The past, present & future are going to be well represented at this year’s Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race with the oldest yacht ever to have entered going to participate in the race for the 1st time, a yacht being skippered by a member of the same family for 3 generations for the 1st time & record female participation in The Great Race South.
With 5 yachts pulling out since entries closed including the Japanese double-handed entry, reducing the double-handed race to 22 yachts, as well as the iconic James Bond-themed Moneypenny yacht which finished 5th on line honours last edition, a fleet of 107 yachts are now currently going to take the start on the 26th of December, with, unusually, nearly than half the fleet 40 feet (12.19 metres) and under in length.
The furthest to travel to Sydney this year is Cocody, a French yacht with a predominantly French crew including several who race in The Lonely One (La Solitaire). Sailing all the way from France, for their debut at the Sydney-Hobart, Cocody‘s owner, Richard Fromentin, says one of their major objectives is this race with the aim of winning their division.
They may be the furthest to travel in space but the furthest to travel in time is the yacht, Katwinchar. It was built in 1904 – 120 years ago & is the oldest yacht to enter the race ever. Michael Spies will co-skipper her, having entered The Great Race South 45 times already, including the 1999 edition, where he co-skippered Nokia to line honours victory & the 2003 edition, where he co-skippered First National to International Measurement System-handicap victory.
In another sort of time travel, Love & War, a 51-year-old classic Sparkman & Stephens timber yacht which is 1 of 3 & the 2nd of those 3 to have won the Tattersall Cup 3 times, will be skippered by Phillip Kurts for the 1st time, having participated in 7 Sydney-Hobart‘s already – all on Love & War – his 1st race being in 2009 when he was 18. His Dad and the yacht’s owner, Simon Kurts, is unable to participate in 2024, having previously been skipper. Before his Dad became skipper, his grandfather, Peter, designed Love & War with offshore racing in mind & Peter and Simon represented Australia at the United Kingdom’s Admiral’s Cup in 1975. Thus, this sudden handover in skippering at the 2024 edition has now given the Kurts family the honour of being the 1st family to sail the race in 3 generations & on the same yacht as skippers.
Photograph: Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race
The honour is a notable award on what will be the 50th anniversary of Love & War‘s 1st Tattersall Cup’s victory in 1974, the other 2 victories being in 1978 & 2006. The 1st 2 victories skippered by Peter while the most recent victory was co-skippered by Simon. In 2021, they won their division, though finishing 3rd for the Tattersall Cup. Known for excelling in tough conditions, Love & War has put the 2024 race weather forecast well in its skipper’s mind already:
We’re absolutely capable of [winning the race]. The tougher the race is, the better we’ll go.
Phillip Kurts, ‘Love & War‘ skipper
In response is Sebastian Bohm with his TP52, Smuggler, who is also trying to win the Tattersall Cup:
We don’t mind when it gets windy. We’ve got quite a good crew that can handle it well. That sets us apart from the other boats.
Sebastian Bohm, ‘Smuggler’ owner & skipper
Photograph: Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race
He is trying to improve on his & Smuggler‘s 11th placing in the Tattersall Cup last year after solid results on other yachts of the same name. If the trend continues, he should improve on last year.
Then there is Peter Bremner on his Farr 277, Unicoin. It launched in late 1992 as an IMS Farr 40 One-Off called Assassin, which co-won the Tattersall Cup with Bremner aboard that same year (as winners came from two separate rating rules that edition). Assassin last raced from Sydney to Hobart in 1995, finishing 5th that year, following an 11th place in 1994.
Photograph: Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race
Nowadays, the Tattersall Cup goes to the winner of the International Rating Certificate handicap category so, when he bought the yacht & renamed it to the sponsored name, Unicoin, in February this year, Bremner told its new Sailing Master for The Great Race South, Andrew Buckland, who also was aboard in 1992, “We’re not getting any younger so let’s do it now”. Buckland has since been fully converting it to that standard, including a new deck and layout, new carbon fibre mast & a dark grey paint job. With a month to go until the race start, Bremner is hoping she will be as good as in 1992:
We’re confident that we’ve put together a program that can be competitive given the right conditions.
