California-Based S/V ‘Lenny’ Completes Her First Rolex Sydney Hobart Race

It was controlled mayhem as 103 yachts of all sizes, shapes and descriptions jockeyed for positions at the start of the 78th Sydney to Hobart ocean race on Boxing Day. Hundreds of spectator and press boats clogged the Harbour while drones and helicopters hovered overhead. The narrow passageway out of Sydney Harbour, guarded by the towering cliffs of the North and South Heads, was a sea of froth while boats attempted to claim rights as they hurtled out to the Tasman Sea.

Among the fleet was the only American boat in the race (one of 10 international entries), the newly commissioned Beneteau First 44 Lenny, skippered by California-based veteran ocean racer and boat dealer (Naos Yachts) Charles Devanneaux. “The race fulfilled a lifelong dream,” Devanneaux said. “I’ve watched the start for years on TV. Now I am here. What a moment!”

Fast forward four days and 20 hours, and a tired Devanneaux is relaxing dockside in Hobart, a glass of red wine in hand. “This was one of the toughest races I have ever done,” he said. “In comparison, the Fastnet, the Transpac and Pacific Cup and Mexican races look almost ‘easy’ after a tough Sydney to Hobart.” Lenny finished 71st in the Line Honors category and 15th in her IRC3 class.

Devanneaux described the run down Tasmania as the most challenging part of the race. “Passing Tasman Island was really tough. Solid 35 knots of wind, squalls with smashing rain, 4-5 meters of swell … and obviously it is when the electronic system shut down. But we got through it. The team was great.”

Devanneaux named his boat in honor of ASA (American Sailing Association) founder Lenny Shabes, who passed away at the age of 75 earlier this year. “Lenny started so many people on the road to safe sailing,” Devanneaux said. “We talked about this race often. It’s an honor to have him represented in this race by this great boat.”

When we wrote about the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race last week, Andoo Comanche and LawConnect were tussling for line honors; at one point little more than 300 yards lay between them. Over the last mile of the race the lead changed five times, with LawConnect winning the tacking duel at the gun.

“After being the bridesmaid so many times, crossing the line first is a dream come true,” LawConnect‘s owner/skipper Christian Beck said at the finish. “When the boat made the final turn towards the finish line, I didn’t think we’d do it. But we hung in there and ghosted across the line.”

LawConnect‘s navigator, US sailor Chris Lewis, described the stormy seas during the race as “wild” with 180-degree wind shifts. “My strategy was to get out in front … read the conditions … and stay in contention until the end.” Also crewing aboard LawConnect was Australian/American sailor Rodney Daniel, from Alameda.

The overall winner of the race on corrected time is the Reichel Pugh 66 Alive, skippered by Duncan Hine. Alive was the fourth boat to cross the line, with an average speed of 12.5 knots and an elapsed time of 2 days, 2 hours and 19 minutes.

Asked how he felt to win a second Sydney Hobart, Hine laughed and said, “It goes to prove finally that it [2018] wasn’t a fluke.”

“It was a cliffhanger right up to the bloody finish, wasn’t it? The Derwent River always pulls something out of the bag,” the skipper added.

The final boat has now crossed the finish line, a week after the race began. Co-skippers Robert Williams and Chris Warren and their “crew,” a cat named Oli, doublehanded their custom Alan Payne sloop Sylph VI to finish 85th on overall line honors, 13th in two-handed line honors, and second in the two-handed PHS division. Oli is believed to be the first cat to complete the race.

Reflecting on the experience, post-race, Devanneaux and Lenny’s crew enjoyed the wines they’d carried all the way from Shabes’s California cellars, for just this moment.

“We didn’t have any grand expectations other than to have a good time, sail a good race, and arrive in Hobart safely. Mission accomplished,” Devanneaux said. “As a sailor, I was happy to finish one tough race. As a competitor, I am not satisfied by the result.”

“Will I do another Hobart? I am thinking I will come back. I like the challenges, and now I know what to expect. The next time I will be better prepared for the fast-changing conditions.”

“C’est si bon. It’s all good!”

You can see more of the author’s photos of the race here.

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