The 2026 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race again showed why it remains one of offshore sailing’s hardest measures. Prolonged upwind sailing and heavy seas shaped an unforgiving race, forcing 33 retirements from a 128-yacht starting fleet and placing preparation, judgement, and structural confidence under sustained pressure.
Palm Beach XI completed the 628-nautical-mile course to Hobart after more than two days at sea. For the team, the result carried weight beyond the finish line. Acquired in June 2025, the 100-foot maxi had not competed offshore at this level since 2022 and returned to the race following a tightly compressed development programme led by Palm Beach Motor Yachts Founder and CEO Mark Richards, alongside an experienced group of designers, engineers, sailors, and shore crew.
Launched only days before the start, the race followed Palm Beach XI’s mandatory 24-hour qualification sail, which offered the first offshore opportunity to assess a newly developed C-foil concept. The radical appendage package reflects the programme’s technical ambition and longer-term direction. Early observations were encouraging, but the conditions demanded restraint. The team elected to compete without the C-foils, prioritising structural understanding, reliability, and learning under sustained offshore load. Continued refinement remains part of a focused two-year development campaign.
Running in parallel was Palm Beach XII, a Palm Beach 65 luxury motor yacht, which completed the Sydney to Hobart passage alongside Palm Beach XI. Sailing through the same weather systems and sea states over a comparable timeframe, Palm Beach XII averaged 19.2 knots and demonstrated balance, stability, and composure offshore, reinforcing the design principles that underpin the Palm Beach Motor Yachts range.
“The Rolex Sydney Hobart is one of the toughest tests in our sport,” said Richards. “In those conditions, the priority was finishing the race and understanding the boat structurally. Choosing not to race with the C-foils allowed us to focus on reliability and learning. This was the first chapter of the programme, and it has given us a clear foundation to build from.”
Palm Beach XI continues to serve as a performance development platform, where racing-led insight is gathered offshore and fed back into future Palm Beach Motor Yachts and Grand Banks designs.
