12/26/25 12:17:00
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12/26 00:13 CST Defending champion LawConnect leads yachts out of Sydney harbor
in annual ocean race to Hobart
Defending champion LawConnect leads yachts out of Sydney harbor in annual ocean
race to Hobart
SYDNEY (AP) --- Defending champion and 100-foot supermaxi LawConnect led the
Sydney to Hobart fleet out of Sydney harbor on Friday for the 80th running of
the ocean race to the island state of Tasmania.
LawConnect's pursuit of a third straight line honors title started well, with
the crew claiming an early lead over supermaxi rival Master Lock Comanche after
the cannon was fired.
Four hours into the race, LawConnect held a two nautical-mile lead over
Comanche, with Palm Beach XI not far behind in third place. Hong Kong yacht SHK
Scallywag 100 was in fourth place, followed closely by Lucky, a New York Yacht
Club entry skippered by Bryon Ehrhart.
It was the most overcast start to the race in recent years, with boats flying
spinnakers from the starting gun to make the best of the windy conditions.
The 128-strong fleet paid tribute to the victims of the Dec. 14 terror attack
by scattering rose petals off the coast of Bondi Beach as they passed the area
early in the race. At the final briefing, extra rose petals were made
available, with the whole fleet expected to participate.
Friday's final weather briefing confirmed the fleet would face a strong
southerly wind going down the New South Wales state coast. Crews were warned to
expect a cold first night with swell between three and four meters (10 to 13
feet), with upwind conditions also increasing the chance of damage to boats.
Conditions were unlikely to be as treacherous as last year, when two sailors
died in storms, but the fleet was on guard.
"I think there will be retirements, it's tough on boats in the early part of
this race," said Celestial V70 skipper Sam Haynes, who is also commodore of the
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia which organizes the race.
"The crash bang, the waves, the gear itself is going to be under stress so it
is a hard race in that sense'" he added. "Also it's hard on crews: seasickness
and potentially some injuries. They can put boats out. I think there will be
some retirements in these conditions."
The yacht Yendys was a late scratch. Yendys had been sailing on the harbor in
advance of the start when it broke one of two backstays, the carbon wires that
run from the top of the mast to the stern, forcing it to withdraw.
LawConnect, owned by Australian tech millionaire Christian Beck, won last
year's event in 1 day, 13 hours, 35 minutes and 13 seconds for the 628-nautical
mile (722 miles, 1,160 kilometers) race.
The race record set by LDV Comanche --- 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, 24 seconds
--- has stood since 2017 and only appears under threat in very strong downwind
conditions, which are not expected this year.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
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