Loki declared overall winner of Sydney to Hobart

Australian yacht Loki was Friday named overall winner of the Sydney to Hobart ocean race, taking handicap honours in the prestigious 628 nautical mile bluewater classic. "Stephen Ainsworth's Reichel Pugh Loki is declared the overall winner of the 2011 Rolex Sydney Hobart," race organisers said on Twitter. The 100-foot supermaxi Investec Loyal was Thursday confirmed as line honours winner after storming home in two days, six hours, 14 minutes and 18 seconds -- the fourth-fastest result in the race's 67-year history. But the race also awards a handicap honour, taking into account the dimensions of each boat in the fleet which range from as small as 30-footers (9 metres) to as big as 100-footers (30.48 metres). Loki was fourth across the line with a time of two days, 14 hours, 20 minutes and 38 seconds, arriving into Hobart's Constitution Dock at 3:20am on Thursday. The Sydney to Hobart is a famously unforgiving ocean race which takes crews across the notorious Bass Strait and up the maddening calm of the Derwent River. Catastrophic conditions claimed six lives and sank five yachts in 1998, and some vessels are routinely unable to complete the race, with 11 of 88 starters this year retiring from the course.