Celestial has been crowned overall winner of the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race, taking home the Tattersall Cup after a fast and furious run down Tasmania's eastern coast.
The New South Wales boat arrived in Hobart on Wednesday, but the result was announced on Thursday afternoon after a redress hearing requested by another yacht.
It was a sweet moment of redemption for skipper and owner Sam Haynes, who had victory snatched away by a penalty in last year's race.
"I'm screaming loud and proud. It means everything, everything, especially after last year," he said.
"It's like an elation — it's huge for me and the crew. I can't believe it; it's a bit of a life-changer.
"If you look around, there are a lot of boats that can win this and you have to push extremely hard to get to … even to get in the top 10 is major.
"So we weren't expecting anything more than just being competitive and putting in a really good show."
Haynes said conditions had started off "pretty good" but became rougher on reaching Tasmania's east coast.
"We were getting a lot of heavy conditions and it was blowing hard from the north," he said.
"The sea was massive, there were really big waves coming over the boat, people getting washed around on the deck, and we had to obviously have all our safety equipment on."
Despite its win, Celestial almost did not even make the 77th edition of the race — a 40-minute penalty last year that saw it place second to Ichi Ban was devastating for Haynes.
An international jury ruled Celestial had breached rules that stipulated competitors must keep a continuous watch for radio contact.
Haynes said the loss almost saw him step away from the sport.
"Last year certainly hurt ... but we made a very conscious decision to come back and get back into it," he said.
"Last year was terrible, but this is one for the ages.
"It's a sport we love; we've got a great crew, and they stood by and really wanted to compete as hard as possible in this year's race.
"There are plenty of times, even on a good day, where you're looking at it and you think, 'Here I am at the bottom of the boat, soaking wet, tired ... why am I out here?'
"But it is a beautiful sport and I love the competition, I like the camaraderie of it as well, and I like the technicality of sailing and what it takes to make these boats the way they are.
"There are a lot of reasons to be in it."
Andoo Comanche takes line honours after two-boat tussle
Celestial's win was announced after a redress hearing requested by Enterprise Next Generation, which stood by the stricken yacht, Koa, which later retired with a broken rudder.
Fellow NSW yacht Gweilo placed second and New Zealand's Caro and the USA's Warrior Won placed second and third overall, respectively.
Line honours were taken out by Andoo Comanche after it triumphed in a two-boat tussle up the River Derwent early on Wednesday morning.
Favourable weather led to a speedy race this year, but it came down to the John Winning Jr-skippered supermaxi and LawConnect, which finished a little over 20 minutes later.
Black Jack followed closely behind the pair and all three chased each other down the east coast of Tasmania, hooked a sharp right turn around Tasman Island and closed in on Hobart in quick succession.
Comanche skipper John Winning Jr said the line honours win felt "pretty unbelievable at the moment" and was "still sinking in".
"I was on [line honours winner] Perpetual Loyal as one of the skippers in 2016 so I sort of know what to expect in terms of all of this," he said.
"But to do it in a campaign that I was part of putting together is really quite exceptional."
LawConnect crew member Gavin Smith said on Wednesday morning the team was exhausted but happy with the result.
"We were always hoping we would be able to catch them in the end, it was just a case that we didn't get there this year, but hopefully next year."
Although a number of other yachts have retired from the race, including White Noise, Mondo, Navy One, Sail Exchange and Huntress, it is a stark contrast to last year, when almost a quarter of entries dropped out before finishing.
