Anthony Bell’s Sydney super maxi Investec Loyal is the provisional line honours winner of the 67th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race after one of the closest finishes in the race’s history. She crossed the line just three minutes and eight seconds ahead of five-time line honours winner Wild Oats XI.
The result is provisional because the race committee has protested Investec Loyal for an alleged rule infringement involving outside assistance from an ABC helicopter crew about the sails Wild Oats XI was using on the first morning of the race. An international jury will hear the protest at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania tomorrow at 10am.
Investec Loyal was notified of the race committee protest minutes after it crossed the finish line at 7.14pm this evening.
The development came at the end of an absorbing 24 hour duel between the two, which culminated in a match race up the River Derwent, though Bell denied he had been match racing; he was sailing his own race.
Nevertheless, sailing before a dying south-easterly sea breeze, Investec Loyal covered every gybe that skipper Mark Richards aboard Wild Oats XI made several hundred metres behind.
Bell paid tribute to the crew he beat, saying Wild Oats XI was the benchmark of world sailing.
“This was one the greatest experiences of my life. It was exhilarating. The crew all believed they could win and in the cause [Loyal Foundation],” he said.
“It was an amazing trip. It was a nervous trip, all the way.”
Bell said he had one of the world’s best navigators in American Stan Honey.
“It was one hell of a race. We kept our cool under considerable pressure,” Bell said.
He said he was confident of winning in the protest room.
“We respect that there are rules in racing ... we are confident the outcome will confirm our victory in the race," he said.
For his part Richards said that no matter what happened in the protest room tomorrow, Investec Loyal had won the race.
“Those guys won on the water, we came second. That’s how we think about it. They deserve to win,” Richards said.
“Last night was a tough night. We had a fantastic lead and we ran into the new weather system and there was just no air. The other guys saw what was going on and just sailed around us.
“We clawed our way back and got into the lead again and the same thing happened at Tasman Island.
“You can’t pick that sort of stuff. When you are the lead boat you just don’t know where to go.”
In the annals of the race, it will be remembered as one of the best finishes. The three minute eight second margin is the fourth closest finish in its history. In 1982 Condor of Bermuda beat Apollo by seven seconds; in 1962 Ondine beat Astor by one minute; in 1949 Waltzing Matilda beat Margaret Rintoul by 1m 51 seconds.
Investec Loyal’s line honours win under protest in the Rolex Sydney Hobart
Investec Loyal crossed the finish line of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s (CYCA) 628 nautical mile race at 19.14.18 AEST in the time of 2 days 6hr 14min 18sec. Shortly after Anthony Bell’s super maxi crossed the finish line off Constitution Dock, a representative of the Race Committee, Howard Piggott, delivered the protest to Bell aboard his yacht.
The Race Committee is protesting Investec Loyal under Racing Rule of Sailing 41 that states: “The sail number of a boat which receives outside help will be notified to the Race Committee with details of the incident and a hearing may be held (if required) to determine any penalty. The penalty for Rule 41 shall be at the discretion of the Race Committee.”
The description of the incident on the protest form is as follows: “Audio recording of conversation between ABC helicopter and Investec Loyal seeking information from the helicopter of the sail plan in use on Wild Oats XI. In particular information as to whether Wild Oats XI was flying a trysail. This is assessed to breach 41 by soliciting help from an outside source.”
The Protest Hearing will be held by the International Jury at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania at 10.00 AEST tomorrow (Thursday).
From : Sydney Hobart
Credit : ROLEX/Daniel Forster
The result is provisional because the race committee has protested Investec Loyal for an alleged rule infringement involving outside assistance from an ABC helicopter crew about the sails Wild Oats XI was using on the first morning of the race. An international jury will hear the protest at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania tomorrow at 10am.
Investec Loyal was notified of the race committee protest minutes after it crossed the finish line at 7.14pm this evening.
The development came at the end of an absorbing 24 hour duel between the two, which culminated in a match race up the River Derwent, though Bell denied he had been match racing; he was sailing his own race.
Nevertheless, sailing before a dying south-easterly sea breeze, Investec Loyal covered every gybe that skipper Mark Richards aboard Wild Oats XI made several hundred metres behind.
Bell paid tribute to the crew he beat, saying Wild Oats XI was the benchmark of world sailing.
“This was one the greatest experiences of my life. It was exhilarating. The crew all believed they could win and in the cause [Loyal Foundation],” he said.
“It was an amazing trip. It was a nervous trip, all the way.”
Bell said he had one of the world’s best navigators in American Stan Honey.
“It was one hell of a race. We kept our cool under considerable pressure,” Bell said.
He said he was confident of winning in the protest room.
“We respect that there are rules in racing ... we are confident the outcome will confirm our victory in the race," he said.
For his part Richards said that no matter what happened in the protest room tomorrow, Investec Loyal had won the race.
“Those guys won on the water, we came second. That’s how we think about it. They deserve to win,” Richards said.
“Last night was a tough night. We had a fantastic lead and we ran into the new weather system and there was just no air. The other guys saw what was going on and just sailed around us.
“We clawed our way back and got into the lead again and the same thing happened at Tasman Island.
“You can’t pick that sort of stuff. When you are the lead boat you just don’t know where to go.”
In the annals of the race, it will be remembered as one of the best finishes. The three minute eight second margin is the fourth closest finish in its history. In 1982 Condor of Bermuda beat Apollo by seven seconds; in 1962 Ondine beat Astor by one minute; in 1949 Waltzing Matilda beat Margaret Rintoul by 1m 51 seconds.
Investec Loyal’s line honours win under protest in the Rolex Sydney Hobart
Investec Loyal crossed the finish line of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s (CYCA) 628 nautical mile race at 19.14.18 AEST in the time of 2 days 6hr 14min 18sec. Shortly after Anthony Bell’s super maxi crossed the finish line off Constitution Dock, a representative of the Race Committee, Howard Piggott, delivered the protest to Bell aboard his yacht.
The Race Committee is protesting Investec Loyal under Racing Rule of Sailing 41 that states: “The sail number of a boat which receives outside help will be notified to the Race Committee with details of the incident and a hearing may be held (if required) to determine any penalty. The penalty for Rule 41 shall be at the discretion of the Race Committee.”
The description of the incident on the protest form is as follows: “Audio recording of conversation between ABC helicopter and Investec Loyal seeking information from the helicopter of the sail plan in use on Wild Oats XI. In particular information as to whether Wild Oats XI was flying a trysail. This is assessed to breach 41 by soliciting help from an outside source.”
The Protest Hearing will be held by the International Jury at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania at 10.00 AEST tomorrow (Thursday).
From : Sydney Hobart
