how much does a sydney to hobart yacht cost

The tech millionaire who crossed first in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race is happy giving credit for the win to his crew

Topic: Sailing

Christian Beck hoisted the coveted trophy after LawConnect's win but he's giving full credit to his crew. ( Supplied: CYCA/Salty Dingo )

It's no secret that elite sailing costs money and the sleek high-tech supermaxis first up the River Derwent in the Sydney to Hobart race are financed by people with deep pockets.

This year, the battle royale pitted two millionaires against each other in a thrilling, if not almost slow motion, line honours finish.

In an ending that will be retold for years to come, Christian Beck's $1.6 million boat LawConnect claimed line honours, but the tech millionaire says he had little to do with the stellar effort.

Beck says he doesn't really come from sailing stock and is not taking credit for the win.

"To be honest, I don't actually do much on that boat. I find it performs better when I'm asleep," he says.

In a twist of history, runner-up Andoo Comanche's owner John Winning Jr was on board LawConnect when it won the race under its former name Perpetual Loyal in 2016.

The race leaders were only 51 seconds apart at the finish line. ( Supplied: CYCA   )

Winning, whose family fortune was built on an appliance business, sailed this year's edition with his father John Winning Sr and was hoping to repeat last year's line honours win on Andoo Comanche.

Although Beck was always intrigued by sailing following a couple of short stints as a child with his stepfather, he became fully enthused in his 30s.

"I was always a bit of a frustrated sailor as a kid. I didn't really come from a sailing family," he says.

The father of five spent an exhausting month in the lead-up to the Boxing Day start looking after his newborn child.

"I actually had more sleep on the boat than I did at home," he says.

He's described winning the coveted blue water classic as a dream come true but the celebrations on the Hobart docks did not go long into the night.

"The guys from Comanche were super nice but they bought me a few shots, and that knocked over early so I ended up back at the hotel," he laughed.

Beck taught himself to code and became a successful businessman. ( Supplied: CYCA/Salty Dingo )

A tech innovator by trade, Beck is a regular on the Australian Financial Review's Rich List.

He taught himself to code when his lawyer father asked him help with building software.

Beck owns LEAP Legal Software and founded Australian Technology Innovators.

He bought LawConnect in 2017  — a year after it had won a Sydney to Hobart title as Perpetual Loyal.

After line honours glory, Beck caught media attention when comparing this year's runner-up Andoo Comanche to his yacht — labelling it a "shitbox".

"Comanche is an awesome boat and ours is a lot worse, and the 'shitbox' term is a summary of that," he says.

"I love the boat but it was probably just trying to put it into context.

"It was a huge challenge to beat Comanche and I still can't believe it happened.

"I'm very grateful for the crew for what they did because it was them that made that all possible."

Who actually sails? Not me

Beck was given a ceremonial dip at Constitution Dock after taking line honours glory. ( Supplied: CYCA/Salty Dingo )

He says his contribution to the win goes as far as owning the boat and pulling together an outstanding crew.

In the end, he says leadership and teamwork gave LawConnect the winning edge.

"I couldn't believe how well our guys did. You had Tony Mutter steering, you had Chris Nicholson doing tactics," he says.

"You also had a lot of good crew work, if you look at the furling and unfurling, that was all flawless — it all sort of came together."

"It's important to have not only good people but have a really good teamwork form."

Christian Beck gives the thumbs up after the win. ( Supplied: CYCA/Salty Dingo )

Preparations for a Sydney-Hobart have a long build-up, with practice intensifying from early December.

"You need like a football team to run these boats, honestly, it's like 15–16 people. You've got people near full-time working on it all year," Beck says.

"There's a lot of preparation and maintenance … for a relatively short race.

"The guys that run the boat have all done Volvo Around the World ocean races and they are used to doing 5,000 miles across the Southern Ocean — for them, they just think the Sydney-Hobart is an overnighter.

"They're the guys that really run it, a guy like me I don't do much, or really anything actually. 

