Please select your home edition
Edition
Henri-Lloyd Dynamic Range

Rolex Sydney Hobart applications for entry close in one week

by Jennfier Crooks and Sail-World.com on 26 Oct 2009
SAILING - WILD OATS XI leaving the shed in Woolwich 26/10/09 Andrea Francolini/ Wild Oats www.afrancolini.com
The 2009 Rolex Sydney to Hobart race is shaping as the most competitive for many years. Those owners and crews wanting to conquer this Mount Everest of ocean racing – the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race – have just one week left to submit an application for entry.

Already a fleet of 78 has been nominated for this 65th blue water classic including five 100 and two 98 foot maxis vying for line honours, with plenty of race regulars such as AFR Midnight Rambler, Ragamuffin, Yendys and last year’s overall winner Quest, and several first timers ready to try their luck in the blue water classic that starts at 1pm on Saturday 26 December.

Bob Oatley’s Reichel Pugh designed Wild Oats XI, which claimed an historic fourth successive line honours win last year, has just today emerged from its shed at Woolwich Dock.

The yacht has been lengthened to the maximum length overall limit of 100 feet and undergone other top secret modifications that put her in pole position to claim a fifth successive line honours win.



Wild Oats XI will make her 100 foot racing debut in the CYCA’s Cabbage Tree Island Race on Friday 7 November starting at 8pm AEST.

International interest is again high with a total of 12 overseas yachts representing the UK, USA, New Zealand, Spain, New Caledonia and the Netherlands. Last year’s race attracted 13 overseas entries.

Five yachts will represent the United Kingdom including three yachts crewed by members of Her Majesty’s armed forces.

Adventurer of Hornet (Navy), Challenger of Hornet (Army) and Discoverer of Hornet (Air Force) are Challenge 67 foot yachts that were manufactured in the early 1990s for Chay Blyth’s British Steel Challenge and BT Global Challenge ocean racing events.

The UK Ministry of Defence acquired four of the Challenge 67 yachts to enable the Services to undertake ocean voyages. The Rolex Sydney Hobart is the sixth race in a thirteen stage sail training ‘Exercise TRANSGLOBE’ that commenced in July.



Either Adventurer, Challenger or Discoverer of Hornet will take home some special race silverware – the Oggin Cup – the trophy awarded to the armed services crew which finishes first on corrected time in the Rolex Sydney Hobart. It has been won by UK servicemen twice before and with no entry received from any other defence force crewed yacht, the Oggin Cup again looks set to be claimed by the Poms – just like the Ashes before it. The only thing left to determine is which division of the armed forces is the strongest.

Every Australian state is represented on the application for entry list with the number of Tasmanian entries up on last year, currently seven from the Apple Isle.

Applications for entry close next Monday 2 November 2009 at 1700hours AEST.

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2009 Notice of Race is now online at http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/editorial.asp?key=1711.

The final fleet for this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart will be announced at the organising club, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, on the morning of Tuesday 24 November.

Exercise TRANSGLOBE www.exercisetransglobe.com



By Jennifer Crooks/Rolex Sydney Hobart media team

RS Sailing 2021 - FOOTERPredictWind - Offshore App 728x90 BOTTOMSea Sure 2025

Related Articles

29er Class open for championship bids
Inviting venues to submit proposals for the events The 29er Class Association is delighted to announce that bids are now open to host our upcoming major championships.
Posted today at 8:32 am
Switch UK Championship at the WPNSA Day 1
Finn Dickinson leads Sam Whaley by a single point Imagine stepping in to the Dolorian and arriving at the first ever National Championship of your class. Would those present be aware that they were in the throws of making history and how long in to the future will this journey take us?
Posted today at 5:51 am
2025 J/70 Corinthian Worlds at Massachusetts day 3
Light winds lead to leaderboard shake-up Mild breeze combined with a strong tide equaled a shake-up in the standings at the J/70 Corinthian World Championship in Marblehead, Massachusetts USA.
Posted on 26 Sep
2025 Formula Wing Worlds Sardinia day 3
Women's battle heats up in the big waves A change of wind and wave conditions on day three of the Formula Wing World Championships in Cagliari brought a change of fortune for some key players.
Posted on 26 Sep
52 Super Series 2025 Porto Cervo day 4
Sled look to close out regatta win, American Magic Quantum Racing on the cusp of swansong 7th title The penultimate day of racing proved to be a sharp contrast to the two previous days of strong Mistral winds presenting the 13 teams from ten different nations with a different challenge as the conclusion of the 2025 season approaches.
Posted on 26 Sep
Melges 24 Worlds 2025 at Trieste, Italy Day 4
No wind again today, everything will be decided tomorrow The high-pressure system over the Northern Adriatic, and particularly the Gulf of Trieste, left no chance for the 2025 Melges 24 World Championship today, as Day 4 ended without racing.
Posted on 26 Sep
Multihull Cup 2025 Day 1
Allegra takes win in calm but enthusiastic start On what proved a mellow if challenging introduction to the delights of the Multihull Cup for the trio of first timers taking part, it was the Mallorcan event veteran Allegra which showed the fleet the way to go.
Posted on 26 Sep
Offshore Double Handed Worlds Qualifying Race 2
Worlds Apart, Side by Side The second qualification race of the 2025 Offshore Double Handed Worlds started from Cowes, Isle of Wight in a crisp northeasterly, 10 knots under clear skies. But what began as a gentle gradient breeze soon turned into a punishing test of endurance.
Posted on 26 Sep
Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez starts tomorrow
245 competitors vying for 19 trophies Saturday 27 September heralds the start of the 27th edition of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. A great many of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez's 245 guests have already made the famous port in France's Var department.
Posted on 26 Sep
Sailors shift focus to The Ocean Race Atlantic
The new transatlantic race connects two iconic cities - New York and Barcelona As The Ocean Race Europe came to a close in Montenegro, sailors and teams started to turn their attention to the next event in The Ocean Race calendar - The Ocean Race Atlantic: New York to Barcelona.
Posted on 26 Sep