SYDNEY: Australia’s Celes­tial V70 won the overall trophy for the Sydney to Hobart yacht race on Sunday, after the bluewater classic was overshadowed by the deaths of two sailors in treacherous, blustery weather.

Skipper Sam Haynes opened up the champagne after he and the crew were presented in Hobart with the prestigious Tattersall Cup, awarded to the overall victors after taking into account boat size and other factors.

“We had really good conditions for this boat and also the crew that were the right guys,” said Haynes, who is commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.

“But it was absolutely nuclear out there — it was so rough.” Haynes’ victory — his second after winning in 2022 — is provisional while other boats have yet to complete the race but his position is unassailable.

Haynes said that his 2022 win had been a “life changing moment.

“So, to be able to back it up and to have the wonderful achievement of sailing with my crew, it is an achievement.

“Most of crew from 2022 were with me — and the rest have sailed with me in other races,” he added.

High seas and gale-force winds battered the 104-strong fleet that departed a sunny Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day for the 628-nautical mile ocean race, first held in 1945.

Thirty yachts have so far pulled out, with more than 60 still racing at sea.

Two sailors were killed in separate incidents in rough weather on the first night.

The boom on Flying Fish Arctos hit 55-year-old Roy Quaden on the head. The main sheet on Bowline struck 65-year-old Nick Smith whose head then collided with a winch, race organisers said.

Fellow crew members tried to revive both men but failed.

“The tragic loss of two lives — fellow competitors — it’s something that’s on the mind of myself and the crew,” Haynes said.

“We are very thoughtful about that and saddened, and we are thinking of the families of those involved.”

The two fatalities were the first in the race since 1998 when six men died, five boats sank and 55 sailors were rescued after a deep depression exploded over the fleet in Bass Strait.

LawConnect, a 100-foot supermaxi skippered by Christian Beck, was first to finish in Hobart in the early hours of Saturday, taking line honours for the second year running.

LawConnect posted a winning time of one day, 13 hours, 35 minutes and 13 seconds.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2024