Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

Rigorous preparation, single-minded determination, superlative timing

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008 will start on 26 December and will be conducted on the waters of Sydney Harbour, the Tasman Sea, Storm Bay and the Derwent River.

Over the past 63 years, the Rolex Sydney Hobart has become an icon of Australia’s summer sport, ranking in public interest with such national events as the Melbourne Cup horse race, the Davis Cup tennis and the cricket tests between Australia and England. No yachting event in the world attracts such huge media coverage except, of course, the America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race than does the start on Sydney Harbour. And the others only happen every four or five years.

Over those years, the Rolex Sydney Hobart and Cruising Yacht Club of Australia have had marked influence on international ocean yacht racing. The club has influenced the world in race communications and sea safety, maintaining the highest standards of yacht construction, rigging and stability for ocean racing yachts. The club’s members have also fared well in major ocean racing events overseas, with victories in the Admiral’s Cup, Kenwood Cup, One Ton Cup, the Fastnet Race and the BOC Challenge solo race around the word, not to mention the America’s Cup.