One Course. Two Boats. One Power, One Sail. Shared DNA.
By Dawn Anderson and Arnie Hammerman
Prior to the beginning of the 2025 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race, we covered the extensive transformation that led to the rebranding and launch of a famous ocean racer now named Palm Beach XI. New appendages and foils were designed to help the boat race faster not just so she could win races, but so that Palm Beach as a boat builder could better understand the technology and how it can relate to powerboats they build.
Some races expose speed. Others expose judgment. The Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race does both. The 80thrunning delivered exactly what the race is known for: extended upwind sailing, heavy seas, and little margin for error. Of the 128 yachts that started, 33 failed to finish. In those conditions, simply completing the course is an accomplishment.
After more than two demanding days at sea, Palm Beach XI completed the 628-nautical-mile course to Hobart in a race that tested preparation and restraint as much as outright performance. For a boat returning to elite offshore competition for the first time since 2022 and launched after an extensive refit only days before the start, the finish itself was the first step in her new journey and meaningful in and of itself.
Palm Beach XI was acquired in June 2025 and brought back into offshore racing on a compressed timeline, led by Mark Richards and an experienced team of designers, engineers, sailors, and shore crew. The Sydney Hobart served as the first true offshore test allowing the team to learn more in sustained, high-load conditions.
Central to the effort on the sailing yacht is a new appendage concept that has been under intensive refinement in recent months. The mandatory 24-hour qualification sail provided the first offshore opportunity to evaluate the system, and early observations were encouraging. With the Hobart forecast offering little tolerance for experimentation, the team elected to prioritize reliability, structural understanding, safety, and completing the race. They also hoped to learn from the technological challenges aboard the race boat in hopes of better understanding if and how appendages that include foiling can help on powerboats too. Further refinement will continue as the campaign moves forward. Palm Beach XI finished fifth in line honors, so she was the fifth boat overall crossing the finish line. The team had hoped for better, but this is still respectable given the tight timeline for the modifications, conditions on the course and the experimental nature of the new systems and appendages.
“The Sydney Hobart is one of the toughest tests in the sport,” Richards said. “In those conditions, the priority was getting to the finish and understanding the boat structurally. This was Chapter One. Now we move into Chapter Two with a solid foundation and clear direction.”
Running in parallel offshore during the race was Palm Beach XII, a Palm Beach 65 Motor Yacht that made the same Sydney-to-Hobart passage alongside the race boat. Experiencing nearly identical weather and sea states over a comparable timeframe, Palm Beach XII averaged 19.2 knots, reinforcing the offshore balance, stability, and seaworthiness that define the Palm Beach Motor Yachts design philosophy. The trip included running into large head seas and winds as the powerboat followed the race across the Tasman Sea. Running a Palm Beach Motor Yacht in the extreme conditions encountered during the race in part proved her mettle by demonstrating that these boats are tough enough to handle offshore conditions.
Best4Boats connected with George Sass Jr., a consultant to Palm Beach Motor Yachts who made the trip aboard Palm Beach XII (the PB65 Powerboat).
From Sass’ log, “We’ve been tracking the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race from aboard the Palm Beach 65 as we head to Hobart and keeping a close eye on the fleet — especially Palm Beach XI. When you read comments on the race website like “It was a long night” or “It wasn’t the worst, but it wasn’t fun,” we can confirm those aren’t exaggerated sea stories. That’s just the Tasman being the Tasman and typical for this part of the world.”
Sass noted the severe conditions during the first parts of the race, “20 knots on the nose, gusting 30. Seas 3–4m (10-12’) with the occasional 5m (16’+) saying “hello” to get your attention. Temperatures of 12°C / 55°F, definitely not Australian summer weather.”
The boat handled the weather admirably and everyone felt safe even when it wasn’t the most comfortable. Sass noted, “Just another day offshore in Eastern Australia for the Palm Beach 65 Palm Beach XII. Built to make miles when the ocean has a bit of an attitude.”
Palm Beach XI was conceived as a living performance platform. The goal is to develop and evaluate engineering concepts under real offshore loads, then translate those lessons directly into future production designs across Palm Beach Motor Yachts and sister brand Grand Banks. Competing in demanding offshore events accelerates learning in ways no simulation or short sea trial can. The exposure also endears Palm Beach owners and buyers to the brand as few other builders prove their boats and test them in this extreme way. Having a Palm Beach 65 Motor Yacht, a popular model, tag along for the ride also demonstrates the lines capabilities offshore in conditions most owners wouldn’t want to go out in.
Palm Beach’s participation in the 2025 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race marks the beginning of a new phase where sail and power design and testing converge. What really matters is what comes next and if you follow Mark Richards and the Palm Beach Brand, you know it will be exciting.
https://www.palmbeachmotoryachts.com
Palm Beach XII off Australia
Palm Beach XI & Palm Beach XII
Palm Beach XI
Palm Beach XI at Start
Palm Beach XI and XII
Palm Beach XI and Palm Beach XII In Hobart
