sydney to hobart yacht with cat

'Quite a moving moment': Oli the cat finishes his first Sydney to Hobart

Days after the first yachts arrived, fan favourite oli the cat completed the sydney to hobart with owner bob williams..

Owner and skipper of the yacht Sylph VI Bob Williams and his cat Oli after completing the 2023 Sydney to Hobart race. Source: AAP / Ethan James

• Sydney to Hobart participant Oli the cat crossed the finish line a week after the race commenced.
• His arrival at Hobart's Constitution Dock was met with cheers, banners and gifts, including cat treats and toys.
• Contrary to earlier reports, Oli probably wasn't the first feline to take part in the Sydney to Hobart race.

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The 'two-handed, four-pawed division'

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Around 62,000 sailors have competed in the Sydney to Hobart since 1945, but next month a friendly feline named Oli may boldly go where no cat has gone before.

When retired navy officer Bob Williams applied to enter the Hobart for the first time this year, there was never any question Oli would be going along for the 628-nautical mile ride to Constitution Dock.

Watch the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race on Boxing Day live and free on Seven and 7plus

“It’s not a matter of making the decision to bring him, this is his home,” Williams said aboard his vessel Sylph VI.

“He’s just part of the ship’s crew. He’s been with me for several years now. He’s part of the furniture.”

Oli’s been travelling with Williams on Sylph for around five years and has shaken off his sea legs in that time.

“He used to get seasick on the first day out but he seems to be pretty much over that now,” Williams said.

“He doesn’t like the rough weather but he eventually gets used to it and finds a place to curl down and get some more sleep in.”

In fact, Oli has become such a seasoned sailor that Williams was keen to bring him on a non-stop circumnavigation around Cape Horn during the pandemic.

“Unfortunately the Department of Agriculture wouldn’t let me,” Williams said.

“I tried, I wanted him to come with me but unfortunately he couldn’t. I had a friend look after him for that particular trip.”

Oli is believed to be the first cat to contest the bluewater classic.

But with the race dating back 78 years, it is impossible to be sure whether a cat may have been aboard an early vessel.

Animals were certainly taken for the journey in those days; carrier pigeons were used to send news back to shore from the inaugural event in 1945.

Sylph VI herself has a long history in the race, having contested the race five times before in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Williams bought her in 1997 and has since circumnavigated the globe two-and-a-half times.

Sylph enters the Hobart in the two-handed division, with Williams’ friend Chris Warren lined up to co-skipper.

Completed in 1960 and measuring 40 feet, she will reach Hobart days after the four high-tech 100ft supermaxis.

Williams and Warren aren’t bothered by that and they don’t believe Oli will be, either.

“He’s fine, when I’m down in the bunk, he’ll come and snuggle up. He’s happy,” Williams said.

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Cat makes history in sydney to hobart yacht race.

By Tiffanie Turnbull, BBC News, Sydney

Skipper Robert Williams watches his cat Oli as he stands aboard his yacht ‘Sylph VI’ during the media launch of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in Sydney on 22 November, 2023. Photo: AFP / David Gray

When Oli queues up on the starting line for the Sydney to Hobart yacht race on Tuesday, he'll be making history.

That's because Oli is a cat.

Since the event began as a casual cruise down the east coast of Australia in 1945, it has attracted all manner of colourful competitors - from media magnate Rupert Murdoch to Australian cricket legend Michael Clarke and former UK Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath.

But there's no record of any feline seafarers in the gruelling regatta. Carrier pigeons - sure: they were once used to send messages back to shore and have graced many a deck during the ocean classic. But cats? No.

Oli's owner Bob Williams says the pair didn't set out to be pioneers. The moggy is simply part of the furniture on Sylph VI and leaving him behind on the boat's jaunt south was out of the question.

"I've done lots of crazy things, but this isn't one of them," Williams told the BBC ahead of the race.

Organisers - while initially bemused - are also on board.

There are no race rules prohibiting animals, and cats have a long history in maritime travel, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia pointed out.

"One of the great things about the Rolex Sydney Hobart is all the wonderful characters in the race and the diversity of boats," Commodore Arthur Lane said.

While most eyes will be on the speedy super maxis - giant yachts with up to 24 crew - during the Boxing Day race, Sylph, a 12m yacht made in 1960, will set off in the two-handed division where smaller boats compete with a slimmed down team.

"We're jokingly saying [it's] the two-handed and four-pawed division," Williams said.

A friend of his is co-skippering, he explains, and as for Oli: "He's SC - ship's cat."

While Sylph is an old hat - having taken part in six Sydney to Hobarts many decades ago - this is William's first time racing it.

But both he and Oli have plenty of experience at sea.

