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Associated Press

Agence France-Presse

Defending champion and 100-foot supermaxi LawConnect led the Sydney to Hobart fleet out of Sydney Harbour on Friday for the 80th running of the ocean race to the island state of Tasmania.
LawConnect’s pursuit of a third straight-line honours title started well, with the crew claiming an early lead over supermaxi rival Master Lock Comanche after the cannon was fired.
However, 12 hours in, record holder Master Lock Comanche had raced into the lead, with LawConnect pushed into second.
Hong Kong supermaxi SHK Scallywag 100, skippered by Lee Seng-huang, was in third place, followed closely by the 90-foot Lucky, a New York Yacht Club entry captained by Bryon Ehrhart.
The other supermaxis in the race are Palm Beach XI (formerly Wild Oats XI) and Wild Thing 100.
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 December 14 terror attack at Bondi Beach by scattering rose petals off the coast as they passed the area early in the race.
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 swells of between three and four metres (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.
Last year, 30 of the 104 yachts failed to finish.
The fleet, one of the largest this century, includes Celestial V70, which last year won the overall trophy, which takes into account boat size and other factors.
“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 organises 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.”
Rough conditions forced out four yachts: Yendys (broken backstay), Hutchies Yeah Baby (damaged headstay foil), White Noise (rigging issues) and two-hander Inukshuk (rudder problem).

LawConnect, owned by Australian tech millionaire Christian Beck, won last year’s event in one day, 13 hours, 35 minutes and 13 seconds for the 628-nautical mile (722 miles, 1,160km) race.
“It all comes down to the crew. I think they’ve done an exceptional job,” Beck said after the start on Friday. “Really on a downwind start, Comanche should always beat us. We’re good on an upwind start but I was very surprised to win a downwind start.”
Olympic swimming great Ian Thorpe is entering the race for the first time aboard LawConnect.
“I’ve spent my life in and around water, but this is a completely different test, both mentally and physically,” Thorpe said.
The race record set by LDV Comanche – one day, nine hours, 15 minutes, 24 seconds – has stood since 2017 and appears under threat only in very strong downwind conditions, which are not expected this year.
There are 17 international entrants, including from Germany, Hong Kong, the US and Poland, and 13 women owners and skippers. Only one entry, First Light, has an all-woman crew.


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Water sports

Master Lock Comanche at the start of the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race on Boxing Day at Sydney Harbour. Photo: AFP

Hong Kong supermaxi SHK Scallywag 100 sails out of Sydney Heads at the start of the race. Photo: AFP

Swimming legend Ian Thorpe (third from left) is part of the LawConnect crew this year. Photo: EPA

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Japanese lacrosse coach  Takeshi Sato with the Hong Kong team. Photo: HKLAX

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Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan won the synchronised 10m platform event at the World Cup Super Final in Beijing in May. Photo: EPA-EFE

Representing Shanghai, Chen Yuxi won her first National Games solo title last month. Photo: Xinhua

Sport

Other Sport

In overcast start, 128-strong fleet pay tribute to victims of December 14 Bondi Beach terror attack before facing strong southerly wind


In overcast start, 128-strong fleet pay tribute to victims of December 14 Bondi Beach terror attack before facing strong southerly wind.


Master Lock Comanche leads LawConnect in Sydney to Hobart race, with Hong Kong yacht 3rd

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}In overcast start, 128-strong fleet pay tribute to victims of December 14 Bondi Beach terror attack before facing strong southerly wind

In overcast start, 128-strong fleet pay tribute to victims of December 14 Bondi Beach terror attack before facing strong southerly wind