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Foggy Dew (DH)
VIC
- Sail number
- SM1808
- Type
- J99
- Owner
- Robert D'Arcy
Alive and well: two-time Rolex Sydney Hobart Overall winner sets sights on a third
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Two-time Overall winner Alive and three-time Line Honours winner LawConnect have joined the fleet for the 2026 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
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To win a Rolex Sydney Hobart on Overall is a huge achievement – let alone twice. That was the case for the 66-foot canting keel Reichel Pugh racing yacht Alive. Owned by Tasmanian businessman and entrepreneur Phillip Turner, the yacht first won the race Overall in 2018 and repeated that feat in 2023. After retiring early from the 2024 race, Alive is chasing a third Overall win in 2026.
If Alive were to win again, it would join the exclusive club of three-time Overall winners – alongside Freya (1963–1965), Love & War (1974, 1978 and 2006), and Ichi Ban (2017, 2019 and 2021).
Alive goes to Asia
Tasmanian skipper Duncan Hine spent 2025 and the first half of 2026 racing Alive on the Asian circuit. It was an adventure-packed experience with barely a moment to kick back between races.
Hine and his co-skipper lifting the Melbourne Osaka trophy - Alive
The first race was the Melbourne Osaka Cup in March 2025. In just 22 days, Hine and co-skipper Glenn Myler sailed the 66-footer double handed 5,500 nautical miles from Melbourne to Japan, to win the race in all divisions – Line Honours, AMS, ORCi and PHS.
The mini maxi went on to compete in the Hong Kong to Vietnam Race (673nm) in October, placing first on Line Honours and Overall. The 22nd Royal Langkawi International Regatta in Malaysia, in January 2026, resulted in a second Overall. The Rolex China Sea Race in March 2026 saw Alive achieve first on Line Honours and fifth in IRC Division 0.
The yacht, which flies the Derwent Sailing Squadron burgee, is currently en route to its berth in Brisbane. The crew of five are enjoying perfect conditions and stellar sunrises for the 4000 nautical mile trip home from Asia.
Hine and the Alive crew won’t have much time for a relax and reset because they have another goal on the horizon — a third Overall Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race win.
LawConnect crossing the finish line to claim Christian Beck's first major win in 2023. ROLEX | Kurt Arrigo
LawConnect’s fight for fourth on Line Honours
Another race legend, Christian Beck's 100-footer LawConnect will join Alive on the Sydney Harbour start line on Boxing Day. The maxi has won the Rolex Sydney Hobart on Line Honours three times (2016, 2023 and 2024), first as Perpetual Loyal in 2016 and twice under Beck's ownership.
The yacht broke Beck’s "always the bridesmaid, never the bride" curse in 2023 to steal victory from rival Andoo Comanche in a heart-stopping battle up the River Derwent to Hobart. Her 51-second lead over Comanche across the finish line went down in the Sydney Hobart record books. In 2024, Master Lock Comanche (former Andoo Comanche) was forced to retire on the first night of the race. This eased some of the pressure from LawConnect, which stormed across the finish line in first place for two years in a row.
It was not meant to be in 2025. Despite leading the fleet out of the Heads, the LawConnect crew were unable to overturn Master Lock Comanche's mastery of the strong and light winds competitors faced throughout the race.
Beck and his LawConnect crew, which often include offshore sailing veterans Tony Mutter and Ty Oxley, are back in 2026 for another shot at the John H. Illingworth Challenge Cup for Line Honours.
To date, over forty yachts are entered in the 628 nautical mile blue water classic. Registration for the most anticipated race on the international offshore sailing calendar is open until 1700 hours on Friday 23 October.
Featured image - ROLEX | Kurt Arrigo
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