A retired navy officer, Williams has spent his life traversing the ocean - including a recent single-handed circumnavigation of the globe - much of it with a feline companion by his side.

Oli, who is about 10 years old, joined him five years ago and quickly earned his sea legs.

"He used to get seasick, and he was a bit stressed to start off with... but now he's fine. He quite enjoys life," Williams said.

The laidback kitty can usually be found meowing orders or napping on the job in the boat's cockpit.

"He's very sensible... Whenever it gets rough, he'll disappear down below to find a nice, safe spot to curl up."

Skipper Robert Williams holds his cat Oli as he stands aboard his yacht ‘Sylph VI’ during the media launch of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in Sydney on 22 November, 2023. Photo: AFP / David Gray

And get rough it just might. The 630 nautical mile (1166km) dash has long been characterised by unpredictable and often brutal conditions - the worst, 25 years ago.

Competitors in the 1998 race were battered by a monster storm, which sank five boats and claimed the lives of six sailors.

This year forecasters have warned that the fleet could be in for thunderstorms, strong winds, and even hail along parts of the course.

Williams jokes that he hasn't lost a cat at sea yet.

But turning serious, he stresses that he is prepared for any emergency.

"The cat overboard routine is just to have something like a towel or a thick rope handy so that they can climb back on board."

There's no life jacket for Oli though, because he simply wouldn't wear it: "They're Houdinis… they'll escape from anything they don't like," Williams says.

But although cats hate the water, he knows for a fact Oli can swim, because he once legged it into the ocean to avoid an overzealous dog.

Sylph and her occupants will be playing it safe though and proceeding towards Hobart at a comparatively leisurely pace.

The record for the fastest finish - set in 2017- is one day and nine hours. But that was a massive, modern super yacht built for speed.

"Sylph is an older slower boat... Our ambition is to get to Hobart in time for the New Year's celebration."

There they'll mark the occasion with a nip of rum, and perhaps some milk on the rocks for Oli.

-This story was first published by the BBC .

Copyright © 2023 , Radio New Zealand

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Furry First: Cat and retired navy officer set sail in historic Sydney to Hobart race

by Justin Kraiza

A furry feline embarked on the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race with a boat crew for the first time in the 78-year history of the race.

Retired Navy Officer Bob Williams and his cat Oli have sailed across the nation for the past five years.

The two sailing companions trekked across the Tasman Sea in New Zealand together.

"Well, I think Oli's already fully prepared, he's an experienced sailor,” said Williams. “He's spent several years on the boat now. He's been to New Zealand and back. So, I think he's, you know, got his sea legs. I think he's all good."

The duo aims to arrive in Hobart before New Years Eve.

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Meet the first cat to sail in the sydney to hobart race.

Oli is the first cat to sail in the Sydney to Hobart race. Oli and his owner Bob Williams have sailed together for the past five years. The duo and their co-skipper, Chris Warren, set off to Hobart onboard the oldest boat in the race, the Sylph VI. They hope to arrive in Hobart before New Year's Eve. Dec. 26, 2023

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This Cat Is Sailing in a Historic Boat Race (He’s Not Really in It to Win It)

By Annierose Donnelly

Have you ever met a cat with sea legs? Or a cat that likes water even a little bit? Meet Oli, a cat with a passion for sailing.

Oli is making history. He is the first cat to take part in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2023 .

Oli’s owner, Bob Williams, a former naval officer, is at the helm for their entry into this year’s race. Bob has spent his life sailing around the world, and he loves to take loveable Oli with him. “I think Oli quite likes the boat life,” he shared in a recent interview.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Live Sail Die (@livesaildie)

Bob, alongside co-skipper Chris Warren, is currently taking part in the race from Sydney, Australia to Hobart, Tasmania. The race started on Boxing Day (December 26), and they are hoping to arrive before New Year’s Eve. You can track their progress on the race’s official website.

They are sailing on the oldest boat in the race, Sylph VI , a 40-foot (12-meter) yacht built in 1960. Bob has sailed around the world 2.5 times in this boat, including a recent circumnavigation of the globe, which saw him sail around the world in 193 days, cruising via all the great capes. Sylph VI has sailed in the Sydney Hobart race six times, but the last time was in 1972.

“She’s an older, heavier boat. We might be at the back of the fleet, but we’re just here to have fun and participate,” said Bob.

The competition is open to smaller boats with two-handed skippers as well as larger super yachts with up to 24 crew. Over 100 yachts are taking part in the race, which has been an Australian sporting tradition since it started in 1945. With a racing distance of 630 nautical miles (1,170 km), it is one of the world’s most challenging offshore yacht races with varying conditions at this time of year.

Best of luck to Bob, Chris, and Oli on their historic race.

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