In a stunning postscript to the 80th Sydney to Hobart yacht race, the overall handicap honours have dramatically changed hands. The French-crewed yacht BNC - my::NET / LEON, initially declared the winner, has been stripped of the prestigious Tattersall Cup after receiving a time penalty for a rules infringement.
A Costly Configuration Error
The saga unfolded after the race committee, chaired by Lee Goddard, confirmed on Wednesday that the 35-foot BNC had been penalised one hour and five minutes. The penalty was applied after the crew, skipper Michel Quintin and co-skipper Yann Rigal, informed officials they had broken a rule concerning the configuration of a sail on the front of their yacht. The infringement, described as using their spinnaker in an inappropriate way, was photographed just two nautical miles from the finish line in Hobart.
The issue came to light following a protest lodged by the second-placed yacht, Min River, skippered by Jiang Lin. Although Min River later withdrew its formal protest, BNC opted to declare the breach to the race committee. After an hour-long hearing at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, an international jury upheld the penalty.
Min River Seizes Victory
The decision catapults Min River from second place to overall handicap champion in one of the world's most gruelling ocean races. BNC's corrected handicap time had been just 54 minutes ahead of Min River, making the 65-minute penalty decisive. Both yachts were double-handed, crewed by only two people, and among the smallest vessels in the 128-strong fleet that started the race.
Race committee chairman Lee Goddard stated the penalty was "absolutely proportionate," noting the crew had not acted deliberately. "The rules are the rules," Goddard told reporters, adding he was "incredibly proud" of both crews while acknowledging the disappointment for the French team.
History Repeats in Dramatic Fashion
This is not the first time a frontrunner has lost a Sydney to Hobart trophy post-race. In 2017, supermaxi Wild Oats XI was stripped of line honours after a one-hour penalty for a near-collision at the start.
For Quintin, a former French Olympic windsurfer, and Rigal, the reversal came just hours after they celebrated dockside on Tuesday morning as the first double-handed yacht to finish. They had spent four nights at sea, battling without wind detection instruments after electronics failed in the Bass Strait.
Meanwhile, Min River, which arrived in Sydney in 2023, is named after the river in China flowing through the province where skipper Jiang Lin's parents lived. The yacht's persistence in highlighting the rule breach has now secured it a famous victory.
The race's line honours were claimed by Master Lock Comanche on Sunday after a fierce battle with fellow supermaxis. The event saw brutal conditions, with more than a quarter of the fleet forced to retire during early upwind sailing. As of Wednesday morning AEDT, five yachts remained at sea, with the NSW 69-footer Wind Shift not expected to finish until Saturday.
