A historic turn of events in the sailing world took place during the 80th edition of the Sydney to Hobart race, as a female skipper claimed overall victory for the first time. After a post-race time penalty was imposed on the yacht BNC for violating sailing rules, the standings dramatically shifted. The penalty, which totaled one hour and five minutes, allowed the yacht Min River to rise to the top of the leaderboard.
Skipper Jiang Lin, who co-sailed Min River with Alexis Loison, expressed her surprise and excitement at the win. “I never dreamed of winning it,” Lin stated. “My ambition was that if I can win the division, that would be nice. That was my goal.” This achievement marks a significant milestone not only for Lin but also for the sport, as Min River is the first double-handed yacht—operated by just two crew members—to win the overall honours in this prestigious event.
The controversial ruling stemmed from a protest lodged by Min River on Tuesday afternoon after both yachts finished the race. Video evidence revealed that BNC was using an incorrect sail configuration as they approached the finish line. The protest was later withdrawn when BNC acknowledged their rule breach, leaving the penalty decision to an international jury.
Lin explained the importance of the breach, stating, “It’s not like they did something against my boat, but something that would have an effect on the whole fleet. We thought that was quite important. It’s clear, black and white … yes or no.”
On the other hand, Michel Quintin, the skipper of BNC, explained that they were unaware of the violation, which involved the improper use of a pole to secure the spinnaker. Yann Rigal, another member of the BNC team, noted that the pole was used to prepare the boat for docking after the 628-nautical mile race. He estimated that the configuration provided only a marginal speed advantage of three to five minutes under challenging wind conditions.
Race committee chair Lee Goddard confirmed that the jury deemed the penalty appropriate, considering the potential performance gains. He remarked, “They’ve used their spinnaker in an inappropriate way. They did not deliberately do it… I’m sure for them (BNC) it’s very disappointing … but the rules are the rules.”
Before the penalty was imposed, BNC had led the race by 54 minutes on handicap time. This incident is reminiscent of the 2017 race when Wild Oats XI lost line honours after being penalised an hour for a near collision. Quintin reflected on the outcome, saying, “The decision was difficult to listen to. But it’s sport, it’s life. We lose the race for just nothing … but we (still) feel like we did something really special.”
Min River, measuring 33 feet, was one of the smaller boats in the fleet, and Lin named it after a river in China that flows through her parents’ province. She hopes her victory will inspire other women in sailing, stating, “Look at me, if I can do it, surely you can.”
The outcome was bittersweet for Loison, who has a close friendship with Rigal, having spent Christmas together with their families. He expressed mixed feelings about the result, acknowledging the jury’s decision but also noting, “For me, it’s not very nice, but it’s a jury decision. That’s life.”
As of Wednesday at 13:00 AEDT, three yachts remained at sea, with the 39-foot Millennium Falcon among them. The race saw over a quarter of the 128-yacht fleet forced to retire due to challenging conditions. The supermaxi Master Lock Comanche claimed line honours, successfully fending off competition from two other supermaxis in a fierce battle off the coast of Tasmania.
This year’s Sydney to Hobart race will be remembered not only for its fierce competition but also for the groundbreaking achievement by Lin and her team aboard Min River.
