From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

1945 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

1945 annual yacht race in Australia

Field	Value
name	1st Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
coordinates	-

type	Yacht
dates	26 December 1945 - 6 January 1946
host_city	Sydney, Hobart
distance	628 nmi
boats	9
website	[Rolex Sydney Hobart](https://rolexsydneyhobart.com/)
winner	Rani (Captain John Illingworth)
winner_year	1945
previous	None
next	Morna (Claude Plowman) in [1946](1946-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.

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.

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?" The inaugural race, 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. 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.

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

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 results

Position	Sail number	Yacht	State/Country	Yacht type	LOA
(Metres)	Skipper	Elapsed time
d:hh:mm:ss	Ref
1	44	Rani	UK Great Britain	Barber 35 Cutter	10.67	Captain John Illingworth	6:14:22:00	url=https://rolexsydneyhobart.com/Standings?categoryId=110&raceId=15&seriesId=2	title=Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race	date=2023	publisher=Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race	access-date=2024-01-28}}
2	B3	Winston Churchill	TAS Tasmania	Coverdale 52 Cutter	15.66	Percy Coverdale	7:07:38:00
3	29	Kathleen	NSW New South Wales	Archer 44 Yawl	13.44	Jack Earl	8:06:20:00
4	CYC 32	Horizon	NSW New South Wales	Bailey 40 Ketch	12.27	J.R. Bartlett	8:07:47:00
5	CYC 14	Ambermerle	NSW New South Wales	Gronfors 34 Cutter	10.40	John Colquhoun
Clarrie Kiel	8:08:18:00
6	CYC 59	Mistral II	NSW New South Wales	Alden 63 Schooner	19.32	Robert Evans	8:12:55:00
7	15	Saltair	NSW New South Wales	Walker 44 Ketch	13.27	Bert & Russell Walker	8:13:48:00
8	CYC 7	Wayfarer	NSW New South Wales	Alden-Larson 40 Ketch	12.19	Peter Luke	11:06:20:00
DNF	CYC 20	Archina	NSW New South Wales	Boden 52 Ketch	15.85	Phil Goldstein	Retired

Handicap results

Position	Sail number	Yacht	State/Country	Yacht type	LOA
(Metres)	Skipper	Corrected time
d:hh:mm:ss	Ref
1	44	Rani	UK Great Britain	Barber 35 Cutter	10.67	Captain John Illingworth	4:09:38:00	url=https://rolexsydneyhobart.com/standings?categoryId=113&raceId=15&seriesId=2	title=Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race	date=2023	publisher=Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race	access-date=2024-01-28}}
2	CYC 14	Ambermerle	NSW New South Wales	Gronfors 34 Cutter	10.40	John Colquhoun
Clarrie Kiel	5:14:39:00
3	B3	Winston Churchill	TAS Tasmania	Coverdale 52 Cutter	15.66	Percy Coverdale	5:15:20:00
4	29	Kathleen	NSW New South Wales	Archer 44 Yawl	13.44	Jack Earl	5:15:59:00
5	CYC 32	Horizon	NSW New South Wales	Bailey 40 Ketch	12.27	J.R. Bartlett	5:19:23:00
6	15	Saltair	NSW New South Wales	Walker 44 Ketch	13.27	Bert & Russell Walker	5:21:09:00
7	CYC 59	Mistral II	NSW New South Wales	Alden 63 Schooner	19.32	Robert Evans	7:17:13:00
8	CYC 7	Wayfarer	NSW New South Wales	Alden-Larson 40 Ketch	12.19	Peter Luke	7:19:43:00
DNF	CYC 20	Archina	NSW New South Wales	Boden 52 Ketch	15.85	Phil Goldstein	Retired

Notes

References

''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/
"A Founding father of the Sydney to Hobart".
"[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]".
"Archived copy".
"The Sydney to Hobart yacht race 1945". Naval Historical Society of Australia.
(29 December 1945). "SYDNEY TO HOBART YACHT RACE.". [[The West Australian]].
(18 December 1945). "SYDNEY-HOBART YACHT RACE.". [[The Examiner (Tasmania).
(29 December 1945). "YACHT RACE TO HOBART.". [[The Canberra Times]].
(2023). "Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race". Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
(2023). "Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race". Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

sydney-to-hobart-yacht-race 1945-in-sailing 1945-in-australian-sport december-1945-sports-events-in-australia january-1946-sports-events-in-australia 1946-in-sailing 1946-in-australian-sport 1940s-in-sydney 1940s-in-tasmania

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about 1945 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report