1945 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

The 1945 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race was the inaugural running of the annual "blue water classic", the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. It was hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia based in Sydney, New South Wales.

1st Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
Date 26 December 1945 – 3 January 1946
Defender Inaugural Race
Number of Yachts 9
Coordinates 33°51.35′S 151°12.40′E-
42°52.7′S 147°19.58′E
Winner Rani

The race was initially planned to be a cruise planned by Peter Luke, Jack Earl and the Walker brothers who had formed a club for those who enjoyed cruising as opposed to racing.[1][2][3]

The plan was changed, however, when a visiting British Royal Navy Officer, Captain John Illingworth, famously suggested, "Why don’t we make a race of it?"[4][5] The inaugural race,[6] like all those that have followed, began on Sydney Harbour, at noon on Boxing Day (26 December), before heading south for 630 nautical miles (1,170 km) through the Tasman Sea, past Bass Strait, into Storm Bay and up the Derwent River, to cross the finish line in Hobart.

The 1945 fleet comprised 9 starters.[7] Of the 9 starters, 8 yachts completed the race. Illingworth's own vessel, Rani, won the inaugural race in a time of 6 days, 14 hours and 22 minutes.[8]

Peter Luke's record for longest-ever time to finish the course stands to this day: 11 days, 6hours, and 20 minutes.[9]

1945 Fleet

9 yachts registered to begin the 1945 Sydney to Hobart Yacht race. They are:

Yacht Nation Skipper Previous
Starts		 LH (Elapsed) Time
d:hh:mm:ss		 HW (Corrected) Time
d:hh:mm:ss
Ambermerle Australia(NSW) J Colquhoun, C Kiel NA
Archina Australia (NSW) P Goldstein NA RETIRED RETIRED
Horizon Australia (NSW) J R Bartlett NA
Kathleen Australia Jack Earl NA
Mistral II Australia (NSW) Robert Evans NA
Rani United Kingdom Captain John Illingworth, RN NA 6:14:22:00 4:9:38:00
Saltair Australia A E and R M Walker NA
Wayfairer Australia (NSW) Peter Luke NA
Winston Churchill Australia P Coverdale NA

Results
Line Honours LH (Elapsed) Time
d:hh:mm:ss		 Handicap Winner HW (Corrected) Time
d:hh:mm:ss
United Kingdom Rani 6:14:22:00 United Kingdom Rani 4:9:38:00

See also

Notes
  1. It was Jack’s intention to cruise to Hobart in December 1945 along with Peter Luke and the Walker brothers which was the foundation of the Sydney to Hobart race. see Jack Earl entry in – https://cyca.com.au/cyca-hall-of-fame/
  2. "A Founding father of the Sydney to Hobart". Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  3. [Biographical cuttings on Jack Earl, OA, founder of the Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race and marine artist, containing one or more cuttings from newspapers or journals], 1900, retrieved 1 May 2022
  4. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 November 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. Richmond, J. R.W.; Naval Historical Society of Australia (1997), The Sydney to Hobart yacht race 1945, Naval Historical Society of Australia, retrieved 26 December 2013
  6. "SYDNEY TO HOBART YACHT RACE". The West Australian. Perth. 29 December 1945. p. 10. Retrieved 26 December 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "SYDNEY-HOBART YACHT RACE". The Examiner. Launceston, Tas. 18 December 1945. p. 4. Retrieved 26 December 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. "YACHT RACE TO HOBART". The Canberra Times. 29 December 1945. p. 3. Retrieved 26 December 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 November 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

References
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.