The 2009 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney, New South Wales, was the 65th annual running of the "blue water classic" Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. It began at Sydney Harbour at 1:00pm (AEDT) on Boxing Day, 26 December, before heading south for 630 nautical miles (1,170 km) through the Tasman Sea, past Bass Strait, into Storm Bay and up the River Derwent, to cross the finish line in Hobart, Tasmania. Seven Network and Yahoo!7 provided a live, 90-minute webcast of the start of the race.