Club News

Hobart, Tasmania (December 2023) – Long-time SDYC members Jim Pugh and John Reichel not only celebrated the fortieth year of their naval architecture studio here in Point Loma, but did so with purpose by sweeping the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race podium. Reichel/Pugh Design No. 162 66' Canting Ballast Alive, owned by Philip Turner and skippered by Duncan Hine, was awarded the coveted Tattersall Cup as the overall WINNER of the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race with the best corrected time under IRC—a symbol of supremacy in one of the toughest races in the world.

Hine wrote to say, “The Reichel Pugh’s dominated the fleet yet again! Congrats on an incredibly long-lived design. The Studio should be proud.” This is the Tasmanian boat’s second victory in five years after Hine skippered Phillip Turner’s Reichel/Pugh 66 to her first victory in 2018.

The result also seals a terrific performance for Reichel/Pugh in the race, as the top three overall came from their design board with the Reichel/Pugh 72' URM Group finishing third over the line for second overall and Reichel/Pugh 69’ Moneypenny taking third place overall. Reichel/Pugh 40’ Chutzpah was 3rd in IRC Div. 2. “Reichel/Pugh designs are proving to be pretty lucky for many of these races,” Hine said.

In the Overall 2023/24 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore Standings URM Group entered the Hobart Race 1^st Overall IRC following a win at the Solas Big Boat Challenge. Speaking before it was confirmed that Alive beat URM Group overall, Alive Navigator Adrienne Cahalan added: “URM Group navigator Alice Parker has really done a great job. We don’t know who’s the best of the two boats, but even if they’ve lost, it’s by a whisker.” Cahalan agreed that Parker’s progression as a leading navigator delivers a strong message to women who may interested in ocean racing to consider doing so as a navigator.

Alive was built by Westerly Marine, launched in 2006 as Stark Raving Mad and was Black Jack before she was bought by Philip Turner in 2014. Black Jack was third overall & 1st overall ORCi in the 2012 Sydney-Hobart. Under Turner she continued a winning legacy. In 2018, Alive won the George Adams Tattersall Cup for the Sydney-Hobart Overall Winner on IRC and the Charleston Trophy for Overall Winner on ORCi in the 2018 Sydney Hobart.  Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design was awarded the 2018 Alan Payne Memorial Trophy – for the designer of the overall winner on handicap.

Alive was here in San Diego for the 2019 California Offshore races with back-to-back line honor wins in the San Diego Yacht Club signature SoCal 300 (Santa Barbara to San Diego), Spinnaker Cup (San Francisco Bay to Monterey), Coastal Cup (Monterey to Santa Barbara), and Newport-Ensenada Race. She also set a new course record for the 200nm Coastal Cup of 13h 48m 28s. Most notably, Alive left southern California to finish the year as Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race ORCi Overall winner, winning IRC Division 0 & ORCi Division 1.

Reichel/Pugh designs are the most successful Sydney-Hobart contenders on the planet. REICHEL/PUGH’S HISTORY IN THE 628nm ROLEX SYDNEY TO HOBART BLUE WATER CLASSIC:

• Since 1996 80’ Morning Glory, R/P Maxis have taken Line Honors 13 times; with 100' Wild Oats XI taking Line Honors a record nine times in thirteen years (2005-2008, 2010, 2012-2014, 2018), 90’ Alfa Romeo in 2002, 100' Alfa Romeo in 2009 and 100' Black Jack in 2021. 
• R/P Yachts have won been awarded the coveted Tattersall Cup seven times as the overall winner of the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race in 2005 Wild Oats XI, 2010 Secret Men’s Business, 2011 Loki 63’, 2012 Wild Oats XI, 2014 Wild Oats XI, 2018 Alive 66’, and now 2023 Alive 66’.
• R/P designs have reset the course record three times in 1996 Morning Glory 80’, 2005 Wild Oats XI and 2012 Wild Oats XI.
• The 2018 Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race was historic - no other design studio swept the podium as Reichel/Pugh designs did this year, nor in the 73 previous editions of the race:
• 2018 R/P designs took Line Honors 1st WOXI and 2nd Black Jack 100’.
• 2018 R/P designs took 1st Alive 66’ and 2nd Wild Oats X 66’ (all-female crew) Overall.
• 2012 R/P designs took 1st WOXI, 2nd Loki 63’ and 3^rd Black Jack 66’ Overall.
• 1996 R/P designs took Line Honors 1st Morning Glory 80’ and 2nd Exile 66’.
• 1996 R/P design Exile took 2nd Overall and 1st Class A, 2nd place Class A Morning Glory 80’.

