In its 75th year, the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has become an icon of Australia's summer sport, ranking in public interest with such national events as the Melbourne Cup, the Australian Open tennis and the Boxing Day cricket test. The 628-nautical mile course is often described as the most grueling long ocean race in the world.
From the spectacular start in Sydney Harbour, the fleet sails through the Heads, down the south-east coast of mainland Australia, across the notoriously tempestuous Bass Strait, then down the east coast of Tasmania. At Tasman Island the fleet turns right into Storm Bay for the final sail up the Derwent River. The race is an around-the-clock challenge from the harbour to Hobart, and the whims of the winds, waves, tides and currents means that, for each crew, nothing is certain until the finish line is crossed. This is the story of one of the world's greatest sporting challenges.
