2011 Race Recap

RP63 Loki, Overall Winner in 2011.  Image: ROLEX/Daniel Forster

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2011

A spellbinding 2011 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race boiled over, when two super maxis battled for line honours all the way to Hobart, and created one of the closest finishes ever - ending in shock for one and drama for the other.

Favourite for the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's yearly 628 nautical mile race, Bob Oatley's Wild Oats XI, skippered by Mark Richards, has only been beaten once before (by Alfa Romeo in 2009) and she missed out on the hoped for sixth victory this time.

Instead, the victory went to Investec Loyal, whose owner Anthony Bell had to fight a second battle in the protest room to hold onto the J.H. Illingworth Trophy.

Eighty eight yachts left Sydney Harbour in the predicted north-easterly sea breeze. Wild Oats XI, which had a problem with its primary winch, narrowly led Investec Loyal out of Sydney Heads, with Peter Millard and John Honan's Lahana and Stephen Ainsworth's Loki next.

On the morning of December 28, as the leaders charged down the Tasmanian coast, Wild Oats XI regained the lead from Investec Loyal, keeping all connected with the race riveted, as the line honours chase became a match race.

Both yachts ran out of wind and slowed to 2 and 3 knots. Wild Oats XI stopped and Investec Loyal, with the benefit of hindsight, sailed around her adversary.

Bell's boat claimed line honours by 3 minutes 8 seconds, crossing the line at 19.14.18 hours, in the time of 2 days 6hrs 14mins 8sec; the fourth closest finish ever.

As Wild Oats XI crossed the line in second, Mark Richards scattered Gary Ticehurst's ashes, while Gary's wife Teresa laid a wreath from aboard another vessel. The yachting fraternity was still coming to grips with Gary's death while on assignment in his chopper last August. He was of great solace to Hobart crews over 27 years and played a significant role in the rescue of many people in the tragic 1998 race.

On Investec Loyal, the celebrations had started when Anthony Bell was handed a protest lodged against him by the Race Committee, citing RRS 41. In short, it states 'outside help'. The protest was dismissed when the international jury could find no evidence that Investec Loyal had gained any advantage from the information.

Loki won the race overall, "It's the fulfilment of a dream," Ainsworth said of Loki's triumph. "You enter the race every year hoping and give it your best shot every time," he said of winning on his 14th try.

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 2011 Edition is here.    

Race reports

In recent years navigators of the overall winner have been invited to write a report on their race, including detail on the weather they experienced.  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 2012 Offshore - see pages 20 to 47

Race Report – Michael Bellingham, Navigator, Overall Winner Loki