Sydney Hobart round up: A classy effort from the TP52s

The TP52s know how to ring in the new year.

The class dominated the IRC overall and ORCi divisions in the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart.

Nine out of the 10 TP52s that completed the race finished in the top 20 on IRC overall. The top three boats on ORCi were also TP52s.

Celestial owner and skipper Sam Haynes and his crew overcame adversity to win the George Adams Tattersall Cup, the perpetual trophy for the overall winner on IRC rating corrected time.

Last year Celestial placed second on IRC overall to Matt Allen’s Ichi Ban, due to a penalty for an infringement of the racing rules. This makes the 2022 victory all the more sweet. 

In an interview with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA), Haynes said: “It’s huge for me and the crew. I can’t believe it; it’s a bit of a life changer.”

During the race, the fleet battled predominantly northerly winds, gusting over 30-knots at times. In a close second place on IRC overall was Matt Donald and Chris Townsend aboard Gweilo, which has been at the top of the TP52 rankings for the 2022/23 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Series thus far.

International competitors, Caro (NZ) and Warrior Won (USA), inspired the Australian TP52 contingent to up the ante for the 628 nautical mile race. 

“Warrior Won and us were close together for so long – four nautical miles separated us at some points – we could see each other. We were match racing the whole way before we got to Tasman Island,” Haynes told the CYCA.

The final standings on ORCi placed Celestial, Gweilo and Caro in the top three, respectively, on IRC overall, with little time separating the yachts as they crossed the finish line before midday on December 28.

Once again, Celestial and Gweilo placed first and second respectively, followed by Craig Neil’s Quest. Quest moved from fourth to third place after Warrior Won was disqualified for having illegal sails on board for this division.

Unfortunately, not all TP52s finished the race. Peter Wrigley and Andrew Kearnan’s KOA retired after rudder loss on day two. A police boat responded to a distress call on Tuesday, December 27, at 1.15pm, reaching Koa at 6pm to tow the boat into Eden on NSW’s South Coast. 

The husband-and-wife team of Ian and Annika Thomson defied the odds to sail their TP52 Ocean Crusaders J-Bird two-handed. J-Bird was the first two-handed yacht to cross the finish line. The boat has an electric drive powered by renewable energy.

The Syd Hobart might be over but the TP52s are ready for another year of high-end racing. First up is the Adelaide to Port Lincoln Yacht Race on February 17.

For the full Sydney Hobart Yacht Race results, see: https://rolexsydneyhobart.com/Standings?categoryId=862&raceId=165&seriesId=2

For more information on the Adelaide to Port Lincoln Yacht Race, see: https://lincolnweek.com.au/

By Greta Quealy/ Australian TP52 Sailing Association