Christian Beck’s 100 footer, LawConnect, achieved Line Honours for the second year running, crossing the finish line in Hobart early on Saturday 28th December at 02.35.13, finishing the 628 nautical mile course in a time of 1 day 13 hours 35 minutes 13 seconds.
This time was 4 hrs 19 mins 49 seconds outside the race record of 1 day 9 hours 15 minutes 24 seconds set by Comanche in 2017. This is her third Line Honours victory – her first was as Perpetual LOYAL in 2016.
With line honours in the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race decided, attention now turns to contenders for the Tattersall Cup, awarded to the Overall winner of the race every year.
Sam Haynes, Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, was second to finish on Celestial V70, just under three hours behind LawConnect, finishing in 1 day, 16 hours, 10 minutes and 20 seconds of racing and is all but certain to win the Tattersall Cup, awarded to the Overall winner of the race.
This will be Haynes second overall win, having taken the mantle in 2022 with his TP52, Celestial.
This chartered boat, a Volvo Open 70, is more commonly known as Willow and proved to be exactly the right kind of yacht for the conditions encountered this year.
Wild Thing 100 claimed third over the line, despite a number of breakages.
The Grant Wharington and Adrian Seiffert owned maxi broke four battens from the top of their mainsail in one of the gybes, and also broke the starboard steering wheel, but crossed the finish line at 5.10am on Saturday morning.
Celebrations were muted in Hobart after the two tragic deaths in the race aboard Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline which we reported on earlier.
Thumbnail photo (c) Ashley Dart / CYCA
