Veteran returns
The 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has registered 100 entrants, some newcomers and others veterans of the iconic bluewater event.
01 November 2024
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Bacardi, a 13.3-metre Peterson 44 yacht designed by Doug Peterson (USA) and built in 1978, has been a prominent figure in the Australian offshore racing community since her debut in the 1979 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
Built in five months in the back of Middle Brighton Motors workshop by John Gould, Bacardi was originally designed to compete in the 1979 Australian Admiral’s Cup trials. Over the years, she has participated in 30 Sydney Hobart Yacht Races, completing 28 and achieving second overall in 2006 to another golden oldie and three-time winner, Love & War.
Known affectionately as “The Bus”. Bacardi has a proud tradition of fostering sailing talent, continuously introducing new sailors to the race. Now owned by Brett Averay, Darren Hunter and Cosmos Papatsaras, the yacht has introduced more sailors to this iconic bluewater classic than perhaps most other vessels, a legacy that her current ownership group is keen to uphold.
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Averay shared, “When you look at who has sailed on Bacardi and who did their first Hobart on the yacht, it’s quite remarkable.”
One of those individuals is Matt Allen, now co-skipper of 100-foot maxi Comanche. Allen, bowman during their second Sydney Hobart in 1980, will make his return to Bacardi during the 2024 Sydney Hobart Classic Yacht Regatta from 13 to 15 December.
Averay and partners purchased Bacardi 12 months ago after nearly nine years of sailing with the previous owner, Martin Power. “We bought the boat to preserve its rich history; we would have hated to see ‘The Bus’ leave Sandringham Yacht Club where it has been registered since launching. In short, we just love sailing together on the boat; it’s just a great time,” Averay says.
The 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race will be a significant milestone for Bacardi, as the Peterson 44 will compete in its 31st race south to Hobart. The yacht has finished all races apart from two: the first in 2010 when she lost her rig in rough seas and the second in 2023 due to hydraulic backstay failure.
Bacardi has a long-standing tradition of introducing new people to the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the owners – Averay, Hunter and Papatsaras – are committed to continuing that legacy. This year’s crew for the race includes Ollie Van der Slot, a 19-year-old sailor tackling his first Hobart.
Van der Slot shares where his passion and drive to participate in the race comes from: “My father was a passionate offshore sailor. Growing up I saw him leave on Boxing Day to go racing. His arrival in Hobart was something I looked forward to, as he was originally from there. It was our goal to finish the race together.”
Unfortunately, Van der Slot’s father passed away before the duo could complete this bucket list item.
“I have been sailing with Bacardi for nearly two years, so the owners know how much competing in the race means for me. I am very thankful to be given the chance to compete this year. I will be racing this year to honour my dad,” Van der Slot says.
Since Bacardi‘s first entry in the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in 1979, nearly 50 people have undertaken their inaugural trip to Hobart on ‘The Bus’. Throughout 45 years of competing, 124 unique crew members have raced on the yacht, many of whom have returned for numerous editions of the Great Race South.
In 2023, Bacardi retired from the race due to hydraulic backstay issues, but she returns this year fully prepared to take on her 31st.
The 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart starts in Sydney Harbour at 1300 hours AEDT on Thursday 26 December.
This is the 79th edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart. The inaugural race was conducted in 1945 and has run every year since, apart from 2020, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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