Sydney to Hobart's Home Hub

Sydney City Marine, the state-of-the-art shipyard on Sydney Harbour, a stone’s throw from the Sydney CBD, has welcomed several high-profile Sydney Hobart entrants, including last year’s overall winner, Giacomo (now Wizard) and stalwart contender, Black Jack, as well as the former 2011-2012 Volvo Ocean Race entrant Telefonica, owned by Peter Harburg.

Craig Boddington, Project Manager at Sydney City Marine, says SCM is the logical choice for yachts competing in the 2017 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race for its superb location, “five minutes from the Sydney CBD and 20 minutes from Mascot Airport,” the wealth of technical expertise onsite and the ease of docking for yachts of all sizes.

“SCM is a full-service shipyard that can handle all facets of race yacht repair, maintenance and refits,” says Coddington, himself a veteran of two Sydney Hobarts and many thousands of nautical miles cruising and racing all around the world.

 “We can handle everything from full resprays and rigging to carbon fibre, and all sail brands are represented locally. For crews, owners and all the entourage associated with a team, everything is on our doorstep. They can spread out their gear over our 25,000m² site and we can accommodate 100ft yachts undercover for work in all weather.”

As well as a Lloyds-certified 800 ton ship lift and boat ramp with 47 Tonne submersible trailer and 100 Tonne travel lift, SCM has its own marina with on-water space for boats to enjoy unrivalled proximity to this season’s summer of sailing, including the Bird Island Race and SOLAS Big Boat Challenge.

“We have 45 full-time staff and hundreds of contractors at any one time here,” says Coddington. “All of us are sailors in one form or another – plus we’re friendly, and we know that deadlines and budgets are paramount concerns for our customers.”

Alex Nolan, Black Jack Boat Captain (below), says SCM is the champion yacht’s “second home”: “We have been coming to SCM for years. We can store all our gear in the one place and the Sydney Harbour/CBD location is so convenient for our team. The yard service is second-to-none. The SCM team is flexible to work with us to achieve what we need to, every time.”

Mitch White, Boat Captain for the Volvo 70, Wizard (ex-Giacomo) last year’s Sydney Hobart winner on corrected time, is a loyal customer at SCM.

“I run multiple boats – 18 in all, some racing, others cruising and a few power – and they’re all clients of Sydney City Marine,” Mitch states. “SCM has the space, the skill set, from painters to boat builders and every other service in one yard, and they’re very accommodating. They’re flexible and only too happy to adjust to all the changes that invariably happen when you’re dealing with boats.”

Wizard has been at SCM for a paint and general “reberthing” to freshen up gear and superstructure ahead of the 2017 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

The 2017 edition will be the 73rd running of Australia’s bluewater classic, starting at 1pm AEDT on 26 December 2017 in Sydney Harbour. The fleet of 110 yachts, including a record 31 internationals, will then race 628 nautical miles to the Tasmanian capital.

 About Sydney City Marine 

Sydney City Marine (SCM) can lay claimto being one of the most comprehensive vessel repair and maintenance facility in Australia.

Centrally located on Sydney CBD waterfront, SCM caters to vessels up to 60m (186ft) and 800 Tonnes. Equipment includes a 50m x 17m climate-controlled spray booth, best practice anti-fouling, cleaning and recycling procedures, high-tech noise dampening techniques to rigorously control extraneous industrial sounds and ensure water and air quality are strictly controlled.

SCM is home to 20 tenants and is situated adjacent to the commercial marine hub of Rozelle, on the doorstep of the Sydney CBD with easy access by road or water.

Providing deep-water access in all tides and conditions, SCM offers all facets of maintenance, repair and refit. SCM is proud to be the most accredited and thoroughly environmentally compliant recreational yard in the country, operating the most sophisticated environmental control machinery on Sydney Harbour, to protect the environment and ensure our customers save time and money on each project.

Since 2011, staff numbers have risen from 25 full-time staff to 45 full-time staff. These are complemented by a reliable, qualified network of trades people working with the 20 on-site tenants, and a labour workforce drawn from the surrounding region as required.