2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race - Up and down final race day for Caro

Caro racing in the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race © Andrea Francolini / Rolex

In a repeat of their duel during last year's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Sebastian Bohm's TP52 Smuggler and Max Klink's Botin 52, Caro, kept sailing fans intrigued from the first starting cannon on Sydney Harbour.

Caro crossed the finish line in Hobart at 18:40pm on Saturday, 2 days 5 hours and 40 minutes out from Sydney and after a tough day of navigating the Tasmanian coastline in little to no winds at times.

The challenges of the last leg of the race knocked Caro down the Overall standings, from third to sixth, but they sit ahead of Smuggler which is due to cross the finish line at nightfall.

Caro's navigator Adrian Stead reflected on the frustrating weather situation as the yacht neared Tasman Island earlier this morning.

"We had 35 knots down to zero wind for about an hour or so," Stead said.

"And this morning we were becalmed off Tasman Island as well, for good measure.

"We were watching our lead [over Smuggler] get eaten into."

The Caro crew faced light conditions for majority of their final day of racing - photo © Salty Dingo / CYCA

Caro attempted to "wriggle away and run" from these conditions which ultimately put them ahead of Smuggler Overall.

But with Smuggler still on the racecourse, Caro will have to wait and see if their manoeuvres paid off.

In 2023, Caro crossed the finish line in ninth place, with Smuggler in 10th, trailing her 14-year newer counterpart by less than three minutes. When the handicaps were applied, Smuggler finished 11th Overall, while Caro was 23rd.

An unimpressed Klink, who had steered the Kiwi entry to third place overall the previous year and then won the 2023 Rolex Fastnet race, has returned with the usual crew of international professional sailors aboard, hell bent on a better result.

But unfortunately for Klink, this was a year for the Volvo 70s.

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's Sam Haynes' Volvo 70 Celestial V70 currently sits in first place Overall after an early morning finish.

"It was pretty much a race for the Volvo 70. So, let's just hope we get Smuggler," Stead said.

Caro still had a cracking run down the NSW Coast earlier on in the race, with a few challenges along the way including tough sea state and damage done to the jib foil, mainsail cars and fractional spinnaker.

But that didn't stop the crew from achieving impressive boat speeds of 18-20 knots.

As to whether the yacht will be back in Australian waters for another crack at Overall victory, Stead said, "We'll see."