In 2017, LDV Comanche set a new race record finishing in 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds, beating Perpetual Loyal's record of 1 day, 13 hours, 31 minutes and 20 seconds, set the previous year.

[4] Wild Oats XI completed the course in an unofficial record time of 1 day, 08 hours, 48 minutes and 50 seconds.

[5] The Bass Strait, and the waters of the Pacific Ocean immediately to its east are renowned for their high winds and difficult seas.

[6] The inaugural race had nine starters, including the Kathleen Gillett, captained by renowned marine artist Jack Earl.

[7] John Illingworth's Rani, built at Speers Point was the winner, taking six days, 14 hours and 22 minutes.

However, it took 21 years for the 1975 record by Kialoa from the United States to be broken by the German yacht Morning Glory in 1996, and then only by a dramatic 29 minutes, as she tacked up the River Derwent against the clock.

Sydney yacht, Morna, won the second, third and fourth races (1946–1948) and then, under new owners Frank and John Livingston from Victoria, took a further four titles as Kurrewa IV in 1954, 1956, 1957 and 1960.

[10] For the handicap race the highly respected Halvorsen brothers' Freya won three titles back-to-back (the only yacht in history to do so) between 1963 and 1965.

In the 1994 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, the making waves foundation's crew were the first fully disabled team to compete in an ocean race and Australian Paralympic sitting volleyball player Albert Lee was a part of this team.

[11] The 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race was marred by tragedy when, during an exceptionally strong storm (which had similar strength winds to a lower-category hurricane), five boats sank and six people died.

As a result, the crew eligibility rules were tightened, requiring a higher minimum age and experience.

The previous Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race record had been set by Morning Glory (2 days, 14 hours, 7 minutes, 10 seconds) in 1996.

In 1982 Condor of Burmuda won the Sydney to Hobart (1981) which was the closest ever finish, winning by just seven seconds against Apollo III during a gruelling match race up the River Derwent.

Love & War, owned by Peter Kurts and skippered by Lindsay May, won the race overall (IRC Handicap) in a corrected time of 3 days, 22 hours 2 minutes and 37 seconds.

Gillawa from the Australian Capital Territory, skippered by David Kent, was the sixty-ninth and last boat to complete the 2006 race, making it the third consecutive year that the yacht was last in the fleet.

Wild Oats XI went on to create history by winning its third consecutive line honours title and becoming only the second yacht to do so.

In the event however, Neville Crichton's New Zealand entry Alpha Romeo II passed Wild Oats XI early on and never relinquished her lead, finishing in an elapsed time of 2 days, 9 hours, 2 minutes and 10 seconds.

Traditionally, crews of yachts celebrate on New Year's Eve at Constitution Dock in Hobart, with the Customs House Hotel a favourite venue for Sydney–Hobart yachtsmen.

The Cruising Yacht Club said it was "unrealistic" to proceed with the race after the Tasmanian government declared Greater Sydney a "medium risk" zone, requiring all participants to quarantine for 14 days on arrival in Tasmania.

Many of the skippers competing in the Sydney–Hobart race in the 21st century have expressed a desire to be the first to record a time under the once thought of as impossible mark of 40 hours.

In 2017, this goal was met when the race record was set by LDV Comanche to 33 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds.

The first woman to take part was Jane Tate, whose boat Active was the only one to reach Hobart in 1946.

Thus, the Jane Tate Memorial Trophy is awarded each year to the first female skipper to complete the race.

In 2011, Jessica Watson, known for her solo unassisted sail around the world at age 16, skippered the Sydney Hobart yacht race with a crew of six other young Australians and three Britons all aged 21 or under, making them some of the youngest ever to compete in the blue water classic.

In 2018, skippered by Stacey Jackson, Ocean Respect Racing (on Wild Oats X) became the first fully professional all women's crew to compete in the Sydney Hobart.

[51] It generally costs each of the major contenders for line honors millions of dollars to equip themselves for the race, however there is no prize money.

The only award is a Rolex watch from the race sponsor for the fastest and handicap winning yacht captains.