ROLEX Sydney Hobart Race Preview
(Sydney, Australia)- A strong fleet of 115 boats is entered for the classic 628.0nm 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, which begins on Sydney Harbour at 1 pm, Monday, December 26th- Boxing Day.
Two-handed entrants will for the first time be eligible to win the Tattersall Cup. A total of twenty-two doublehanded boats are preparing for the race. One of them is the J/99 RUM REBELLION sailed by Shane Connelly and Tony Sutton. Currently, RUM REBELLION leads the Two-Handed Division of the 2022/23 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore Series and is seventh IRC overall.
RUM REBELLION placed fifth in the inaugural Two-Handed Division in her first Hobart in 2021. She placed third in the Two-Handed Division of the 2022 Club Marine Pittwater to Coffs race, third overall in Division 2 of September’s Flinders Islet race, winning the Two-Handed division and winning Two-Handed in the Bird Island Race. The J/99 was also third in the Two-Handed division of the Tollgate Islands Race. Shane Connolly launched RUM REBELLION last year, following on from his two-handed campaign with Local Hero (which he sailed fully crewed in the 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart). His co-skipper is Tony Sutton, who raced in the 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart with Connelly.
Another two-handed co-conspirator in the class is the J/99 BLUE PLANET sailed by Chris O’Neill and Larry Jamieson. His co-skipper, Larry Jamieson, is a veteran of 35 Hobarts, whose thousands of ocean miles include international yacht deliveries. The pair will race in support of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, an Aussie company focused on the prevention and treatment of sleep and respiratory disorders, lung cancer, and tuberculosis.
The biggest J/Doublehanded team is the J/122e RUM CHASER sailed by Andrew Butler and Lee Antill. This will be their first Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. They’ve proven to be a highly competitive team. Andrew Butler placed third in ORC and PHS in the RPAYC’s 2021 Lion Island Series Two-Handed division and was second under ORC in the CYCA’s 2021/22 Two-Handed Series. RUM CHASER placed sixth in the Two-Handed division in November’s Bird Island Race. Co-skipper is Lee Antill, from the well-known Antill sailing family, who is proving to be a good asset for Butler.
In the fully-crewed division, the J/122 JOSS will be sailed by Roberto Camacho and his crew. In the lead-up, they finished 20th overall in the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race in August, eighth in Division 4 at the Australian Yachting Championships, 22nd in the Flinders Islet Race, and seventh in the Tollgate Islands Race. The J/122’s history includes: Siska Trophy winner 2019/2020 Combined Fleet and runner-up in the 2018/19 Offshore Series 2019/20 when competing in Western Australia’s offshore program. Sailing photo credits- ROLEX/ Kurt Arrigo. For more ROLEX Sydney Hobart Race sailing information