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Perpetual Loyal set a new Rolex Sydney Hobart record

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Perpetual Loyal's Anthony Bell was the first to cross the Rolex Sydney Hobart finish line and set a new race record by completing the 628-mile leg from Sydney to Hobart in one day, 13 hours, 21 minutes and 20 seconds.

The Supermaxi broke the previous race record set by Wild Oats XI in. 2012. At that time, the route was completed in one day, 18 hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds.

Anthony Bell had already won the Rolex Sydney Hobart once before on his first Investec LOYAL Supermaxi in. 2011. He then bought the legendary Rambler 100 (when launched as Speedboat), supposedly one of the fastest supermaxis on the planet, resuscitated her after a terrible flip at the 2011 Rolex Fastnet and renamed her Perpetual Loyal. The boat was unlucky for several years in a row, dropping out of the Rolex Sydney Hobart in 2014 after colliding with an unidentified floating object. In 2015, a rudder failure prevented her from reaching the finish line of the famous Perpetual Loyal race.

This year, however, fortune finally turned to Anthony Bell as Perpetual Loyal was successful at the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart and kept pace with the leader, Wild Oats XI, until the latter was forced to abandon the race due to a failure of the hydraulic mechanism that controls the oscillating keel.

This year's Rolex Sydney Hobart is the first Russian-flagged boat - Simplesail Mahligai by Alexander Vodovatov.

The Russians were unlucky at the start: the upper batten of the mainsail came loose while turning. The crew decided to continue the race, making a new batten from scraps of wood they had. By today, Simplesail Mahligai managed to catch up with the start time and come close to the leaders of the race. She's finishing second in her division! You can follow their progress here.

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