The Sydney to Hobart 2025 Race results are in and it is not all about the maxis
The 80th Sydney to Hobart just made history, though it took a race protest to make it official.
Min River, sailed double-handed by owner Jiang Lin and French offshore specialist Alexis Loison, claimed the Tattersall Cup after a post-race penalty reshuffled the overall standings. The French crew aboard BNC my::NET / LEON had crossed the line first on corrected time, but a sail configuration breach in the final miles cost them an hour and five minutes. That dropped BNC to second and handed the win to Min River.
It’s the first time a double-handed yacht has won the Sydney to Hobart outright. It’s also the first time a female skipper has taken the overall trophy. An excellent way to cap off 80 years of race history.
A Race Built for the Small and Fast
Min River, a JPK 10.30 built by Jean-Pierre Kelbert in France, finished just 54 minutes behind BNC on handicap before the penalty. Over four days at sea, the 33-footer maintained a relentless pace in conditions that rewarded boats exactly like her: modern, light, and sailed to the edge by small, dialed-in crews.
The trend was apparent when the final IRC standings came in. Double-handers and smaller boats flooded the top of the leaderboard, outperforming much larger yachts once corrected time leveled the field. This wasn’t a fluke year. It was a validation of a shift that’s been building in offshore racing.
The Big Boats Still Brought the Speed
Line honors went where most people would expect. Master Lock Comanche whisked up the River Derwent in Hobart to finish first after a nail-biter with fellow Aussie racer LawConnect (2nd) and SHK Scallywag 100 (3rd). These maxis traded places for most of the race, and Comanche nailed the finish. American Bryon Ehrhart sailed Lucky USA2872 (Formerly Rambler88) a 27m Juan-K design built of carbon fiber to 4th place. The former Wild Oats XI now rechristened Palm Beach XI and newly rebuilt for this race which we reported on earlier came in 5th overall.
For anyone new to the race, here is the quick version: line honors means you got there first. Fastest boat wins. IRC (International Rating Certificate) is a measurement-based handicap system that adjusts your time based on your boat’s size and design. Smaller boats get time back. Bigger boats give time away. Some boats/crews are also handicapped using the PHS (Performance Handicap System) that is more fluid as ratings change depending on results not just boat measurements. The lowest corrected time wins the Tattersall Cup, the cup everyone is seeking.
While a predominance of the 100+ race entrants in the 2025 Sydney to Hobart race were Australian, the race has a strong international following. Participants came from countries all over the world including China, Germany, Hong Kong, Netherlands, United Kingdom, USA, New Caledonia, New Zealand, and Poland.
How the Americans Stacked Up
US teams had a strong showing in what turned out to be one of the most competitive Sydney to Hobart races in years.
Bacchanal, skippered by Ronald Epstein, finished eighth overall on IRC. That’s top ten in a fleet that included some of the best offshore programs in the world. In a race dominated by stripped-down double-handers, Bacchanal proved a fully crewed yacht could still hang with the front of the pack.
Lucky, Bryon Ehrhart’s maxi sailing under the burgee of the New York Yacht Club ran with the big dogs and crossed fourth in line honors. Despite severe handicapping she still managed 21st in IRC. That’s serious speed (11.5kn average) paired with solid execution, exactly what you need when you’re racing boats half your size on corrected time. Both programs showed that Americans can compete at the top end of this race, whether you’re chasing elapsed-time or corrected-time wins.
Perplexity, an Express 37 designed by Carl Schumacher and built in Santa Cruz, California, was raced by owner John Wilkerson after sailing from Best4Boats’ home waters of Bainbridge Island. Wilkerson sailed her solo from Seattle for the Rolex Sydney Hobart, doing a Singlehanded Transpac along the way. For the race his American crew came from San Francisco, Seattle, and Idaho. She finished in the middle of the pack at 59th IRC, and 6th in the veteran category given that she was built in the mid-1980s and is around 40 years old.
Line Honors Top 25 (Elapsed Time)
- Master Lock Comanche
- LawConnect
- SHK Scallywag 100
- Lucky
- Palm Beach XI
- Celestial V70
- No Limit
- Callisto
- Aragon
- Smuggler
- Hangar Road Hollywood Boulevard
- Antipodes
- Highly Sprung
- Sticky
- Frantic
- Back 2 Black
- MRV
- Alithia
- Scarlet Runner
- Noahs II
- Chutzpah
- Happy Wanderer
- KD1
- Advantedge
- Titlespace Yeah Baby
IRC Overall Top 25 (Corrected Time)
- Min River
- BNC my::NET / LEON
- Love and War
- Toucan
- Midnight Rambler
- Crux
- Verite
- Bacchanal
- Borderline
- Hip-Nautic
- KD1
- Supernova
- Dasher plus Fisher How Bizarre
- MRV
- Gizmo
- Bacardi
- Kraken Sails Toecutter
- The Gaffer
- Blue Planet
- Celestial V70
- Lucky
- Tenacity
- Mondo
- Back 2 Black
- Sumatra
For complete race results visit RolexSydneyHobart.com
