Double-handed yacht Min River has been crowned overall winner of the 80th Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race after a successful protest against initial frontrunner BNC over a sailing rule breach. The win makes Min River the first double-handed yacht and the first female-skippered yacht to claim the Tattersall Cup.
The protest, lodged by the race committee, cited a breach of sheeting sail regulations in the final two nautical miles of the 628-nautical-mile race. BNC was penalized 1 hour and 5 minutes, dropping them behind Min River in handicap standings. The breach involved the use of a pole to secure the spinnaker sail in a manner that violated Australian Racing Rules.
Min River, co-skippered by Jiang Lin and Alexis Loison, needed to close a 54-minute handicap gap to win. After the penalty, they secured victory. Ms Lin said she wanted to ensure a fair result after seeing a video of BNC's finish. The race committee chair Lee Goddard noted the penalty was proportionate, as BNC did not deliberately break the rule.
BNC crew Michel Quintin and Yann Rigal respected the jury's decision, estimating their gain at three to five minutes but receiving a penalty of over an hour. Mr Rigal said they used the technique to prepare the boat for media after finishing. Several yachts are still completing the race, with most expected in Hobart before the new year.
