Comanche takes line honors for 5th time in Sydney to Hobart yacht race 

LawConnect leads all competitors after the start in the Sydney Hobart yacht race in Sydney, Friday [AP Photo]

Master Lock Comanche has held off a determined challenge from SHK Scallywag 100 and defending champion LawConnect to claim line honors yesterday for the fifth time in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

The supermaxi arrived at the finish line near Constitution Dock in Hobart shortly after 6 p.m. local time yesterday in a time of two days, five hours, 3 minutes and 36 seconds, well behind the record set in 2017.

After briefly surrendering the lead earlier yesterday, Comanche regained the lead and extended it later yesterday after a swift passage up the River Derwent to seal its fifth title in the 80th running of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, and first since 2022.

The victory marked a successful comeback for skippers Matt Allen and James Mayo after their 2024 race ended early with a damaged mainsail.

“We had a great lead during the race. It evaporated this morning and we had to have effectively have a restart,” Allen said to reporters at Constitution Dock. “We’ve never seen anything like that in the Sydney to Hobart race where all the boats were so close together, really on day two.”

LawConnect, which was forced to contend with a broken mainsheet and halyard earlier in the race but managed to fix both issues and remain in pursuit, finished in second place. Scallywag held off Lucky 88, a New York Yacht Club entry skippered by Bryon Ehrhart, for third.

For a few hours yesterday, the race had its third leader, and first since the opening hours of the race, when Hong Kong yacht Scallywag 100, skippered by David Witt, took the lead as the three yachts reached the Tasmanian coastline early yesterday.

But Comanche wrested back control by taking a line closer to shore which paid dividends.

“We wanted to really defend from inside the coast, closer to the coastline, Allen said. “That eventually worked for us, the breeze filled in from inshore and we got the lead back and just extended throughout the day.

“Everyone stayed really calm. We stayed with the game plan and the game plan worked so it was fantastic.”

As of yesterday evening, 33 yachts had retired from the starting fleet of 128. Two crew members – one each from Kraken 42S and Mistral – have suffered broken ribs during the race with both vessels making their way back to port.

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 Christian Beck, won last year’s event in 1 day, 13 hours, 35 minutes and 13 seconds for the 628-nautical mile 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. MDT/AP