Cabbage Tree Island Race Preview - Massive Rolex Sydney Hobart warm up
by CYCA Media 4 Dec 2025 16:47 AEDT
5-7 December 2025
Cabbage Tree Island Race start © SailMedia
The biggest lead-in to the 2025 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race will get under way from Sydney Harbour on Friday night (1700 AEDT) and will feature the who's who of offshore sailing.
A record 74 entries will take on the 172 nautical mile overnight Cabbage Tree Island Race, the penultimate leg of the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore, which closes out with the iconic Sydney Hobart on Boxing Day.
The racecourse takes the yachts to Cabbage Tree Island, just north of Port Stephens on the NSW Mid North Coast, and back. The Line Honours winner is expected to complete the course well inside 24 hours, while some of the backmarkers, all preparing for Sydney Hobart could take upwards of 48 hours.
The big guns on show include:
- LawConnect, the Cabbage Tree Island race record holder (15h-20m-51s in 2021) and Line Honours winner of the last two Hobarts
- Master Lock Comanche, the reigning three-time Cabbage Tree Island Race Line Honours winner (2022 & 2023 as Andoo Comanche)
- Hong Kong's SHK Scallywag 100 leading five international entrants
- Fellow 100-footers Wild Thing 100 and Maritimo 100
- Current Blue Water Pointscore leader URM Group with brothers Andrew, Nick and Nigel Johnston on board
- Reigning Sydney Hobart Overall champion Celestial V70
Alongside the chargers at the front of the fleet are 12 Double Handed entrants. Boats in the 74-strong fleet range from a little over 30 feet, right up to the five 100-footers.
The Cabbage Tree race is considered the best opportunity for Sydney Hobart competitors to improve sailing at night and to fine-tune crew work before the Great Race South three weeks later.
Along with being a crucial part of the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore, Cabbage Tree is also the opening challenge for the Australian Maxi Championship, which sees Australia's top racing mini maxi and maxi yachts go head-to-head. This championship wraps up with the SOLAS Big Boat Challenge on Tuesday 9 December.
It is also the first race in the brand new Southern Cross Series, which creates an innovative ocean racing pointscore with the aim to attract international competitors to Australian waters. The Southern Cross Series is made up of the Cabbage Tree Island Race, Rolex Sydney Hobart and inaugural Trans Tasman Yacht Race.