CYCA Trophy Series

The CYCA Trophy, formerly known as the Rolex Trophy Series, is sailed out of Sydney in December each year. It is not only a significant lead-up event to the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, but a prestigious regatta in its own right.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia originally introduced a regatta to provide a competitive series in the even years between the biennial international teams racing series for the Southern Cross Cup. Unlike the Southern Cross Cup, the CYCA Trophy Series is a regatta for individual yachts and is a standalone series that does not include the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

The CYCA Trophy Series is held annually, with large fleets racing in IRC and PHS rating divisions, plus one-design divisions. 

The CYCA introduced the Southern Cross Cup, a series of races out of Sydney and including the Sydney Hobart Race, back in 1967 after an Australian team first won the famous Admiral's Cup in England.

Over the years, the Southern Cross Cup enjoyed international status, attracting teams from many overseas countries to compete in regatta racing off the New South Wales coast as an exciting prelude to the long ocean race to Tasmania. The final race was the 628 nautical mile Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

In 1996, following another Southern Cross Cup year, the CYCA agreed to requests from yacht owners to introduce an annual lead-up regatta to the Sydney Hobart. It was to be a stand-alone regatta for individual yachts.

The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania found in its trophy cabinets in Hobart an historic piece of silverware called the British Trophy and presented it to the CYCA as the perpetual trophy for the new annual regatta. The CYCA Trophy has also been known as the Telstra Cup and the Rolex Trophy Series. 

Ocean racing yachts that have done well in this regatta have continued that form into the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.  Several British Trophy winners and placegetters have gone on to win the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, including the Victorian boat Terra Firma (1996), Beau Geste from Hong Kong-China (1997) and Sydney yacht Bumblebee 5 (2001). 

CYCA Trophy - One Design Series 
7-9 December 2012

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's summer of sail in Sydney will begin with the prestigious CYCA Trophy One Design Series for one design classes including Farr 40s and Sydney 38s. The CYCA Trophy Series will begin on Friday 7 December and will conclude on Sunday 9 December.

CYCA Trophy - Passage Series
15-16 December 2012

In 2008, the CYCA introduced a new component of the CYCA Trophy Series. For those boats not keen on the traditional format of the windward/leeward races, the CYCA Trophy Passage Series has been created as an alternative IRC and ORCi rated-series. The Passage Series will run over two days, Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 December, and will consist of two offshore passage races - one race per day.

Image: ROLEX/Daniel Forster

Hooligan and Scarlet Runner in action during Rolex Trophy Passage Series