Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

With 628 nautical miles of salt, sweat and stamina, the annual Rolex Sydney Hobart is one of the world's toughest and most prestigious yacht races.

Since its beginning in 1945, with just nine yachts in contention, the race has grown to include hundreds of maxi yachts and weekend racers from across the globe.

The race

The Sydney Hobart fleet sails out of Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day (26 December), travels down Australia’s east coast and crosses the chop of Bass Strait – “the paddock” – to reach Tasmanian waters. The crews continue southward along Tasmania's east coast before sailing into Storm Bay. Then, it’s on, with a sprint up the River Derwent into Hobart, where a slight change in breeze can unseat an expected winner.

With tight-knit crews sporting sailors as old as 86 and as young as 18, everyone works around the clock, in each sloop, aiming for the holy grail of a 40-hour finish.

The race record set by the super-maxi LDV Comanche in 2017 is 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds...but some little yachts don't reach Hobart until early January.

The first ever winner in 1945 was the 35-foot Rani. Today's champions are comparatively ginormous, with the 2023 Line Honours Winner LawConnect measuring a whopping 100 feet (about 30m).

Australia's Wild Oats XI perhaps has the most decorated track record in the race's history, winning Line Honours nine times, including four back-to-back victories from 2005 to 2008. This vessel was also the most recent Double Winner, taking out both Line Honours and the Overall win in 2005 and 2012.

Since then, the race to victory has often been close and unpredictable – LawConnect was ahead of Andoo Comanche by only 51 seconds when it drifted across the line in 2023.

Where to watch the finish line

Hobart locals and visitors line the shores as the leading yachts sail through and into Sullivans Cove. Whether or not every boat arrives in time for the New Year's Eve fireworks, all finishers are greeted by the festival goers at Tasmania's Taste of Summer, sprawling across the waterfront over the New Year period (28 December 2024–4 January 2025). A sail past the gathered festival goers is part of race tradition.

Watch the celebrations from here, or from the harbourside Hobart Village on Constitution Dock. There's plenty to do here on dry land – from kids' activities to live music, food stalls and on-stage Q&As.

For an outdoor vantage point of the finish line, head to the watery edges of Battery Point – Hobart's first suburb filled with colonial-era architecture – and see the maxi yachts complete the race alongside a flotilla of local boats. Listen out for the triumphant finishing canon, booming across Hobart.

Or watch the boats battle it out on their way up the River Derwent from Sandy Bay's beaches. Other Greater Hobart beaches with yacht race viewpoints include Opossum Bay, Kingston Beach and Taroona Beach. Or seek higher ground and overlook the action from Mount Nelson Signal Station, Alexandra Battery Park or Princes Park – right above the finish line.

Restaurants and accommodation for the race

The race finish line is just offshore from Castray Esplanade, wrapping around Hobart’s waterfront and the history-rich areas of Battery Point and Salamanca.

Embrace the nautical spirit at the city’s seaside dining spots. Sit beside the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of Aloft restaurant on Brooke Street Pier: sip wine and feast on a luxurious feed-me menu while watching the watery action below. Or stay at the lavish storytelling hotel MACq 01 and learn a thing or two about Hobart’s history. Drink and dine in MACq 01’s waterline eateries, such as the Story Bar, Frogmore Creek Wine Bar and Evolve Spirits Bar. Salamanca Wharf Hotel is right on Castray Esplanade itself, offering contemporary apartments and premium furnishings imbued with retro character.

More summer events

Keep the festive spirit alive beyond New Year’s Eve and into 2025 at Tasmania’s summer festivals and events.

Head to the 30th annual Hobart International Tennis Tournament (6–11 January) when greats of the sport go head-to-head at the Domain Tennis Centre. Lap up more food and drink at the state’s top foodie fests. And the island’s unique water culture returns to the national stage at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival (7–10 February).