Tight tussles continue in Rolex Sydney Hobart

Khaleesi and Pretty Woman enjoy a battle down the Derwent - 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race © Salty Dingo

The rivalry between NSW yachts Khaleesi and Pretty Woman played out to a thrilling end in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race today, with less than four minutes separating them at the finish.

Co-owned by its skipper Rob Aldis and Sandy Farquharson, the 46-footer Khaleesi finished the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's race at 9:20.47am today.

The 45ft Pretty Woman, owned and skippered by Richard Hudson, crossed the finish line on the River Derwent at 9:24.23 am - 3 minutes 36 seconds behind Khaleesi.

Khaleesi was the 26th boat to finish the race, Pretty Woman the 27th.

The two boats had been racing bow-to-bow on the Derwent on a morning that had earlier seen them sail in a 7 to 8 knot westerly wind that dropped to 4 knots after Tasman Island.

Meanwhile, not far behind, finishing at 9.41.40am, was the 46ft Mayfair, owned and skippered by James Irvine from Queensland. She finished 17 minutes 17 seconds after Pretty Woman.

Rod Aldis, also Commodore of Middle Harbour Yacht Club in Sydney, praised his Khaleesi crew after they were forced to retire last year with a broken forestay. He also congratulated the Pretty Woman crew.

As he spoke, both crews celebrated on their boats, conveniently moored next to each other.

"We have always had very close races with Pretty Woman," said Aldis. "To cross [today] with a few metres between each other after four days racing was exceptional.

"It was really good fun. Great guys. Great camaraderie, great competition."

So, what made the final difference in today's outcome of the Rolex Sydney Hobart that went Khaleesi's way? "That fella up there," said Aldis, laughing and pointing his finger to the sky.

"This is sailing... We're all heroes and winners. That's the way we've got to treat it.

"We're just happy to be sailing and enjoying the competition. It's great having boats that are relatively even and crew with a mixture of women, old guys, young guys... great young talent."

Pressed on the River Derwent and the challenge of the fluctuating breeze, Aldis said: "As usual, frustrating. One minute you get a bit of this, then the next minute a bit of that.

"It's just a great sensation to get here. You can see here the relief in everybody's face. Out there it was fairly gnarly the second night (Tuesday), strong winds and big waves."

Just as buoyant was the mood of Richard Hudson and his 12-strong crew on Pretty Woman from NSW.

Eight of the crew are aged under 30. Five are younger than the 26 year-old boat. A number of them also came to offshore sailing with Hudson through the RPAYC Youth Program.

"We had a fantastic race against Khaleesi... those guys are awesome. They did a really good job," Hudson said.

"It was a challenging race. It was awesome, the boat... It was downwind most of the way and at one point, we hit 29 knots down the face of a wave... something I don't recommend!

"That was the fastest it has been by 4 knots. That's enough."

Asked about reports that Pretty Woman sustained damaged sails, Hudson said, laughing: "We don't talk about that. The answer is yes, but they're all repairable, except for my wallet."

Meanwhile, James Irvine is relieved to have finished after his boat, Mayfair, sustained damage.

"It was a tough race," he said. "We broke our [boom] vang on the way down and jury rigged it up. It might have stopped a few boats, but it didn't stop us.

"Then we broke a couple of batons [in the mainsail]. So, we had to pull down the main and put in the batons. But we got here. The race doesn't stop... we were racing ourselves.

"But it's a fantastic race. It is probably the world's leading offshore race. Competing in it every year and arriving in Hobart, finishing your race is a pretty big accomplishment."