Arabic version: بيل يعيد كومانتشي حاملة الرقم القياسي باسم تريبيكا لويال

According to ABC News, Anthony Bell will skipper Tribeca Loyal in the 2026 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race after buying Comanche, the five-time line honours winner, race record-holder and winner of last year’s event. The supermaxi will sail from Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day under its new name.

Bell is seeking a third J.H. Illingworth Challenge Cup. He previously reached Hobart first with Investec Loyal in 2011 and Perpetual Loyal in 2016. His 2016 victory set a then-race record of one day, 13 hours, 31 minutes and 20 seconds.

America’s Cup and Olympic gold medallist Tom Slingsby will return as sailing master for the crew. Slingsby described the yacht as “the most powerful supermaxi there is in the world” and said its speed can require the crew to slow it down when waves are too large. He said Tribeca Loyal could break the Sydney to Hobart record “by a lot” with the right conditions.

Slingsby, a three-time world sailor of the year, said he is more accustomed to short-course sailing than ocean racing but enjoys returning to the event. The team will again support the Humpty Dumpty Foundation, which raises funds for life-saving infant medical equipment for Australian hospitals. Former Wallaby and Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh and former Sydney Roosters player Anthony Minichello are among the celebrity deckhands joining the campaign.