SYDNEY: Favourites Comanche and LawConnect took the early lead in the 79th running of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race on Thursday, as the supermaxis led the 104 boats out into the South Pacific with gale-force winds and high seas forecast for the gruelling bluewater classic.

Under blue, mid-summer skies, spectators crowded onto boats and lined the shore of a breezy Sydney Harbour as a starting cannon set the fleet on a dash to the open ocean.

In a dramatic opening contest, LawConnect, which won line honours last year in a thrilling finish by just 51 seconds, was first past the turning mark after cannons sounded at 1 p.m. (0200 GMT).

However, it soon ran into some issues when one of her sails failed to unfurl, giving race record holder Comanche an unexpected advantage.

Wild Thing 100, another supermaxi, almost capsized after making a late tack to avoid the smaller Celestial V70.

By late evening, Comanche was speeding southwards down Australia’s east coast with a lead of more than eight nautical miles over LawConnect.

LawConnect edged Comanche to win by just 51 seconds last year and the two 100-foot supermaxis are again expected to battle for line honours.

Alive, last year’s overall winner of the Tattersall Cup, which takes into account boat size and other factors, was the first casualty of this year’s race, retiring with reported engine issues.

Of the 104 entrants at the start of the race, 102 remain after the withdrawals of Alive and the two-handed Transcendence Rudy Project, which dismasted.

Covering approximately 630 nautical miles of the Tasman Sea and notoriously treacherous Bass Strait, the gruelling annual race is Australia’s premier yachting event.

Forecasts were for a fast start in north-easterly winds of up to 20 knots before a trough strikes in the early hours of Friday, bringing strong-to-gale-force, south-westerly winds.

The friendly weather conditions could bring the race record — set by Comanche in 2017 — of one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds in sight.

Sailors will be keen to avoid inclement weather when they cross the Bass Strait as they head across from the mainland towards the island state of Tasmania.

Five yachts were sunk and six sailors killed when a major storm hit the fleet during the 1998 race.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2024