The 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race (RSHYR) will forever be remembered by the sailing fraternity for the tragic loss of two lives and for the race’s turbulent conditions.
For Maritimo, the 2024 RSHYR was also a tale of two magnificent yachts and one power boating legend’s love of sailing. Maritimo is the only luxury motor yacht builder in the world with a dedicated racing division in-house. The renowned Australian brand entered two vessels in the iconic race, Maritimo 100, a superb Oyster 100 and Maritimo Katwinchar, a meticulously restored, 120-year-old timber yacht. The two yachts couldn’t be more different yet are both equally unique, with Maritimo Katwinchar having the distinction of being the oldest yacht to ever compete in the RSHYR, and Maritimo 100, the most luxuriously appointed yacht in the RSHYR fleet.
Maritimo 100 is one of only two custom-designed Oyster 100 models built by the esteemed British firm. Rather than an outright race machine like similar-sized supermaxis, the 100ft vessel is equipped in a very similar manner to the luxurious motor yachts that Maritimo produces. The sailing superyacht boasts three staterooms, a raised saloon with panoramic views, lounge and dining spaces, chef’s galley, and two crew cabins forward. At the other end of the scale, the 32ft Maritimo Katwinchar was built in 1904, and has a rich and storied past. She first competed in the Sydney Hobart in 1951, then again in the 2019 fleet when she won the Grand Veterans’ division.
Maritimo Founder and CEO, Bill Barry-Cotter, is a pillar of the Australian boating industry, who has been designing and building award-winning motor yachts for over 60 years. However, Bill also has a passion for sailing, which started in his teenage years when the now 80-year-old first became involved with competitive sailing with his brother Kendal. Maritimo Katwinchar holds a sentimental place in the hearts of both Bill and Kendal as it was their family yacht when they were growing up around Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Bill says his passion for sailing was renewed when, after years of searching, he found the historic yacht advertised on online marketplace Gumtree. The vessel was in a very dilapidated state, virtually “a pile of sticks” in Bill’s words, when he acquired it and set Maritimo’s skilled craftspeople to work on a painstaking restoration to bring Maritimo Katwinchar up to racing standards.
“I originally wanted to do the Hobart again on Maritimo Katwinchar,” explained Bill. “Then I had a heart attack which put me out. When the Oyster 100 came up the logic for buying it was that I could try to get at least one more Hobart in, and that it would be in comfort [on Maritimo 100]. Sailing is very technical and there’s a lot of crossover with power boats, particularly the long-range motor yachts that we build at Maritimo. Every time you go out on a boat you learn something and that’s why I love building and racing boats.”
The 2024 RSHYR was Bill’s third ‘Hobart’ – the last time he competed in the race was almost half a century ago with Kendal. Bill joked his role on Maritimo 100 was to be “moveable ballast” and he was joined onboard by 14 other crew members including Kendal, skipper Peter Jones and senior Maritimo team members Phil Candler and Ross ‘Rossco’ Willaton. Maritimo Katwinchar meanwhile was entered in the Double-Handed Division, with Michael Spies (sailing in his 46th Hobart) and Peter Vaiciurgis as co-skippers.
Maritimo 100 and her crew made it safely to Hobart, aside from a small tear in her mainsail which took place on day one. However, Maritimo Katwinchar began taking on water from the cockpit and was unfortunately forced to retire early and head for port at Batemans Bay on the NSW South Coast. “Bill is a close friend and his passion and enthusiasm for Maritimo Katwinchar is contagious and has come through to me,” said Spies. “It was pretty devastating to then have to retire, but it was the only prudent thing to do.”
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Photography by Andrea Francolini and Carlo Borlenghi courtesy of Maritimo and Rolex.
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