One Course. Two Yachts. A Shared DNA.
by Palm Beach Motor Yachts 12 Jan 23:05 GMT
Palm Beach XI © Palm Beach Motor Yachts
Offshore racing insight, new appendages, radical C-foil development, and ongoing innovation unite Palm Beach XI and Palm Beach XII at the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
Sydney, Australia — January 9, 2026. Palm Beach XI has completed the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, widely regarded as one of the pinnacles of ocean racing. The 80th-anniversary edition delivered severe conditions, with prolonged upwind sailing and heavy seas forcing 33 of the 128 yachts in the starting fleet to retire—an unmistakable test of preparation and seamanship.
Palm Beach XI completed the 628-nautical-mile course to Hobart after more than two days at sea, an outcome made particularly significant given the accelerated preparation schedule. Palm Beach Motor Yachts congratulates the Comanche team on their line honours victory and all teams who took on this exceptionally tough race.
The race marked Palm Beach XI's return to elite competition for the first time since 2022. Acquired in June 2025, the yacht underwent a rapid transformation led by an experienced team of designers, engineers, sailors, and shore crew under the leadership of Mark Richards, Founder and CEO of Palm Beach Motor Yachts.
Launched only days before the start, the mandatory 24-hour qualification sail provided the first offshore opportunity to evaluate the newly developed radical C-foil concept—an advanced appendage package refined intensively by the team in recent months. Early observations were very encouraging and reinforced confidence in the direction of development. Given the prevailing conditions, the team elected to compete without the C-foils for this event, with continued refinement planned as part of a focused two-year campaign.
Running in parallel was Palm Beach XII, a Palm Beach 65 luxury motor yacht, which completed the offshore passage from Sydney to Hobart alongside Palm Beach XI, experiencing the same weather and sea states over a comparable timeframe. Averaging 19.2 knots, Palm Beach XII demonstrated exceptional seaworthiness, balance, and stability, reinforcing the offshore performance that define the Palm Beach Motor Yachts range.
"The Rolex Sydney Hobart Race is one of the toughest tests in our sport," said Richards. "In relentless conditions, our priority was getting to the finish line and understanding the boat structurally and we're proud to have achieved that. Choosing not to race with the C-foils was a deliberate decision driven by the conditions and allowing us to focus on reliability and learning. This race marked Chapter One of the program. With a strong foundation now confirmed, we're ready to move into Chapter Two, building on this foundation through continued development, future campaigns, and purposeful time at sea."
Palm Beach XI was intentionally established as a living performance platform, where advanced racing technologies and engineering concepts are developed, evaluated, and refined under extreme offshore conditions before flowing back into the Palm Beach Motor Yachts range, generating real-world insight for both Palm Beach Motor Yachts and sister brand Grand Banks. Competing in the world's most demanding offshore events is a strategic decision designed to accelerate learning, strengthen product development, and deepen brand connection across both yacht lines.
Looking ahead, Palm Beach Motor Yachts will continue refining Palm Beach XI's appendage package and translating race-earned insight directly into future Palm Beach Motor Yachts designs, with new products and initiatives to be announced as performance-led momentum continues.