap. As Commodore of the CYCA, I am very proud to be the representative of the club at this point in time.'

Aside from the racing within this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart there has been much human interest from Michele Colenso's cancer appeal to Sydney boatbuilder Sean Langman passing up his Division 0 line honours entry in favour of Maluka, the 1932 built 9m Ranger classic yacht he has spent eight months restoring at his Woolwich Shipyard.

'Maluka is part of Australian maritime history and he has restored that to a position where it will exist for many, many years,' continued Lavis. 'Then there is John Walker (at 84, the oldest skipper), Lou Abrahams (sailing his 44th race), and Witchdoctor doing its 26th Hobart, there were a whole lot of wonderful stories and that's why it has just been a really wonderful event.'