The first Sydney to Hobart yacht came in days ago and the fanfare on Hobart’s waterfront has died down, but that hasn’t dampened the welcome for feline entrant and fan favourite Oli.
Oli the cat completed the bluewater classic with his owner Bob Williams on Sylph VI just before 8:30am.
It was the last yacht across the finish line in a time of seven days, 19 hours, 26 minutes and 15 seconds, after a torturously slow trip up the River Derwent.
Mr Williams was emotional upon his arrival in Hobart.
“I don’t know why, I think it’s about the cat, actually,” he said.
“I think it’s quite amazing how people have taken a shine to Oli, it’s not something I expected.
“For me, Oli is part of my crew, part of the boat.”
Oli, Bob and crew were greeted by about 40 wellwishers, and a banner declaring them the winners of the “feline division”.
Among them was Del Smith, who travelled from Margate, 30 minutes south of Hobart, to reward Oli with treats, toys and a letter from her own cat, Miffy.
“Obviously he was at sea for Christmas and I just wanted to give him a little gift,” she said.
“Well done Oli.”
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And the crew of another Sydney to Hobart yacht, Showdown, left Oli a personalised cat carrier so he could join in the traditional post-race beer at Customs House pub.
Co-skipper Chris Warren said it was a fantastic way to arrive on his birthday.
“The welcome this morning’s been particularly special, with people singing Oli a song as we crossed the finish line after having a pretty long, slow trip up the river,” he said.
From ‘ordinary little moggie’ to ‘international celebrity’
Oli is a seasoned sailor who has called the yacht home for about five years.
Mr Williams said the cat was just an “ordinary little moggie” who was his friend and mate, but the international attention was nice.
“We’d heard on the grapevine that Oli had attracted a bit of attention and so, I guess, crossed a few lines in terms of who’s interested in the Sydney to Hobart,” he said.
“But I really didn’t expect him to have such a big fanbase when we got here and it was really quite overwhelming.”
He believes Oli made the race feel accessible to the wider community.
“Me and the cat are just a couple of ordinary people.”
Mr Warren has a simpler theory.
“I think cats win the internet, that’s all I can come up with.”
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Photographs and videos show Oli luxuriating on a green couch, helping Mr Williams navigate and soaking up some love and cuddles.
While light winds and sloppy seas made for a frustrating journey for the human crew, for Oli, it was damage caused to his litter tray.
“A kind lady has offered to go and buy him a new cat tray,” Mr Williams said.
Mr Warren said it was an eye-opener to sail through four or five-metre waves and have Mr Williams declare that they were not that big.
“That and having Oli jump on me and wake me up while I was in my bunk — scared the life out of me!”
Is Oli the first cat in the Sydney to Hobart?
While it’s an impressive achievement for a small cat, Oli is by no means the first feline sailor in the race.
There are media records of at least one other cat taking part, as far back as 1947, in the second Sydney to Hobart race.
The article, from the Pittsworth Sentinel on January 10, 1947, reported “the cat in the crew belonged to Mr and Mrs Brian O’Brien, of the gaff ketch, Connella”.
The O’Briens mentioned were husband and wife duo Brian (Mick) O’Brien and Dagmar O’Brien.
The O’Briens, along with their cat, were forced to retired in Bass Strait and did not complete the race.
If Dagmar O’Brien had finished the race she would have done so in the same year as Jane Tate — who is remembered as the first female competitor to finish the race.
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