Please select your home edition
Edition
Leaderboard FD July August September 2023

Act 1 builds to a climax in Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

by Jim Gale on 27 Dec 2016
Perpetual Loyal - 2016 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race Michael Chittenden
Less than a day and a half after the fleet left the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney to begin the 2016 Rolex Sydney Hobart, excitement is building as Act 1, the race for line honours, hurtles towards resolution.

The crack crew on Anthony Bell’s super maxi Perpetual Loyal is storming down the Tasmanian east coast, and at this stage looks every chance of smashing her long-time rival, Wild Oats XI’s 2012 race record of one day 18hrs 23mins 12secs.

With 130 miles to go, Perpetual Loyal is 50 miles ahead of Wild Oats XI’s position in 2012.

At her current 16 knots, Anthony Bell’s big black super maxi is set to arrive in Hobart between midnight and 2am. She needs to be in Hobart before 7:23am tomorrow morning to claim the record.

The NSW 100 footer still has to round Tasman Island, cross Storm Bay and negotiate the notoriously fickle Derwent River in the dark, but the forecast is pointing towards a fresh north-easterly breeze throughout the night, even on the Derwent River, which usually shuts down at night.


All the omens seem to be pointing towards a triumph that would wash away the bitter disappointment of Perpetual LOYAL’s failure to finish the 628 nautical mile race in the last two years.

Second placed V70 Giacomo is trailing by 16 miles, and will be hard pressed to take much time out of that in the hours remaining. It would seem that all Bell has to do now is to keep his boat in one piece, and pray that the wind gods don’t suddenly take a fancy to surprise endings. But he does have six or seven hours to play with for that record.

For the second year running, Perpetual Loyal led the fleet out of Sydney Heads, though she trailed Wild Oats XI down the NSW coast in conditions that better suited Bell’s sleek, silver grey rival.

However, the accountant and his crew never lifted their foot off the pedal, applying as much pressure on the leader as they could, and this morning Wild Oats XI cracked, forced out with a hydraulic ram problem with their canting keel.

New Zealander Jim Delegat’s V70 Giacomo is expected to dock an hour or so after Perpetual Loyal, also well inside the 2012 record.


Giacomo will become the boat to beat for overall honours as Act 2, the battle for Australian yachting’s supreme title of Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race winner begins in earnest.

At present, Giacomo holds a big lead in the overall standings, but Delegat and his crew will have to endure a long wait at the dock, as the mid-size and smaller boats continue to race in Bass Strait and off Tasmania, before they will know if their triumph was more than fleeting.

But all that is for tomorrow - tonight it is all line honours.

Giacomo holds a handy 12 nautical mile lead over third place, the super maxi, Scallywag, which is followed by the Volvo Open 70 Maserati, 80 foot Beau Geste, V70 Black Jack, the Ker 56 Varuna VI and CQS.

Incredibly, it is conceivable that all of these could finish inside the old record. That is how fast this race has been. We will know all in a few hours, but right now we know one thing for certain. Act 1 is Perpetual Loyal’s to win or lose.





Henri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeSwitch One DesignMackay Boats 728x90 BOTTOM

Related Articles

And so, it begins…
Grand Final not run yet, but our Hobart coverage begins with something very cool Maybe a tad earlier than last year, which I think was after the Grand Final, but the 100th entrant seemed like a good place to set things off. Now with that said, Sail-World's Hobart coverage begins.
Posted on 21 Sep
ILCA Announcement
Protecting the one-design integrity of the class ILCA's mission is to protect the integrity of strict one-design sailing—the principle that ensures every sailor competes on equal terms. This principle, enshrined in the ILCA Fundamental Rule, has been the foundation of our class's success.
Posted on 21 Sep
The Ocean Race Europe 2025: The summer of racing
Biotherm delivered a masterclass - Paprec Arkéa a lesson in consistency This Saturday, after a fiercely contested final race, the second edition of The Ocean Race Europe came to a close. It was a seven-week adventure from Germany to Montenegro, full of twists and turns, resilience, and raw emotion.
Posted on 21 Sep
Germany Deutsche Bank claim first SailGP event win
Race Day 2 of the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix The Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank has entered the winners circle, claiming their first event victory at the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in tricky, light conditions on the waters of Lake Geneva.
Posted on 21 Sep
SailGP: Germany score first Event win - Day 2
The German crew led by Erik Heil sailed consistently, on a day where inconsistency was punished. Perhaps it was not surprising that in a nation known for its horology, that the time-clock should have played such a dominant role for the Final day of SailGP Switzerland.
Posted on 21 Sep
2025 Dutch Water Week day 4
At the end of the city's main shopping street, spectators could watch the racing The penultimate day of the Dutch Water Week brought Olympic-class sailing and windsurfing right into the heart of Almere.
Posted on 21 Sep
America's Cup: Controversial agreement signed
According to Italian media, the secret AC Partnership agreement has been signed by CoR/D* International sailing journalist, Fabio Pozo, writing for the Milan based newspaper La Stampa, reports that the secret America's Cup Partnership (ACP) agreement is expected to be signed next week.
Posted on 21 Sep
Women's Match Racing Worlds in Chicago overall
History made: Match in Pink Team wins fifth consecutive title Pauline Courtois and her Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team from Le Havre in France have once again proven their dominance in the sport of match racing, capturing their fifth consecutive World Sailing Women's Match Racing World Championship title
Posted on 21 Sep
Race to the Finish with Paprec Arkéa
Zhik is the official gear partner for The Ocean Race Europe The Ocean Race Europe has again proven why it is one of the most demanding tests in sailing. With Zhik as the official gear partner, the Paprec Arkéa crew faced the extremes of Europe's waters equipped for the challenge.
Posted on 21 Sep
J/105 North American Championship overall
Randy's Hecht's Niuhi three-peats as champion In the finale of the J/105 North American Championship, Randy Hecht claimed victory for the third time, with crew Russ Silvestri, Ethan Doyle, Maggie Bacon, David Janinis and Stephen Marsh.
Posted on 21 Sep