SYDNEY, Dec 27: Australian maxi yacht Wild Oats XI collided with a large shark but still held a narrow lead over Skandia nearing the finish of the Sydney-to-Hobart race late Saturday.

Line honours favourite Wild Oats XI had just overtaken Skandia after swapping the race lead for much of Saturday when it struck the two-metre (6.5 feet) shark near Schouten Island on Tasmania’s east coast at about 6:40pm AEDT (0740 GMT), the crew said.

Iain Burns, the yacht’s navigator, said the shark became entangled in the boat’s aft rudder, forcing Wild Oats XI to slow before the shark was able to disentangle itself.

“The shark swam away apparently unharmed before Wild Oats XI was able to sail on,” the organisers said.

Wild Oats XI, chasing its fourth consecutive line honours win in the blue water classic, led ahead of the run up the wide Derwent River to the Hobart finish line.

To beat the race record of one day 18 hours 40 minutes and 10 seconds, the line honours winner will have to cross the line in the Tasmanian capital before 7:40am AEDT (2040 GMT) Sunday.

Wild Oats XI skipper, Mark Richards, said late Saturday his boat was closing in on Tasman Island for the Derwent River run to the finish.

“As we’ve seen in the past, lots of races have been won and lost there,” Richards told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Skandia’s skipper, Grant Wharington, said his boat was trying to upset Wild Oats XI’s bid for a record fourth consecutive line honours win.

Skandia’s navigator, Graeme Taylor, said late Saturday that Wharington had made some crucial judgments on the current and wind shifts in this year’s race.

“The battle up the Derwent is yet to come. If you see Lady Luck please put in a good word for Skandia,” Taylor added.

With a favourable trailing wind up the Derwent River, race experts are tipping the maxis to cross the finish line about 7:00am AEDT (2000 GMT).

Earlier Saturday, the crew of race yacht Georgia was rescued after hitting trouble overnight.

Georgia, a 53-footer, was the first of the 100 starters to retire from the blue water classic after it struck an unidentified object late on Friday, suffering rudder damage and taking on water, the organisers said.

Fellow competitor Telecoinabox Merit came to Georgia’s assistance, picking up the crew of 14, who were later transferred to a police vessel, which ferried them to nearby Batemans Bay on the New South Wales south coast.

Another yacht, Sanyo Maris, became the second retiree a few hours later after suffering a broken gooseneck, which connects the mast to the boom.

The 40-foot yacht, Inner Circle, became the third retirement late Saturday with a damaged generator.

Secret Mens Business 1 was leading the race on handicap.

—AFP