"If you are going to go up and change a sail in a storm in the Bass Strait at night you have to be very brave and very skilled.

"It's incredible what they do, there's no way I could do that."

Underdog full of pride

The crew of 21 on LawConnect included four non-sailing company staff who were along for the thrill.  ( ABC News: Maren Preuss )

His core crew have been sailing in Sydney to Hobarts for six years but four of the 21 crew members this year were surprise entrants, who are gifted a lifetime experience.

"What we do every year is we bring four people from our various companies along … often it's a draw in a hat," he says.

This year, they got to be a part of LawConnect's remarkable comeback, which seemed like touch-and-go for a while.

"I am very, very proud to be part of it because we are seriously the underdog," Beck says.

"We were pushing all the way, and we were taking a lot of risks to get where we looked like we lost at the end as we had for the past three years, so to come back from so far behind and win was remarkable."

Up until the finish line, LawConnect was about three nautical miles behind Andoo Comanche.

In the space of 1.5 nautical miles the lead changed about five times. 

"We didn't really think we had much of a chance but Comanche kind of got parked up into a pocket with no wind," he says.

"We could see them there and we obviously got somewhat excited when that happened.

"We had a fairly good chunk of wind come in compared to them, and then when we met them, we both had the same wind and then the tacking duel happened and that was incredibly stressful but incredibly exciting."

Sailing into the sunset

Moments after the win, Beck joked the value of LawConnect may just have gone up again, creating a good opportunity to sell.

"It was not really on sale, that was a bit of a joke. If you want to sell the boat, it would be a good day because it just beat Comanche," he says.

Beck paid $1.6 million for the supermaxi but putting a current price on it, if it were for sale, is hard.

"To build that boat again would cost you more than $20 million, even a mast would cost about $3 million to replace," he says.

"But the value is a bit dependent on how they perform and how old they are [but after winning] I'd say the value is about $2 million, is my best guess.

 "It will eventually become obsolete, we're going to keep sailing it until that happens.

"My guess it's got between two and six years … left before it becomes replaced by probably a foiling boat, and then I don't know what we will do with it."

In the meantime, he is planning to try and win more Sydney to Hobarts which, by the way, he ranks as number six in his list of lifetime achievements — after the birth of his five children.

Beck won the race after coming second in the past three editions. ( Supplied: CYCA )

So you want to sail the Sydney Hobart…

So, you want to do a Sydney Hobart Yacht Race?

For many sailors, the Sydney Hobart is considered the pinnacle of offshore racing. Whether you want to do a bucket list race or it’s recurring affair, the allure of the Sydney Hobart draws sailors from near and far to make the epic journey south.

But, it’s not a race to be taken lightly.

The yachts and crew often cop a beating heading down the NSW East Coast, through the Bass Strait, around Tasman Island and across the aptly named Storm Bay. One of the worst squalls I’ve ever seen was in the Derwent River which is usually known for the frustration it causes due to lack of wind as crews try to get to the finish line. You never know what’s going to come your way.

Before you set off, especially if it’s your first time, you want – and need – to be prepared.

Moreover, you’re very unlikely to get a crewing position if you’re not well prepared and experienced enough to make the voyage, nor should you attempt to join a team that’s lackadaisical about experience and preparedness on their yacht.

Let’s look at some of the things you, as a crew member, can do to get yourself onboard a yacht and make sure you’re prepared for the race.

1. Build up your experience

If you’re looking to head to Hobart, or any significant offshore race, offshore sailing experience is your friend.

To qualify to complete in the Sydney Hobart, at least 50% of the yacht’s crew are required to have completed a Category 1 race or an equivalent passage.

If you are new or relatively new to sailing, don’t set your sights on doing a Sydney Hobart right away. Not only does this pose a potential risk to yourself and others, but you’re very unlikely to find a crew position if you don’t have significant offshore experience.

Start out with shorter offshore races or passages, then work your way up to longer offshore races or overnight passages.

