Ichi Ban has been confirmed as the overall handicap winner of the gruelling Sydney to Hobart race, pipping rival Celestial which finished faster but was hit by a time penalty.
It was the third Sydney-Hobart handicap victory for the 52-foot Ichi Ban, owned and skippered by Matt Allen, who will once again have his boat’s name engraved on the Tattersall Cup after triumphing in 2017 and 2019.
But the win, which was confirmed on Saturday, was overshadowed by controversy because of the penalty against Celestial, imposed after protests were lodged by Ichi Ban and by the race organisers.
“This is a time we will never forget. I have a mix of young, old and wise crew. It was a great opportunity for the guys who worked so hard,” said Allen, who also won the race as crew for Lou Abrahams on Challenge in 1983.
“To win with Ichi Ban a third time is unbelievable. It’s always better, ideally, not to go into the room to decide.”
On Saturday, an international jury rejected a bid by Celestial to reopen the penalty hearing after it added an extra 40 minutes to the boat’s time on Friday, relegating it to second place.
The time penalty was given because Celestial’s crew failed to answer radio communication for more than an hour after a personal locator beacon on the yacht had been set off by mistake.
“Rules are a critical part of our sport,” Allen said. “But we had a great neck-and-neck race with Celestial – all the way to Hobart. I completely understand why they would be upset. It was certainly a tussle between the two of us and Quest, until Quest dropped off the back and it was just us and Celestial.”
Ichi Ban’s time, by contrast, was reduced by three minutes because it had helped to contact Celestial, including by setting off a flare.
“I am very, very disappointed,” said Sam Haynes, owner and skipper of Celestial, after the jury decided not to reopen the penalty hearing. “None of us want to see technical issues occur that take away an on-water result.”
Supermaxi Black Jack was first to cross the finishing line on Tuesday after racing in tough conditions that forced many yachts to withdraw. Hong Kong’s SHK Scallywag 100 finished third behind LawConnct.
But the main prize for sailors is regarded as the overall handicap honours, which takes account of the yachts’ sizes.
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