Tasmania's Launceston to Hobart Yacht Race has its biggest entry list since 2020 as it turns 20, with modular housing brand Knest Modular Homes stepping in as naming rights partner.
Twenty-five boats are already entered for the 20th Launceston to Hobart Yacht Race, giving the Tasmanian offshore classic its strongest entry list since 2020. The 285 nautical mile Category 3 race leaves Beauty Point on the Tamar River on 27 December, bound for Hobart via Tasmania's east coast. In 2020, 31 boats started; last year's fleet fell to just nine. This year's rebound to 25 entries makes for a fitting anniversary edition.
The race lets Tasmanian crews spend Christmas Day at home before heading south, then arrive in Hobart in time to join the Sydney to Hobart and Melbourne to Hobart fleets on the River Derwent for New Year. All three races finish within days of each other, bringing their fleets together on Hobart's waterfront alongside Tasmania's Taste of Summer, which runs from 27 December to 3 January.
The 2026 fleet includes established campaigners like Bryan Walpole's Farr 1104 Invincible and Ben Coad's Austral 30 The Dog House, along with the Cavalier 350 SL Pompette and the Farr 51 Just Farr Love. Several of last year's skippers are back, including Rob Cawthorn on the Northshore 38 Talofa, Ian Johnston on the Farr 41 MX Zephyr, and Donovan Oak on the Mount Gay 30 Lyons Knest Modular Prion, a boat that finished third in both IRC and ORC divisions in 2025.
The fastest time on record belongs to Crotty Legal & Dental, the Bakewell-White 45 skippered by Gary Smith and Geoff White, which crossed in 1 day 9 hours 33 minutes 58 seconds back in 2008. Sponsors have changed hands several times since, from Clive Peters and National Pies through to TasPorts, Willie Smith's and Harcourts Hobart, but the 285 nautical mile course and its Hobart finish have stayed the drawcard.
There is also a new name attached to the race for 2026, with Tasmanian company Knest Modular Homes joining as naming rights partner.
"We're proud to partner with an event that reflects more than just competition," said Knest Modular Homes director Brett Cooper. "Knest is focused on making home ownership more attainable, and in many ways the Launceston to Hobart has built its reputation by making offshore racing attainable." Cooper drew a broader parallel between the two, framing both sailing and home ownership as about finding a place to belong.
Derwent Sailing Squadron Commodore Dr Steve Chau said reaching 20 years was a significant achievement for an event that has become an established part of Tasmania's offshore racing calendar, while Race Director Ron Bugg credited two decades of volunteers, clubs and competitors for keeping the race "distinctly Tasmanian."
Entries for the 20th anniversary race remain open, with all yachts fitted with trackers so the fleet can be followed live from the Tamar to the Derwent.
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