Please select your home edition
Edition
Switch One Design

First indigenous owner/skipper to race in 75th year of Rolex Sydney Hobart

by Di Pearson, RSHYR media 23 Dec 2019 15:29 AEDT 26 December 2019
Rebecca Connor will make history in the 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart © Hamish Hardy / CYCA

At the 1pm start of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's (CYCA) 75th Sydney Hobart Yacht Race on Boxing Day, history will be made when Rebecca Connor and her boat, Wonderland, take part in the race for the first time.

Connor, from Stockton on the NSW Central Coast, has been sailing for only two years, and is set to become the first indigenous owner/skipper to race in the Rolex Sydney Hobart.

"I sailed a little many years ago. A friend, Joe de Kock, came out from South Africa for the Sydney Olympics - he really introduced me to sailing. But I have six boys who keep me quite busy, so I didn't keep it up," Connor said.

A holiday in Greece reignited her interest. "I jumped on a 50-foot yacht with eight people I didn't know and went off for a week - and loved it. I said to my husband 'let's buy a boat'.

"My husband is a mad-keen fisherman, so he wasn't thinking 'yacht', he was thinking 'motor boat'. Nevertheless, he supported my dream, and we found Wonderland (a Beneteau Oceanis 473) in Yeppoon, Queensland.

"The boat was already called Wonderland. In our culture, Wonderland is related to The Dreamtime, which fits nicely. I took her out for a sail, and Joe (de Kock) said to me, 'If you don't buy this yacht, I will', so I bought it. The owner, James Toole, was so honest and came for a sail with us. We agreed on a price instantly, and shook on it," Connor explained.

Connor explains her family history thus: "I have a mixed heritage with secrets and unknowns. My father's side is quite dark, but my mother is lighter and her family maintain it is a Spanish/Aboriginal heritage - so we're a mix."

Connor says she dealt with a lot of Aboriginal people in her workplace: "So I do identify with our culture. I'm very respectful of culture. "I was brought up all over the place. My elder sister was born in New Guinea, I was born in Wee Waa in NSW and eventually we settled in Newcastle. My father was a crop duster pilot, but when we moved to Newcastle he became a fisherman."

Connor says; "I am both surprised and not surprised to be the first Aboriginal owner skipper. Yachting is seen as elitist and hard by some people. I guess it's special to be the first in the fact it will break down some barriers."

Is she nervous about the 628-nautical-mile race ahead? "I feel quite calm. I'm actually looking forward to getting out of the Heads and just sailing..."

And while Connor may be new to the race, she says, "Half the crew have done the race before; Kyle Hancock (her second in charge), Paul Flanagan and Oonagh O'Donovan all sailed on Freyja in 2017. Meika Wright has also done it before. I am the skipper and my primary aim is to finish with the crew and boat intact.

"Sailing has been a real therapy for me; it's saved my life. I love sailing at dusk especially, it's so peaceful," she said, adding: "There is no way I could have done this without my husband, Allan's support.

"My three youngest boys, 11, nine and seven sail. They are doing the Tackers program at Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club. It's a very good program there. We occasionally sail at Port Hunter Sailing Club at Stockton, but more socially.

"My boys are all proud of me. My older boys think I'm a bit mad, but not surprised by it. I hope they are inspired by what I'm doing - that they learn when you put your mind to something, you do it. Through the race, I hope to inspire more people to get involved in the sport," Connor ended.

For all information, please visit www.rolexsydneyhobart.com.

Related Articles

New Caledonian duo set sights on RSHYR
Two French sailors based in New Caledonia will take on the 2025 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race When Yann Rigal and Michel Quintin began sailing Double Handed in 2020, Rigal had his doubts. "When Michel called me and said, 'Are you in?' I was like, 'Wow, that's crazy but yes, let's go'," Rigal laughed. Posted on 11 Jun
Teams poised to settle unfinished business
80th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race preparations are well underway While the start of the 80th anniversary Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is still some time away, preparations are already well under way at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA). Posted on 14 Mar
80th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race entries open
A fleet of over 120 yachts expected to compete in the milestone event The 80th anniversary of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is expected to attract huge interest from sailors from Australia and around the globe, all eager to participate in the milestone event. Posted on 12 Mar
80th Rolex Sydney Hobart entries to open soon
Promising to be a spectacular edition of the race The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) is thrilled to announce that entries for the milestone 80th edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race will open in the coming weeks. Posted on 14 Feb
RSHYR 2024 | 50 feet and below start videos
Start videos from the third and fourth lines Start videos from the third and fourth lines Posted on 8 Jan
RSHYR 2024 | Maxi and mini maxi start videos
Start videos from up in the chopper on Boxing Day, where the airspace is as busy as the Harbour Start videos from up in the chopper on Boxing Day for the annual Sydney Hobart race, where the airspace can get nearly as congested as Sydney Harbour itself... Posted on 7 Jan
2024 RSHYR: Fika wins PHS Double Handed
Annette and Sophie crossed the RSHYR finish line late last evening on Fika Mother and daughter, Annette Hesselmans and Sophie Snijders, crossed the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race finish line late last evening on Fika, the only one of the three female double handed crews to finish the tough 628 nautical mile race. Posted on 1 Jan
2024 RSHYR - Resilience in adversity
Competing crews confronted myriad challenges and a range of weather conditions The official prize-giving for the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race offered a poignant conclusion to an edition marked by tragedy and defined by resilience. Posted on 31 Dec 2024
RSHYR - Mountaineering skills come to the rescue
A crew member with mountaineering skills came to the rescue of Tasmanian boat A crew member with mountaineering skills came to the rescue of Tasmanian boat Tilting at Windmills as it approached the finish line of the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race on Monday. Posted on 31 Dec 2024
2024 RSHYR: No more dehydrated food
Kings Pier overflowed with spectators on Monday Kings Pier overflowed with spectators on Monday, all vying to get a prime view of the latest finishers in the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and among the arrivals was Double Handed entry Disko Trooper_Contender Sailcloth. Posted on 31 Dec 2024
Sea Sure 2025Zhik 2024 DecemberB&G Zeus SR AUS