Peter Bremner, ‘Unicoin’ owner & skipper
With modernisation to Unicoin, a bright future for Sebastain Bohm and Smuggler & a new generation skippering Love & War, they weren’t the only things moving into the future at the upcoming Sydney-Hobart. Female participation has risen again for the 2024 edition with 6 more yacht skippers & owners, adding to the 10 last edition. 1 of those female sailors is Wendy Tuck, who will co-skipper Gizmo with Meg Niblett as 1 of 3 all-female double-handed teams. Last year, Tuck sailed aboard Disko Trooper_Contender Sailcloth, which finished 22nd for the Tattersall Cup & is also returning to race in 2024.
Photograph: Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race
It’s a lovely boat. It feels solid. It feels comfortable in the breeze. This boat feels like it’s going to get to Hobart & it’s going to get to Hobart fast.
Wendy Tuck, ‘Gizmo’ co-skipper
Heading further into the future, lastly, it has been confirmed Wild Thing 100, owned by Grant Wharington, will race in the 2025 edition, which is the event’s 80th anniversary. For preparation, in February next year, Wild Thing 100 will have an updated full-size rig installed. For the upcoming 2024 edition, the 100-foot (30.48 metre) yacht is still carrying its mast from when it was 80 feet (24.38 metres) long.
Originally a Botin 80 called Beau Geste, Grant sailed it in the Sydney-Hobart as Stefan Racing, finishing, for line honours, 4th in 2021 & 6th in 2022. Last year, it was extended to 100 feet & renamed Wild Thing 100, having been delivered straight to Sydney from the Gold Coast with a few finishing touches still to be completed upon arrival before the Sydney-Hobart, which, after just over 2 days and 5 hours of racing under Grant Wharington’s skippering, it finished 6th. Grant himself won Line Honours in 2003 on board Skandia. As with any maxi, Wild Thing 100 is, therefore, one of the favourites to take line honours.
The other 2 favourites, to take line honours are last year’s line honours winner, Christian Beck’s LawConnect, a Juan K 100 Custom maxi yacht & the current line honours race record holder, Master Lock Comanche, the latter having also won line honours 3 other times with different owners & sponsored names. LawConnect also won line honours in 2016 as Perpetual LOYAL, though with a different owner at the time, after which it was bought by Beck & renamed InfoTrack to achieve a 24th place in 2017. It was claimed the yacht was too old & too heavy but LawConnect has confounded her critics, including Beck, by gaining a 4th place in 2018 before a hat-trick of 2nd places from 2019. It was renamed to its current name during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was such a painful lead up to come 2nd 3 times. To win was unbelievable.
Christian Beck, ‘LawConnect’ owner
Beck then finally won last edition, after being behind Andoo Comanche nearly the whole way, in a nail-biting finish along a fickle-breezed Derwent in the morning of the 28th of December – the 2nd closest ever on record, eventually beating Andoo Comanche by 51 seconds at the finish line. The yacht’s Sailing Master is Tony Mutter, who has held the title since 2021.
This year, Master Lock Comanche, will be co-skippered by Matt Allen & James Mayo. Combined, they have won 5 Tattersall Cups with Allen winning 4 of them & Mayo also winning Line Honours in the same edition onboard Sovereign in 1987. Until now, Allen has kept clear of yachts that were favourites for line honours in The Great Race South. Despite Comanche‘s rich history, it is actually the newest of the maxis at a decade old & is nicknamed the Aircraft Carrier because of its wide girth. With 3 different owners or charterers in its lifetime with 6 race entries to date, breaking the race record in its 3rd race, it is a reliable yacht to win on.
It’s such an iconic boat (Comanche). It’s such an iconic race. To give it another run is just a terrific feeling.
Matt Allen, ‘Master Lock Comanche’ Co-Skipper
The 2024 Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race will begin at 1pm on Thursday the 26th of December (Boxing Day) from Sydney Harbour. The Sydney Race Village, outside the CYCA, opens on Sunday the 1st of December & closes on the night of Boxing Day. The Classic Yacht Regatta will be held on Sydney Harbour between 1:55pm on Friday the 13th of December to sometime after 3:30pm on Sunday the 15th of December. The Hobart Race Village, at Constitution Dock, opens at 12pm on Friday the 27th of December & closes on the night of the 1st of January 2025. The main race can finish as early as 10:15pm on Friday the 27th of December with the last yacht finishing as last as the 6th of January 2025.
Sydney Spectaculars 
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