The presumptive overall winners of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race are facing an anxious wait after an extraordinary protest was lodged by their closest rivals, throwing their historic victory into jeopardy.
Protest Threatens Historic Double-Handed Win
French sailors Michel Quintin and Yann Rigal spent over 93 gruelling hours at sea aboard BNC - my::NET / LEON, one of the fleet's smallest vessels at just 35 feet. They arrived at Hobart's Constitution Dock at 10.40am AEDT on Tuesday, becoming the 33rd crew to finish but the first double-handed yacht—sailed by only two people—to complete the 2023 race.
Their elation was short-lived. Hours later, it was revealed they would face a protest hearing on New Year's Eve. The crew of Min River, which finished at 12.38pm, lodged the official complaint with the race committee, alleging a breach of sailing rule 55.3(a).
The Crucial Rule and the Stakes
The specific rule in question concerns how sails are sheeted. It states: "No sail shall be sheeted over or through any device that exerts outward pressure on a sheet or clew of a sail at a point from which, with the boat upright, a vertical line would fall outside the hull or deck." An exception is made for a headsail clew connected to a whisker pole, provided a spinnaker is not set.
The international jury will hear the protest at 9am on Wednesday. The outcome carries immense weight. Not only did Quintin and Rigal win their double-handed category, but based on handicap time—the system used to determine the overall winner—they were also poised to lift the prestigious Tattersall Cup.
By 5pm Tuesday, their corrected time topped the leaderboard. Only the double-handed yacht Crux had a mathematical, though highly improbable, chance of overtaking them. Crux, from NSW, had earlier led the standings but was slowed by a southerly breeze, pushing back its arrival time.
A Hard-Fought Journey Now in Doubt
The French pair, based in New Caledonia, have sailed together for five years and spent the last two physically preparing for the Sydney to Hobart. Their potential overall victory is remarkable, as recent years have seen the honour dominated by much larger yachts; BNC is about a third the length of line honours winner, Master Lock Comanche.
"We came here to test (ourselves)—and we didn't really know what results we'll have," Quintin said before learning they had reached top spot. "Even during the race we said, 'no it's not possible'."
Their race was a brutal test of endurance. They battled seasickness during rugged early upwind sailing that forced 34 of the 128 starters to retire. "I'm never seasick but the first six hours I couldn't eat," Rigal admitted. Their onboard smorgasbord of spaghetti, lasagne, and chicken curry largely went untouched.
Sleep was scarce. "We didn't sleep much, it was very busy. The waves and the seas were crazy," Rigal said. Quintin, a former French Olympic windsurfer, revealed electronic equipment failed in Bass Strait, leaving them without true wind direction data. "When you have to steer nearly all day and all night long, you're tired," he said.
Despite the ordeal, they celebrated hard upon arrival, greeted by family to spend New Year's Eve together. Now, that celebration is on hold as they stare down the possibility of losing both category and overall honours, awaiting the jury's fateful decision.
