‘We just found something’: French duo a chance for stunning Sydney-Hobart success

3 hours ago 1

By Ethan James

December 30, 2025 — 4.45pm

Two Frenchmen sailing one of the smallest boats in the Sydney to Hobart have claimed a prestigious first-past-the-post win and could secure a stunning overall victory.

Former Olympic windsurfer Michel Quintin and friend Yann Rigal arrived at Constitution Dock on BNC - my::NET / LEON at 10.40am AEDT on Tuesday, four nights after setting off on Boxing Day.

:NET / LEON, embrace after arriving at Constitution Dock, Hobart on Tuesday.

They were the 33rd crew across the line in a gruelling race but the first two-handed yacht, a craft sailed by just two people, to make it to Hobart.

BNC could also claim overall handicap honours, silverware usually the domain of larger yachts, in the race’s 80th edition.

BNC was sitting second on handicap times, which are calculated on a range of factors, on Tuesday afternoon behind fellow double-hander Crux, which was due to arrive on Tuesday night.

NSW’s Crux was just ahead of the time to beat but could be slowed by a southerly breeze and drop behind BNC.

Yann Rigal and Michael Quintin are congratulated by Sam Haynes, the CYCA commodore and last year’s overall winner on Celestial V70

“We came here to test [ourselves] … and we didn’t really know what results we’ll have,” Quintin said, after being greeted by family in Hobart.

The pair, who are based in overseas French territory New Caledonia, have been sailing together for five years and have spent the past two preparing physically for the challenges associated with a race like the Sydney to Hobart.

The duo, along with the rest of the fleet, battled seasickness in rugged early upwind sailing which forced 34 of the starting 128-strong fleet to retire.

“I’m never seasick but the first six hours I couldn’t eat,” Rigal said. “We didn’t sleep much, it was very busy. The waves and the seas were crazy. I don’t think we’re special, we just found something.”

Quintin, who represented France in windsurfing at the 1988 Olympics, said some electronic equipment failed in Bass Strait so they had no indication of the true wind direction.

“When you have to steer nearly all day and all night long, you’re tired,” he said.

At 35-feet long, BNC is among the smaller Sydney to Hobart competitors and about a third of the size of line honours winner Master Lock Comanche.

Sam Haynes-skippered Celestial V70, last year’s overall winner, was knocked out of contention on Tuesday when its time was beaten by a flurry of other yachts.

Haynes, a veterinarian by day, finished the race on Monday morning but was cruelled by a glassy, almost-windless River Derwent.

Some forty-five yachts had completed the race at 1pm on Tuesday, including Bacchanal.

Bacchanal was skippered by American attorney Ronald Epstein and named after a Roman god.

Epstein declared his crew had made amends for unfinished business after being forced to retire in their maiden Sydney to Hobart last year when their boom broke.

There were some tears from Epstein as he crossed the line, which drew a few chuckles from crewmates.

“To get it done with such a group of guys you’ve been through the wars with. It’s something worthy to get emotional about,” he said.

Comanche claimed her fifth line honours on Sunday after outgunning fellow supermaxis LawConnect and Hong Kong’s SHK Scallywag 100 in a dogfight off Tasmania.

AAP