12/26/25 11:23:00
Printable Page
12/26 23:18 CST Supermaxis Comanche and LawConnect continue close duel on Day 2
of the Sydney to Hobart race
Supermaxis Comanche and LawConnect continue close duel on Day 2 of the Sydney
to Hobart race
HOBART, Australia (AP) --- Supermaxis Master Lock Comanche and defending
champion LawConnect continued their close duel Saturday on the second day of
the 80th running of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.
Just over 27 hours into the race that began Friday in Sydney harbor and ends on
the island state of Tasmania, Comanche had a four nautical mile lead over
LawConnect.
LawConnect was forced to contend with a broken mainsheet and halyard overnight
but managed to fix both issues and remain in pursuit of Comanche, which is
skippered by Matt Allen and James Mayo.
"We had a few things slow us down and Comanche's obviously done quite well,"
LawConnect skipper Christian Beck said Saturday. "It's mildly disappointing for
us, but you win some, lose some. Everything's good, we're still in the hunt."
With more than half the race completed, Hong Kong yacht SHK Scallywag 100 was
third, followed closely by 88-footer Lucky, a New York Yacht Club entry
skippered by Bryon Ehrhart.
The leading yachts were in Bass Strait which separates the mainland from
Tasmania. They were likely to finish at Constitution Dock in Hobart late Sunday
afternoon under current weather and wind projections --- more than two days
after the start and well outside the race record.
The race lost its first supermaxi when Wild Thing 100 retired. All crew members
were safe as Wild Thing began the journey back to Sydney after reporting
rigging damage.
Skipper Robert Large aboard his yacht Inukshuk was also among the 11
retirements after becoming entangled in a fishing net.
"We couldn't move. It took us probably 45 minutes to clear the thing," Large
said. After finally pulling the net off, Large was concerned his boat may have
sustained rudder damage, which would have made it risky to continue sailing.
An Australian resident for nearly 20 years, Canadian-born Large has sailed in
six previous Sydney-Hobarts.
LawConnect led the fleet out of Sydney harbor in search of its third straight
line honors win. Overnight conditions Friday night were rough on the fleet, but
not as dangerous as last year when two sailors died in storms on the first
night.
On Friday, the fleet paid tribute to the victims of the Dec. 14 terror attack
by scattering rose petals off the coast of Bondi Beach off Sydney as they
passed the area early in the race.
LawConnect, owned by Australian tech millionaire 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 comes under threat in very strong downwind
conditions.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
|
