The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club congratulates Edward Curry-Hyde and Lincoln Dews on an outstanding performance in the 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, delivering the best overall result of any RPAYC entry in this year’s race.
Sailing the Sun Fast 3300 Toucan, Curry-Hyde and Dews finished fourth overall on IRC and an impressive third place in the Double-Handed Division, a remarkable achievement in one of the toughest offshore races on the calendar.
This result caps off a highly disciplined and well-executed double-handed campaign. Toucan was purpose-built for short-handed offshore racing, and the pairing of Curry-Hyde and Dews proved highly effective across the full 628-nautical-mile course to Hobart. Their performance stood out not only among the double-handed fleet, but across the entire IRC field.
Curry-Hyde and Dew’s began this year’s campaign by winning their division and the Double Handed division of the RPAYC’s Pittwater to Coffs race. Then, due to Dew’s Middle Sea race commitment, Curry-Hyde sailed with Billy Sykes from North Sails and won the Double Handed division, Division 3 and place 4th overall in the Gold Coast race. Dews and Curry-Hyde then went on to win the Double Handed division of the Cabbage Tree Island race, a great warm up for the Sydney to Hobart.
For Edward Curry-Hyde, this was his second Sydney Hobart campaign and a clear step forward from his debut last year. Lincoln Dews, a highly experienced offshore sailor with a background spanning sailing, surf lifesaving and elite water sports, brought strength, systems expertise and relentless endurance to the partnership, all critical attributes in a demanding two-handed Hobart.
Their campaign has benefitted enormously from the highly competitive yet very supportive character of the Double Handed community. Boat setups to make competitive Double Handed racing doable are readily shared and collaboratively developed. The competitive character exemplified by the fact that 7 double Handers featured in the top 10 overall result.
Finishing inside the top five overall in IRC, and on the podium in the double-handed division, is an exceptional result by any measure and reflects months of careful preparation, smart decision-making at sea, and a strong understanding of the boat and conditions.
The Club congratulates Edward and Lincoln on a superb achievement and thanks them for representing RPAYC with distinction on the international stage. Their result is a credit to their campaign and a proud moment for the Club.
Rob McClelland
Commodore