2023 – 66’ Alive – overall IRC - Race WINNER 1^st - winner of the Tattersall Cup. 1st overall IRC Div 0. – Phil Turner.
2023 – 72’ URM – 2^nd overall IRC taking 3^rd place Line Honours.  2^nd overall IRC Div 0. – Anthony Johnston.
2023 – 69’ Moneypenny – 3^rd overall IRC.  3^rd overall IRC Div 0. – Sean Langman.
2023 – 40’ Chutzpah – 3^rd overall IRC Div 2. – B. Taylor.
2018 – 100’ Wild Oats XI – 1st to Finish, 6th ORCi Overall, 4th ORCi Division 1 – Oatley Family
2018 – 66’ Alive – 1st Overall, 1st IRC Div 0, 1st ORCi Overall, 1st ORCi Division 1 – P. Turner
2018 – 100’ Black Jack – 2nd in Line Honors, 4th ORCi Overall, 3rd ORCi Division 1 – P. Harburg
2018 – 66’ Wild Oats X – 2nd Overall, 2nd IRC Div 0, 2nd ORCi Overall, 2nd ORCi Division 1 – 11th Hour Racing / Oatley Family
2018 – 63’ Voodoo – 3rd Overall, 1st IRC Div 1, 3rd ORCi Overall, 1st ORCi Division 2 – H. Ellis
2018 – 40’ Chutzpah – 2nd IRC Division 2, 3rd ORCi Division 2 – B. Taylor
2017 – 100’ Black Jack – 3rd in Line Honors – P. Harburg
2017 – 40’ Chutzpah – 3rd Division 2 (IRC) and 8th overall corrected time – B. Taylor
2017 – 66’ Wild Oats X – 4th Division 0 & 7th in Line Honors – The Oatley Family
2014 – 100’ Wild Oats XI – 1st to Finish and 1st Overall – B. Oatley – 8th Line Honors Win In 10 Years
2014 – 40’ Chutzpah – 1st Class 2 (IRC) and 2nd Overall corrected time – B. Taylor
2014 – 52’ Scarlet Runner – 1st Division 1 ORCi and 2nd Division 1 IRC – R. Date
2013 – 100’ Wild Oats XI – 1st to Finish – B. Oatley
2012 – 100’ Wild Oats XI – 1st to Finish & First Overall (Trifecta Win and Course Record Set: 1 day 18 hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds) – B. Oatley
2012 – 63’ Mini Maxi LOKI – 2nd Overall & 1st IRC Division 1 – S. Ainsworth
2012 – 66’ Mini Maxi Black Jack – 3rd Overall IRC & 1st Overall ORCi – P. Harburg
2011 – 63’ Mini Maxi LOKI – 1st Overall – S. Ainsworth
2010 – 100’ Wild Oats XI – 1st to Finish – B. Oatley
2010 – 51’ Secret Men’s Business 3.5 – 1st Overall – G. Boettcher
2009 – 100’ Alfa Romeo – 1st to Finish – N. Crichton,
2009 – 100’ Wild Oats XI – 2nd to Finish – B. Oatley
2008 – 100’ Wild Oats XI – 1st to Finish (Record 4th Consecutive Line Honors Win) – B. Oatley
2007 – 100’ Wild Oats XI – 1st to Finish – B. Oatley
2006 – 100’ Wild Oats XI – 1st to Finish – B. Oatley
2005 – 100’ Wild Oats XI – 1st to Finish & Overall Winner Corrected Time (Trifecta Win and Course Record Set: 1 d, 18 h, 40 m and 10 s) – B. Oatley
2005 – 100’ Alfa Romeo – 2nd to Finish & 2nd on Corrected Time in Fleet – N. Crichton
2002 – 90’ Alfa Romeo – 1st to Finish – N. Crichton
1996 – 80’ Morning Glory – 1st to Finish (Course Record Set: 2 d, 14 h, 7 m, 10 s) – Dr. H. Plattner
1996 – 66’ Exile – 2nd Place Line Honors & 1st place Class A – Warwick Miller