Shippies is a favourite with crews from the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. The pub has many photographs and a 7-metre photomural telling the story of the sporting event that stops a nation on Boxing Day with its spectacular start in Sydney Harbour.
The first Sydney–Hobart began on Boxing Day, 1945, when nine yachts, all heavily built cruising craft equipped with canvas sails and natural fibre ropes (winches were unknown on yachts in those days) left Sydney on a 630 nautical mile race to Hobart.
In the six decades since that day, the race has become one of the great blue-water classics as sailors pit their skill and resolution against fickle winds and the fury of Bass Strait—and each other.
It is a story both of triumph and of occasional stark tragedy and has become one of the most keenly followed events in the Australian and international sporting calendars.
As well, it has played a vital part in the development of new techniques and technologies in both speed and safety.
All the photographs in this history courtesy of The Mercury
1945
Captain John Illingworth RN, the ‘founder’ of what was to become one of the world’s great blue-water classic events, took line and handicap honours in Rani, a feat equalled only four more times in the history of this gruelling race.
That first race was also the slowest: Rani’s time was 6 days 14 hours and 22 minutes.
The record for the slowest ever finish is still held by another of the original fleet, Wayfarer, with a time of 11 days 6 hours 20 minutes 56 seconds.
1946-1948, 1954, 1956-1957, 1960
The most illustrious of all contestants, Morna won three successive line honours in 1946, 1947 and 1948 under skipper Claude Plowman, a feat not equalled until 2004-2007 by Wild Oats XI—and, renamed Kurrewa IV, and under the command of F & J Livingstone, four more in 1954, 1956, 1957 and 1960.
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