Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race starts from Sydney Harbour at 1pm on Boxing Day (26 December) every year and finishes in Hobart's Constitution Dock after covering 628 nautical miles (1,170 kilometres) across the Tasman Sea. It has been run continuously since 1945 and is considered one of the most prestigious offshore yacht races in the world, alongside the Fastnet Race and the Newport to Bermuda.

The start is one of the best free spectator events on the Australian calendar. The fleet of around 100 yachts assembles inside Sydney Harbour, is started off Shark Island in front of crowds watching from the eastern harbour foreshore and Nielsen Park. The South Head harbour exit is lined with hundreds of thousands of spectators by the time the boats clear the heads.

The race has a history of both legendary triumphs and devastating tragedies. The 1998 race was hit by a storm that caused the deaths of six sailors and the loss of several yachts. Safety standards and weather forecasting have since been transformed, and the race continues to be the blue ribbon event of the Australian yachting calendar.