When first-time sailor Renee Illich was selected to join the crew of her boss Christian Beck’s boat, LawConnect, her husband, a lifelong sailor, was “very jealous”. He’d always wanted to race the Hobart but only on a big boat, exactly what Illich, Head of Global Marketing at Beck’s company, had been offered.
“Any kinds of weather reports [I get], I’ve been reading to him and being like ‘please interpret’.”
Renee Illich and her boss, the owner and skipper of LawConnect.Credit: Rhett Wyman
Over the years, Beck has made a habit of bringing staff from his company on board to take on the Sydney to Hobart, and this year is no different. Since being selected, Illich and a number of other colleagues have been given a crash course on sailing and raced in qualifiers, though she says they will take an assisting role over the coming days to let the professionals shine.
“Our role is to support the crew, probably more in a non-sailing capacity. Making sure they’ve got food and coffee,” said Illich, “These are some of the best sailors in the world, and that’s why it’s pretty amazing that we get to go onboard alongside them.
“They’ve been giving me small jobs, like putting ropes in a bag, and I consider that a huge responsibility.”
Illich and the crew will be on four-hour shifts throughout the race, and while she had originally hoped to find some time to hunker down below deck and unwind with an audiobook, she said, “There’s absolutely no time for that. You wouldn’t even be able to hear it the engine is so loud.”
