[2] The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is an annual event hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, New South Wales on Boxing Day then heading south through the Tasman Sea, past Bass Strait, into Storm Bay and up the Derwent River, to cross the finish line in Hobart, Tasmania.

[4] The 1998 race, like every other edition, began on Sydney Harbour, at noon on Boxing Day (26 December 1998), with 115 starters heading south.

[1] By early morning on 27 December, the lead yachts entered Bass Strait and began to encounter winds in excess of 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph).

[14] On 1 June 1999 the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia released the Report, Findings and Recommendations of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Race Review Committee.

[15] The report listed a multitude of safety recommendations[16] and resulted in changes both for future Sydney to Hobart races and for yachting events worldwide.

[18] The results of the inquest were released on 12 December 2000, NSW coroner John Abernethy finding that the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia had "abdicated its responsibility to manage the race".