2024 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

The 2024 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, sponsored by Rolex and hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) in Sydney, is the 79th annual running of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. It began on Port Jackson at 1 pm on Boxing Day (26 December 2024), before heading south for 628 nautical miles (1,163 km) through the Tasman Sea, Bass Strait, Storm Bay and up the River Derwent, to cross the finish line in Hobart, Tasmania.

A fleet of 104 boats started the race, of which 74 finished. Line honours were claimed by LawConnect in a time of 1 day, 13 hours, 35 minutes and 13 seconds.

On the first night of the race two sailors died in separate incidents on the boats Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline after being struck by the boom and main sheet respectively. These are the first deaths since 1998, which also had strong north easterly conditions.

A review commissioned by the CYCA found that both deaths occurred during crash gybes, an uncontrolled manoeuvre where the boom swings across the yacht with great force. The review concluded that mandatory helmets would not have saved either sailor, but recommended that future races enforce the use of automatic man overboard detection systems and requires crews to have a greater level of experience.

Notes

^2 – Poulpito were given a 45 minutes redress to be subtracted off their elapsed time under RRS Fundamental Rule 1.1 by the International Jury due to an incident where their provided assistance after a crew member from Flying Fish Arctos was struck by the boom of the yacht and subsequently died of his injuries on the first day of the race.