The race for line honours in this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart took a dramatic turn on 27 October, when Anthony Bell confirmed that his entry would be the legendary supermaxi Comanche, renamed Tribeca LOYAL for the Boxing Day race.
The 100-footer holds the race record of 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds and has five line honours wins, the latest in 2025, according to the race organisers. It now lines up against Christian Beck’s LawConnect, Mark Richards’s Palm Beach XI and Grant Wharington’s Wild Thing 100.
Bell’s return
Bell last raced the Sydney Hobart a decade ago. He took line honours aboard Investec LOYAL in 2011 and on Perpetual LOYAL in 2016, when the boat set the then race record of 1 day, 13 hours, 31 minutes and 20 seconds. As in his earlier campaigns, the program will raise funds for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation, which buys medical equipment for children in Australian hospitals.
A crew of champions
The sailing master is Tom Slingsby, the Olympic gold medallist, America’s Cup winner and chief executive and driver of the BONDS Flying Roos SailGP team. Slingsby sailed with Bell from 2013 through the 2016 line honours win.
North Sails’ Mark Bradford, who skippered Black Jack to line honours in 2021, manages the program, and Andy Green returns as navigator from Comanche’s 2025 winning crew. The “super sailors” include former Sydney Roosters captain Anthony Minichiello and Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh, a former Wallabies captain.
Built for a blow
Slingsby explained what the boat offers. “Every boat has a certain condition that they’re going to be strong in,” he said. “Comanche (Tribeca LOYAL) likes more wind. It’s probably a bit more versatile than the old Loyal they had, in that it can go in lighter winds a little bit better, but the stronger the wind, this boat just keeps wanting to go faster and faster.”
He believes the right forecast could bring the race record into play. “This boat already owns the Sydney Hobart race record, but the conditions we could get if we get the right conditions, we can break that record by a lot,” he said. “So, fingers crossed, you’re dealing with Mother Nature.”
The rivals
Three of the four supermaxis have previously lifted the Illingworth Challenge Cup, presented to the first yacht to finish, according to the CYCA. As Slingsby noted, the boats have different strengths, and the result will turn on which conditions the fleet meets on the way south. Lighter, shifting winds favour some designs; a strong northerly or a hard reach suits others.
The supermaxis will test their form against each other at the Australian Maxi Championship from 4 to 8 December, the last major hit-out before Boxing Day.
Why it matters beyond the water
Supermaxi campaigns are expensive undertakings, involving professional crews, sails, logistics and maintenance. Owners rely on sponsors and partners to help fund them, and the Sydney Hobart’s broadcast audience on Channel Nine is a key part of the commercial proposition. A record attempt, a famous boat and a crew mixing sailing champions with sporting celebrities give this year’s race an obvious story.
Slingsby has another commitment first: the SailGP Grand Final in Abu Dhabi on 28 and 29 November, where his Flying Roos will race for the US$2 million winner-takes-all prize. If both campaigns go to plan, he could finish the year with two of sailing’s biggest prizes.