The Millennium Falcon, a worn-out spacecraft from the Star Wars universe, has found a real-life counterpart in the 80th Sydney to Hobart yacht race. The NSW 39-footer, skippered by 71-year-old Robert Griffits, was the last boat to finish the race at 10:22 am on Thursday. Despite facing numerous challenges, including navigation issues, broken equipment, and rough seas, Griffits and his crew of five persevered for over 141 hours.
Griffits, who bought the yacht in 2020 unaware of its Star Wars reference, found the name fitting. He described the original Millennium Falcon as a "rusted-out freighter held together by chewing gum." This real-life Millennium Falcon, built in 1975, finished over three days slower than the line-honours winner, Master Lock Comanche. Of the 128 starting yachts, 34 were forced to retire.
The race saw the first female skipper claim overall honours, with yacht Min River rising to the top spot after frontrunner BNC was penalised for breaching race rules. Griffits, who was given a wooden spoon upon arrival at Constitution Dock, finally completed the Sydney to Hobart after several attempts, including a last-minute motor repair that almost prevented him from starting the race.
