2010 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

While the America’s Cup tournament may be the most well-known yacht race in the world, yachtsmen themselves know that the annual Sydney to Hobart race, also known as the Bluewater Classic, is far more of a test of seamanship. Covering a theoretical course of 630 nautical miles from Sydney on the southeast coast of Australia to the port of Hobart on the island of Tasmania, the Bluewater Classic has been run every Boxing Day (December 26th) since 1945.

Since this event takes place on the open sea, danger exists for even the best-sailed craft. The 1988 race ran afoul of a strong hurricane-force storm that sank five boats, killed six people and allowed only 44 of the 115 boats that started from Sydney to arrive in Hobart. Seas were much calmer in 2010 and the only real drama of the race was whether or not the remarkable winning streak of Wild Oats XI would continue.

Australia’s Wild Oats XI had set the record pace of 1 day, 18 hours, 40 minutes and 10 seconds in 2005, won four in a row from 2005 to 2008 and finished second in 2009. In 2010, it was the first yacht up the Derwent River and finished the race with a time of 2 days, 7 hours, 37 minutes and 20 seconds. The second place yacht, Investec Royal, was nearly four hours behind the winning time and was followed by Lahana in third place.

Wild Oats XI's victory was temporarily held in abeyance pending an investigation into an alleged infraction of the race’s safety rules—namely a failure to report its position by radio contact as well as by telephone during the course of the race. An international jury dismissed the protest and confirmed Wild Oats XI as the winner, its fifth in six years.