COMANCHE
Photographer
Richard Bennett OAM
Date2015
Object number00055882
NamePhotograph
MediumPaper
DimensionsOverall: 657 × 810 mm
Overall (image): 460 × 661 mm
Overall (image): 460 × 661 mm
Copyright© Richard Bennett OAM
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection Gift from Richard Bennett OAM
DescriptionColour photograph printed in 2017 by photographer Richard Bennett OAM of COMANCHE during the 2015 Sydney to Hobart yacht race.
HistoryCOMANCHE was designed in France by VPLP and Guillaume and built in the United States for Dr James H. Clark. Launched in 2014 as a 100ft monohull yacht with a wide beam at the stern and mast considerably aft, COMANCHE was built for speed. The supermaxi won Sydney to Hobart line honours in 2015, before being sold to Australian Jim Cooney in 2017 and taking out line honours once more. COMANCHE made Sydney to Hobart race history in 2017, recording a time of 1 day 9 hours 15 minutes and 24 seconds, the fastest ever race time to date, as of the 2019-20 race.
In 2019, COMANCHE claimed another first place in line honours, before being sold to a Russian interest group after the race. COMANCHE exemplifies the current trend of supermaxi 'one sleep' yachts at the forefront of the Sydney to Hobart, hyper advanced vessels that continue to push the boundaries of ocean racing.
Richard Bennett OAM first photographed the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in 1974 and has captured every race since. Bennett's speciality is low level aerial photography, his yacht photographs characterized by moody seas and the dramatic lines of Tasman landscapes. This style is a product of Bennett's experience as a mountaineer, his love of adventure, and passion for documenting rugged and remote parts of the Tasman Isle.
"I love everything about the Sydney to Hobart: the many moods of the sea, the sense of participation in a great adventure, the camaraderie, the tactics, sensing the proximity of the elements, the wildness … the gales, the different light and the dramatic coastline. It’s about putting all those elements together. My most compelling moments photographing the Sydney Hobart are when it is blowing hard. The harder it blows the happier I am…within reason. There is an organisational challenge in being in the right location to capture the peak of the action. (I am not there often enough, according to the yachties!)".
SignificanceThe Sydney to Hobart yacht race is an iconic event and Richard Bennett OAM has become synonymous with the history of Australia's premier blue water classic.
Bennett's most notable works feature landmark vessels across multiple decades; they represent significant moments in the history of the Sydney to Hobart. Each photograph is characteristic of Bennett's pictorial style, depicting yachts from unique aerial perspectives set against the distinctly rugged and majestic Tasmanian coastline.
Richard Bennett's approach has led many a sailor to remark "It's not really a Hobart until you've heard the sound of Richard's plane".