Delivery trips are a great way to gain offshore experience. There are lots of yachts looking for help to get back from Hobart, and this is a great stepping stone to gain experience before doing the race. However, delivery trips aren’t without risks, so make sure you’re adequately prepared for the voyage and there are experienced sailors on-board who are familiar with the yacht.

I cover some tips and steps on how to gain experience and work your way up to doing a Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in the MySail blog .

2. Get some sailing qualifications

In order to enter the Sydney Hobart, at least of 50% of the crew need to hold a valid Australian Sailing Safety and Sea Survival Certificate or an approved equivalent.

In addition, at least two crew members need to hold a current Senior First Aid Certificate or equivalent qualification, or be a practising medical practitioner, and two crew need to hold a Long-Range Marine Radio Operators Certificate of Proficiency (LROCP) or higher qualification.

Gaining these qualifications give you a competitive edge on the competition when looking for a crew position.

You’ll also gain important skills and knowledge that will be useful on-board.

3. Find a crew position

Your next challenge is to find a crew position.

Most yachts build a committed team early in the season and then sail together in regattas and offshore races leading up to the Sydney Hobart.

It’s a requirement for any yacht entering the Sydney Hobart to complete a qualifying race of not less than 150 nautical miles, or qualifying passage not less than 24 hours, in the six months prior to the event.

Look for a yacht that has the Sydney Hobart in their race program, and try to get on-board early in the season. Most yachts will require their Sydney Hobart crew to commit to all of the lead-up races, especially the offshore ones.

You can look at the CYCA’s Sydney Hobart website for a list of race entrants, or a previous year’s list, to see who is, or is likely to do the race. Also check out the Sydney Hobart race page on MySail and add your profile there so skippers who are looking for crew can find you. Nothing beats meeting with people face-to-face, so head down to the CYCA or your local yacht club and start building and working on your network.

4. Prepare for the race; body, mind and soul

If you are working towards doing a Sydney Hobart, make sure you’re physically and mentally prepared for the race by the time December 26 rolls around.

Physical preparation will help you cope with the fatigue and physical exertion required. Building good physical fitness, strength and stamina will help you keep going over several days, and help you recover after arriving in Hobart.

Get involved in as much of the yacht preparation as you can. Helping with maintenance and boat preparation will help you learn where things are and how things work; a great asset when you need to do something in a hurry, in a big sea, in the dark.

Lastly, with all of the preparation it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Take some time to make sure that you’re well rested and in a good frame of mind when the race starts.

5. Get your gear ready

Doing a Sydney Hobart is not supposed to be easy, or comfortable, but there are a few things you can do to stay as warm, comfortable and safe as possible during the race.

There is a lot of good gear on the market to help you stay warm and dry, so do your research and get a good set of wet weather gear. You will need a PFD fitted with a tether and PLB (personal locator beacon) which are required by all crew, and may want to consider getting a personal AIS which provides your location back to the yacht if you go overboard.

You might also want to carry other gear such as a blunt, serrated knife, watch, head torch with red light setting and personal seasickness medication. I wear a (very stylish) bum bag to carry this gear and my PLB, which is easy to grab if you need to go on deck in a hurry.

Make sure you have adequate layers and warm gear; thermals are extremely light and easy to pack, and will keep you warm. You’ll be very glad for these warm layers when a southerly front hits in southern Tasmania.

Don’t forget about your extremities either. I always take a waterproof hat, socks and gloves. If you get water in your boots the socks will keep your feet warm and dry. Especially for the women with long hair, a waterproof hat helps keep salt water out of your hair and your head warm and dry.

Pack your clothing and gear in waterproof or large ziplock bags to keep it organised and dry. This helps when storing gear in small compartments, makes it quick and easy to find gear in a hurry, and will stop dampness from infiltrating everything you own.

No matter how prepared you are, inevitably something will go wrong! But, that’s where all of your preparedness really comes in handy. With the right experience, knowledge and attitude amongst the crew, you’ll be able to tackle tough situations and have a great race.

Safe sailing and I look forward to seeing you on Constitution Dock in 2019!

