The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is one of the world's great annual blue water yacht races. Each year the world's great racing yachts congregate in Sydney Harbour to compete in the unpredictable seas off the west coast of Australia in a 630 nautical mile race to the tiny Constitution Dock in Hobart, capital of Australia's southern island, Tasmania. For the 1985-86 Race (it started on December 26) ABC Television put a television crew aboard one of the favourites, the 20 metre pocket-maxi, Spirit of Queensland. On Spirit of Queensland several weeks before the race to find out what sort of preparations were needed. The resulting documentary follows the boat and its crew through rough sailing and smooth in a competition with a record of 168 other boats to be first across the line. After three-and-a-half days of sailing, Spirit of Queensland sailed across the finishing line in fourth position, beaten only by the world's finest racers.