2024 RSHYR: Mistral first double handed entry to finish – and in good shape

Rupert Henry and his French co-skipper, Corentin Douguet, © Salty Dingo

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race start ©Wendell Teodoro for @sailorgirlHQ

Rupert Henry and his French co-skipper, Corentin Douguet, sailed Henry’s Lombard 34, Mistral (NSW), across the Rolex Sydney Hobart finish line at 07.16.04 this morning, the first double-handed entry to finish.

The pair looked in remarkably good shape after sailing the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s 628 nautical mile race and were in good spirits.

They were 18th over the line, are currently sitting in ninth place overall and are leading Division 4 and the Double Handed division. Not what Henry hoped for, but an impressive result none-the-less.

With different co-skippers, Henry won the double handed division in 2021 (with Greg O’Shea) and 2022, when he finished an impressive sixth overall with Frenchman Jack Boutell.

This is Douguet’s first trip to Australia and in turn, his first Sydney Hobart. “The first night was the hardest, sailing downwind, trying not to break anything,” he said.

Henry added: “It was quite rough and tumble and coming from different directions. And while the boat is fast, it’s not comfortable.”

And while Douguet is new to the race, he and Henry, who speaks fluent French, met on the Class 40 circuit in France. They have raced together and against each other.

Mistral sailing across Storm Bay - photo © Rolex / Andrea Francolini

“We did the Normandy Channel Race (approximately 1000 nautical miles) and we got on well. I asked him to join me for the race, because I like sailing with people better than me,” Henry said.

Douguet who in his first season was 2022 Class 40 champion, scoring podium finishes in every race he competed in (two victories and two second place finishes), inclusive of the Route du Rhum. He has won just about everything worth winning in international shorthanded sailing, giving Henry the best chance of his desired goal of winning the Sydney Hobart Overall. However, the weather decided otherwise, and the big boats were the beneficiaries.

Henry said this Hobart was a hard one. “You had to push hard the first night. We had chutes up, but you had to be careful – more than normal. You had to get the best out of the machine without breaking it.

“The front came in at 5am yesterday. That was like the recipe – it was a relentless day of beating and reaching. Then we had a park up for one- or two-hours last night. “It meant today was a test to stretch out and put distance on the others.”

Asked what the hardest part of his first Sydney Hobart was, Douguet said, “The first night sailing downwind and trying not to break anything.”

Henry said to rein in the boat in downwind, “you had to change down to a Code Zero, sail higher and not so on the edge”.

“The tiller tried to break on the first night, so we had to stop and do a quick fix. We didn’t have any other damage, we didn’t blow out any sails,” said Henry, who keeps his yacht in meticulous order.

“We wiped out a few times with the A6 up – but it’s strong. But I could see the keel. I’ve had this boat over three years now and I know it and its capabilities well.”

Having shared the worst moment of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s race, we asked Douguet what the best part was.

“I saw my first Albatross this morning,” he said with a big smile. And so he should, the birds have long been a symbol of mystery and fortune and ancient tales suggest that their presence brings luck to seafarers.

“They don’t have Albatrosses in the Atlantic where he’s from,” Henry explained.