– Deborah Dalziel https://mysail.team/

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How women's duo found a Sydney-Hobart yacht in a week

Wendy Tuck and Meg Niblett's dream of racing a boat in this year's Sydney to Hobart lay in tatters when their original yacht failed to meet the safety requirements just two months out from the iconic race.

While fearing their campaign could be over even before it started, the desperate women's duo didn't give up.

Despite the insurmountable odds, they opted to send an SOS via a WhatsApp chat as a last throw of the dice to get another boat.

And what a masterstroke that proved to be!

Borrowing a boat and finding sponsors takes months, but trailblazer Tuck and Englishwoman Niblett will now be one of three all-women double-handed teams to take on the 628-nautical mile journey from Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day to Hobart's Constitution Dock.

Tuck recalled how she turned to the 'Sydney Two-Handers' WhatsApp group chat - ironically started by her after her first attempt at the blue-water classic on board a two-handed yacht in 2021 - for help at Niblett's suggestion.

"We had about a week and a half to find a new boat before the deadline of entering the Hobart race," Niblett said.

"We really had a week to find a boat which is really, like, unimaginable, and it was a massive task but we were pretty adamant and determined to find a boat.

"If it was meant to be, it was meant to be and it was."

Tuck added: "It was virtually impossible because who has a boat just sitting there pretty much ready to do Hobart?"

Fellow two-handed sailor Robert Drury did, and came to their rescue.

Within five days of their text, the pair had their ride - a 37-foot yacht called Gizmo, docked and waiting at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney.

Tuck and Niblett have only sailed on Gizmo once ahead of the Boxing Day race, but they fancy their odds.

"I like the challenge. And I guess we like to suffer, don't we?" Niblett said.

It is also their first Sydney to Hobart together, with Niblett admitting to "fan-girling" over her sailing idol.

Tuck has completed the journey to Hobart 16 times and is a two-time winner of the Jane Tate Memorial Trophy for being the first woman skipper to cross the finish line.

Outside of the Australian race, Tuck is the only woman to have ever won an around-the-world race - doing so in 2018.

"Wendy's been one of my inspirations from before we first met," Niblett said.

"When she did my exam for my yacht master, I was already fan-girling a little bit.

"It's an honour to be able to finally be sailing with (Tuck)."

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

• Race Documents
• RRS/Special Regs
• Travel / Accommodation
• Yacht Services Directory
• Online Race Entry
• Entrant's newsletter
• Race and Weather Briefing

2024 ROLEX SYDNEY HOBART YACHT RACE DOCUMENTATION  

2024 Notice of Race

2024 Notice of Race - Major Changes

Conditions of Entry Form

To be signed by the owner/charterer in addition to the online entry.

Stability & Construction Declaration

All entrants are required to complete the Stability and Construction Declaration.

Keel and Rudder Inspection Declaration  

Please complete the following forms if applicable:

Double Handed Experience Declaration

For competitors entered in the DH Division 

Corinthian Division Declaration

For competitors entering the Corinthian Division

Moveable Variable Ballast Form

To be completed by competitors with Moveable or Variable Ballast (eg Canting Keel, Water Ballast)

Visiting Yacht Registration Form

Yachts requiring a berth prior to the race must complete the above form 

Special Regulations Forms

CYCA Radio inspection Form

AIS MOB ID Declaration

Satellite Phone Declaration

Crew Disclaimer

All crew must complete the Crew Disclaimer. The Crew Disclaimer must be either signed electronically or a copy downloaded and signed and a photo, scan or hard copy submitted to the Sailing Office upon completion. Email to [email protected]. 

Click here  to update personal crew details or to create a Top Yacht "MySelf" profile. Please note that this DOES NOT link to your Australian Sailing MySailor profile.

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race | Official Spectator Vessel The Jackson

For an unmatched view of the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, there’s only one place to be – aboard  The Jackson , the   official and only public spectator vessel   permitted inside the race’s Exclusion Zone.

This luxurious superyacht will offer guests a unique, up-close experience at the start of one of the world’s most iconic ocean races.