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Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
COMING SOON
18 March, 2026
View Results

Home Race 1996 Recap

1996 Race Recap

Ausmaid (Sm100) - 1996 SHYR - Richard Bennett - CYCA Archives

1996 Telstra-Sydney Hobart Overall Winner Ausmaid

Telstra Sydney-Hobart 1996

Race Program

Prior to each race Cruising Yacht Club of Australia publishes a separate official race program (with details of competing boats, the results of past races and articles about the race and its participants and other important events).  The 1996 Edition is here.    

Weather

The Telstra Sydney Hobart began in a light northerly breeze and a strong flowing ebb tide on Sydney Harbour which saw more than 25 yachts break the start, several not returning for almost an hour.  Within a few hours the fleet was hit by a southerly buster and with the wind reaching 40 knots and a steep sea building up, it soon took its toll.  Among the favourites forced out were the maxi yacht Brindabella with a broken mast and IMS champion Ragamuffin with a ripped mainsail.

By next morning the southerly had abated and by early afternoon the fleet was enjoying a spinnaker sail down the NSW South Coast, with the nor'easter building as the leaders entered Bass Strait.  At times Morning Glory was surfing at more than 30 knots before the northerly, her sights right on a race record.  She ran into frustrating light winds and blanketing fog near Tasman Island.  As she sailed slowly across Storm Bay, it was touch-and-go whether Kialoa's 21-year-old record of 2 days 14 hours 36 minutes 56 seconds would be broken.

However, a south-wester built up late in the evening of December 28th and at 0230 hours on December 29th Morning Glory was in the River Derwent, 11 miles to sail.  Two-sail reaching in the 15-20 knot breeze, Morning Glory swept up the river and crossed the finish line off Battery Point, Hobart, at the historic time of 03.07.10 on the morning of Sunday, December 29th.

Her elapsed time broke Kialoa's record by a mere 29 minutes 46 seconds.  Astern of the leaders, light winds and fog continued to frustrate the main bulk of the fleet, with the last yacht not finishing until the early hours of January 3rd. Morning Glory also collected Telstra's special prize of $300,000 for breaking the long-standing record.

Read a detailed weather analysis on pages 26 and 27 of Offshore referred to below.

Race reports

After each race, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's magazine Offshore contains photo galleries, reports and articles on the race.  Read on to access them.

February / March 2004 Offshore - see pages 4 to 14 and 26-27