Tasmanian-built high-speed chase boats will take centre stage at this year’s Sydney to Hobart yacht race, capturing the action as competitors battle towards the finish line.
Hobart based Sentinel Boats, a specialist tactical sea boat builder, has partnered with the ocean race to demonstrate Tasmania’s maritime engineering capabilities on the global stage.
CEO George McGuire said the partnership aligned perfectly with the company’s expertise in extreme maritime conditions.
“When it comes to ocean racing, there’s no race tougher than the Sydney to Hobart and the world’s toughest ocean race demands the word’s toughest sea boats,” McGuire said.
“We have been testing and refining our boats to withstand the harsh Southern Ocean for decades – it is in our DNA.”
The company designs and manufactures high-density polyethylene vessels for defence, law enforcement, rescue and commercial applications, saying their boats’ speed and stability make them ideal platforms for broadcast crews covering the race.
Sentinel Boats has established itself in the tactical watercraft industry, with their vessels now in service with police, rescue and defence organisations across Australia and internationally.
McGuire said Sentinel already has connections to the yacht race through its association with two-time Sydney to Hobart winner, Alive.
Race spectators can view the Sentinel Boats at the Sydney to Hobart Race Village on Hobart’s waterfront, where they’ll be moored at the floating marina near Pennicott Wilderness Journeys when not deployed on the water.
