Ichi Ban has become the first yacht to win back-to-back Sydney to Hobart handicap honours in more than 50 years after rival Celestial copped a “devastating” time penalty. Celestial was penalised 40 minutes for breaching race rules after protests lodged by Ichi Ban and the race committee were upheld in the early hours of Friday. Celestial, which was ahead of Ichi Ban in overall standings after the pair arrived in Hobart mere minutes apart, has been relegated to second. Celestial skipper and owner Sam Haynes said while he respected the international jury’s decision it was a “very, very difficult penalty to swallow.” “As far as I’m concerned, the decision stands. There’s nothing I can do about that,” he told reporters. “It’s a devastating moment. I’ve been trying to win this race for 10 years.” Both protests related to a race rule that requires competitors to keep constant radio contact. On …