1st Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
Defender	Inaugural Race
Number of Yachts	9
Coordinates	33°51.35′S 151°12.40′E- 42°52.7′S 147°19.58′E
Winner	Rani

The 1945 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race was the inaugural running of the annual "blue water classic", the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, Australia on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart. The race distance is approximately...

. It was hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, established in 1944 is known as one of Australia's premier yacht clubs, and is acknowledged as one of the leaders in ocean racing in the country...

 based in Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

.
The race was initially planned to be a cruise

Cruising (maritime)

Cruising by boat is a lifestyle that involves living for extended time on a boat while traveling from place to place for pleasure. Cruising generally refers to trips of a few days or more, and can extend to round-the-world voyages.- History :...

 planned by Peter Luke and some friends who had formed a club for those who enjoyed cruising as opposed to racing. The plan was changed, however, when a visiting British Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 Officer, Captain

Captain (Royal Navy)

Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...

 John Illingworth

John Illingworth

John William Illingworth was an English professional footballer who played for Castleford Town, Northfleet United, Tottenham hotspur, Swansea City and Barry Town.- Football career :...

, famously suggested, "Why don’t we make a race of it?"http://www.cyca.com.au/sysfile/downloads/RSH_began_Luke.pdf

The inaugural race, like all those that have followed, began on Sydney Harbour, at noon

Noon

Noon is usually defined as 12 o'clock in the daytime. The word noon is also used informally to mean midday regarding the location of the sun not the middle of a persons day. Although this is a time around the middle of the day when people in many countries take a lunch break...

 on Boxing Day

Boxing Day

Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...

 (26 December), before heading south for 630 nautical miles (1,170 km) through the Tasman Sea

Tasman Sea

The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...

, past Bass Strait

Bass Strait

Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...

, into Storm Bay

Storm Bay

Storm Bay is a large bay in the south-east of Tasmania, Australia. It is the entrance to the Derwent River estuary and the port of Hobart, the capital city of Tasmania.It is bordered by Bruny Island to the west and the Tasman Peninsula to the east....

 and up the Derwent River, to cross the finish line in Hobart, Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

.

The 1945 fleet comprised 9 starters. Of the 9 starters, 8 yachts completed the race. Illingworth's own vessel, Rani, won the inaugural race in a time of 6 days, 14 hours and 22 minutes. Peter Luke's record for longest-ever time to finish the course stands to this day:
11 days, 6hours, and 20 minutes.http://www.cyca.com.au/sysfile/downloads/RSH_began_Luke.pdf

1945 Fleet

9 yachts registered to begin the 1945 Sydney to Hobart Yacht race. They are:

Yacht	Nation	Skipper	Previous Starts	LH (Elapsed) Time d:hh:mm:ss	HW (Corrected) Time d:hh:mm:ss
Ambermerle	(NSW)	J Colquhoun, C Kiel	NA
Archina	(NSW)	P Goldstein	NA	RETIRED	RETIRED
Horizon	(NSW)	J R Bartlett	NA
Kathleen		Jack Earl	NA
Mistral II	(NSW)	Robert Evans	NA
Rani		Captain John Illingworth John Illingworth John William Illingworth was an English professional footballer who played for Castleford Town, Northfleet United, Tottenham hotspur, Swansea City and Barry Town.- Football career :... , RN Royal Navy The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...	NA	6:14:22:00	4:9:38:00
Saltair		A E and R M Walker	NA
Wayfairer	(NSW)	Peter Luke	NA
Winston Churchill		P Coverdale	NA

Results

Line Honours	LH (Elapsed) Time d:hh:mm:ss	Handicap Handicapping Handicapping, in sport and games, is the practice of assigning advantage through scoring compensation or other advantage given to different contestants to equalize the chances of winning. The word also applies to the various methods by which the advantage is calculated...  Winner	HW (Corrected) Time d:hh:mm:ss
Rani	6:14:22:00	Rani	4:9:38:00

See also

• Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
  Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
  The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, Australia on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart. The race distance is approximately...