History to be made in 2018 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
by Nicholas Janzen 29 May 2018 08:41 AEST
26 December 2018
LDV Comanche will likely feature in a fierce battle for Line Honours © Stefano Gattini
The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) has released the Notice of Race for the 2018 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race – and already 10 yachts have registered to enter what is arguably the world's toughest offshore racing challenge.
The 2017 edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, in which Jim Cooney and Samantha Grant's LDV Comanche claimed the Line Honours title in record time, was one to remember – and the 2018 race looks set to capture even more headlines across the country and around the world.
The 2018 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is set to be another great race with estimates of more than 90 yachts lining up at the start on iconic Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day. With many super-maxi yachts including Comanche, Wild Oats XI, Scallywag, InfoTrack and Black Jack expected to enter, the race for Line Honours will be fierce.
The Sydney Hobart Yacht Race was first conducted in 1945, with the 74th edition in 2018, and is a genuine blue water classic. The race takes competitors 628 nautical miles down the east Australian coast, through the unpredictable and potentially treacherous Bass Strait, up the Derwent River and finishing in the Tasmanian capital of Hobart at Constitution Dock.
In 2017 LDV Comanche claimed a new race record in a time of one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds.
Yachts not possessing the speed to contend for the Line Honours title can still take out the coveted Tattersall Cup, reserved for the boat and crew winning the race on corrected time.
The Notice of Race release comes just days before the PONANT Sydney Noumea Yacht Race, set to light-up Sydney Harbour when it commences on Saturday 2 June. It is the first time the race has been staged in 25 years.
Entries for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race close at 1700 hours on 26 October 2018, with the Notice of Race and entry forms available from the official Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race website.
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