2009 Race Recap
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Andrew Saies Two True, winner of the Tattersall Cup in 2009. Image: ROLEX/Daniel Forster
Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2009
Neville Crichton's Alfa Romeo from New Zealand won the protracted line honours clash of the eight super maxis in the 65th edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, ending the four-year dominance of Wild Oats XI, the race record holder from NSW, owned by Bob Oatley and skippered by Mark Richards.
Alfa Romeo finished the race in 2 days 9 hours 2 minutes 10 seconds but it was a South Australian yacht Two True, a brand new Beneteau First 40 owned by orthopaedic surgeon Andrew Saies, that won the race overall. Before being declared the winner, Saies had to wait a nail-biting 24 hours, and survive a protest hearing relating to an incident on Sydney Harbour at the start of the 628 nautical mile race. Once the international jury dismissed the protest, Saies' Two True was declared the overall winner.
The 2009 Rolex Sydney Hobart race will be remembered by competitors as: "the most benign and mentally frustrating Hobart," to date, largely due to the light to moderate winds experienced by the fleet of 100 yachts. It will also be remembered as the year the race organisers, Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, extended the length overall from 98 feet (30m) to 100 feet (30.48m); and ran an ORCi division as a test of the rule.
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 2009 Edition is here.
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.