Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race: The best way to spend Boxing Day on Sydney Harbour

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race: The best way to spend Boxing Day on Sydney Harbour

The Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is an iconic summer event held on Boxing Day 26 December each year. One of the world's great ocean races, it covers more than 628 nautical miles in often gruelling conditions. Millions of eyes are glued to Sydney Harbour for all the pre-race action as the massive fleet jockey for starting line position, before making their way along and out of the Harbour. Best of all, there are a boatload of ways to experience all the action!

On Water

The start of the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is an Aussie institution. While Melbourne swelters at the cricket, Sydney hits the Harbour with champagne, seafood and sailing thrills!

According the official race site, for spectator boats the best vantage points include Taylors Bay, Chowder Bay, Obelisk Bay and North Head on the west. To the east, your go-to is Rose Bay, Watsons Bay, Camp Cove or South Head. It's also important to note that public vessels are not permitted within the Sydney Harbour exclusion zone for the race start - if you want that privilege, you'll need to be onboard superyacht The Jackson, the official Cruising Yacht Club of Australia spectator vessel.

For front-row seats to follow the race from the sidelines, Captain Cook Cruises caters to the tastes of every race enthusiast, from premium dining options to family-friendly cruises.

• Boxing Day Lunch Cruise - Cruise onboard flagship of the fleet, Sydney 2000 with your choice of three decks, menus and bar packages
• Boxing Day Race Cruise - 3-hour cruise onboard premium vessels with spectacular indoor and outdoor viewing, BYO snacks
• Sydney to Hobart Race towards Bondi - See the start of the race and follow the fleet to towards Bondi, BYO snacks

On Land

There are plenty of great vantage points to catch the leadup to the race, see competitors jostling for position at the start lines around Shark Island, watch the fleet exit the Harbour through Sydney Heads, and begin their impressive open-water journey.

• In the Harbour - Circular Quay foreshore, The Rocks, and Mrs Macquarie’s Chair offer fantastic views of the yachts as they start racing
• Leaving the Harbour - Arrive early to grab your spot on North or South Head, or across the Harbour at Manly Beach to see the boats sail through the Heads
• Open-water viewing - Away from the crowds of the city's most popular vantage points, head out to Vaucluse or Bondi Beach for scenic views once the race is underway

Top pick: One of the hot spots is Hornby Lighthouse at Watson's Bay, but be sure to pack your picnic basket and summer kit (hat, sunnies and sunscreen are a must), and plan to arrive early to secure your preferred viewing position as big crowds are a given.

On TV or Online

If you can’t be there in person, here are some other ways to catch the action

• TV – 7Mate (Seven Network) for a live broadcast of the race start, and ABC TV for live coverage and in-race news footage
• Webcast – Not near a tv? Watch the webcast of the live broadcast on the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race homepage.
• Yacht Tracker - The Yacht Tracker page allows viewers to track a boat or the entire fleet from start to finish, with each yacht's position visualised on the race yacht tracker map or overlaid on Google Earth.

Did you know?

Time for a bit of Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race trivia!

• The first Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race was held in 1945
• Known as one of the world's toughest ocean races, each yacht travels 628 nautical miles
• The race record set by 100ft super-maxi LDV Comanche in 2017 stands at 1 day 9 hours 15 minutes and 24 seconds
• 2023 overall winner was Alive, while LawConnect won line honours
  
• Tony Ellis (NSW) holds the record for most races by any competitor; 54 races (1 overall win, 2 line honours)
• The most races by any boat award goes to Bacardi with 30 races
  
• The Tattersall Cup is awarded to the ultimate winner of the handicap competition based on the length, shape, weight and sail dimensions of the yacht
• 1994 (the 50th event) holds the record for highest number of starters at 371. There were 309 finishers
• Rolex has been the naming rights sponsor of the race since 2002
• The iconic annual race is known as the 'blue water classic'
• Competitors must be at least 18 years of age. The oldest ever competitors both sailed in 2008 - John Walker (Skipper), 86 and Syd Fischer, 8
  
• On average up to 18% of the fleet retire annually. 1984 saw the highest rate of retirement of 70%
• The fleet sails from Sydney Harbour out into the Tasman Sea, down the south-east coast of mainland Australia, across Bass Strait and down the east coast of Tasmania. At Tasman Island the fleet turns right into Storm Bay for the final sail up the Derwent River to complete their gruelling journey in the historic port city of Hobart

Gather your crew and enjoy the action

Coordinate with family or friends and make a day of it. What could be better than sharing the thrill of one of the world's most gruelling and iconic ocean races with your crew?

It may be in your loungeroom, a friend's place, at the Yacht Club, or local pub (beware - you may be competing for screen time with the cricket), along the Harbour foreshore with hundreds of spectators, or if you're lucky enough, from the water - right in the thick of all the action.

Wherever you enjoy the race from, you're sure to be one of millions from around the globe taking in all its glory!