History of the race The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race began in 1945 when a group of Sydney yachtsmen planned a post-World War II cruise to Hobart. They were joined by a Royal Navy officer, Captain John Illingworth RN, who had been a keen racing yachtsman in Britain before the war. He was stationed in Sydney and bought the 39-foot Rani. Nine yachts started on Boxing Day, 1945 and several were "lost" during the race, among them Rani which sailed through stormy weather to take line and handicap (corrected time) honours. The Sydney to Hobart has been held every year since, with the inaugural fleet growing to a record 371 starters in the 50th race in 1994 - the largest fleet in the world for a Category 1 ocean race. Among that remarkable fleet were two yachts which started in the inaugural race – Archina and Winston Churchill. Among the crews were two yachtsmen, by then in their 70s, who had sailed in 1945. Of the fleet, 308 yachts finished and were packed gunwale to gunwale in Hobart’s historic Sullivan’s Cove. The 630 nautical mile course starts from Sydney Harbour and takes the fleet down the East Coast of Australia, across the eastern edge of Bass Strait which divides the island State of Tasmania from the mainland, then down the Tasmanian East Coast. After rounding towering Tasman Island, the fleet sails the final 30 miles across Storm Bay and then 11 miles up the Derwent River to the finish off historic Battery Point in Hobart, Australia’s second oldest city. Courtesy of Peter Campbell, Cruising Yacht Club of Australia http://www.cyca.com.au/HobartHistory.html The official website of the race www.rolexsydneyhobart.com (live early December 2002)