Our Trip to Australia, Part Four - Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

January 16, 2019

Our Trip to Australia, Part Four - Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

If you’re fortunate enough to be in Tasmania, Australia for the finish of the annual Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, I highly recommend you watch these magnificent boats come in - the excitement is amazing.

Since its inaugural race in 1945, the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race has become one of the top three offshore yacht races in the world. It is also widely considered to be one of the most difficult competitions of its kind. Last weekend, I shared photos from the start of the race in Sydney. The finish line of the Yacht Race is located off Castray Esplanade on the River Derwent in Hobart.

Here are more photos - enjoy.

: We went out to the dock in the early morning. We stayed at the luxurious MACq01 Hotel, which was right on the water.

: Crowds of spectators arrived on the quai, or dock, to catch a glimpse of the winners. The Taste of Tasmania also started on this day, so thousands of visitors were in the area. The Taste of Tasmania is the state’s largest food and wine festival. The week-long event is held in Hobart’s Salamanca and waterfront precinct and is run by the City of Hobart.

: Here is a great shot taken from above. The race’s line honor winners are just reaching the end. The first place line honors went to Wild Oats XI from New South Wales. (Photo provided by Cruising Yacht Club of Australia)

: Wild Oats XI was first to cross the finish line at 8:07am, Australia time, after one of the closest contests in the event’s history.

: I took this photo while watching some of the footage on television.

: Wild Oats XI won in a time of one-day, 19-hours, 7-minutes and 21-seconds.

: And the total distance of the race is approximately 630-nautical miles from Sydney. Here is another view of the finishing boats with their large black sails.

: Watching the sails come down is also fun – these are self-furled sails, meaning they are brought down and rolled with the push of a button.

: The docks were full – so many people turned out for the race. There was music playing and lots of fanfare.

: Afterwards, we went to a small, but delicious restaurant called Small Fry on Bathurst Street in Hobart. It serves cutting-edge Tasmanian cuisine.

: Small Fry is open for breakfast and lunch or for a coffee and snack on the way to work.

: Small Fry only seats 20-people, so we did have to wait, but in the end, the service was sensational, the coffee spot on and the breakfast top notch. Here is my beautiful daughter, Alexis.

: While we waited, we enjoyed some delicious coffee – here is a latte made with espresso and hot steamed milk – it is milkier than a cappuccino.

: And here is a cappucino – they always add their designs with cocoa.

: Here is another nice photo of Alexis, Jude and Truman.

: This is Small Fry’s head-chef, owner, and general manager, Rhys Hannan. He wanted the restaurant to have an open kitchen and casual, fresh and relaxed atmosphere, where visitors can interact with the staff while the food is prepared. Here, Chef Rhys is using an Italian slicer to cut meat.

: Look at this carpaccio of cured beef – so fresh.

: They also had quail eggs. Quail eggs are much smaller than chicken eggs, but also richer in vitamins and minerals. These eggs are farm fresh and barn laid from Kettering Quail in Tasmania.

: They make their own homemade breads at Small Fry – they were so delicious.

: Several freshly wrapped croque monsieur sandwiches sit nearby ready to be cooked.

: The establishment is famous for its donuts. This is an apple crisp donut. All the fillings and toppings are handmade from scratch. Pastry chef, April Matusik, starts baking at about 1am and cooks through the early morning hours to deliver the delicacies fresh by 7:30am each day.