Tense start to the Sydney to Hobart yacht race as super maxis come within inches of colliding
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It was a tense start to the journey from Sydney to Hobart, with yachts about to crash and fire captains shouting obscenities across the harbour.
The 109-ship fleet took off for the 628-nautical-mile voyage at 1 p.m. when former winner Norm Hyett fired the traditional starting gun, and it wasn’t long before the drama began to unfold in 15-knot winds.
The four super maxis – Wild Oats, Andoo Comanche, LawConnect and Black Jack – came close to numerous encounters during a wild start to the 77th running of the famous race, leaving the commentators stunned.
Andoo Comanche, in particular, was at the center of the action as Channel 7 pundit commentator Jimmy Spittle warned that “it’s going to be a real washing machine in Sydney Harbour”.
Along with LawConnect, the $50 million 100-foot super maxi was involved in numerous close calls in the first 10 minutes where it appeared that just an extra coat of paint would have meant the 60-ton yachts would have collided.
It led to some very audible obscenities on the Channel 7 broadcast, although to be fair some of it was quite creative.
“This is a bunch of shit, you’re calling for a collision,” one Comanche team member could be heard yelling across the harbor, while another yelled “Watch out for this fucking idiot” as they tried to tack. through the field.
Andoo Comanche (right) had a number of close calls to start the race, and is shown with Moneypenny as the preface favorite tries to get out of the lead.
The wind was strong when Black Jack (left) and Wild Oats (right) sailed out of the harbor.
It would seem that the old adage about swearing like sailors is, in fact, true.
The pre-race favourite, who is currently in the lead according to the live trackr – was then penalized for hitting one of the beacons, for which the crew had to circle the beacon twice.
The action did not end there, with skipper John Winning Jr raising the red flag of protest as they headed towards the heads.
In scenes that turned out to be dizzying, LawConnect got dangerously close to the fleet of spectators, prompting a team member to yell “where are we going?”
Veteran skipper Mark Richards and the iconic ship Wild Oats were allowed to earn MVP status for their exceptional sailing and in-harbor tactics; But, you guessed it, the success was not without its drama.
The iconic Wild Oats boat was first out of the lead after some masterful sailing before falling behind once the super maxis plowed up the coast.
Wild Oats captain Mark Richards could be heard yelling at one of his crew to “just employ the damn jib”.
Despite not receiving an official penalty, Richards, who could be heard saying “Honestly, I think we’re in trouble,” decided to take a preemptive penalty to avoid potential ramifications later in the race.
It was a stressful time on board when Richards cursed one of his crew to “shut up and just use the damn jib” as they tried to make the turn.
It led many fans to take to social media to express their delight at the sheer amount of unfiltered and decidedly Australian language.
“Enjoying the extremely Australian idiom of the #SydneytoHobart yachts coming to the live stream,” one wrote.
A tangle of five ships seems to start the race on the right note when the starting gun is fired.
LawConnect’s sail features a nod to the crisis in Ukraine, with the flag clearly positioned at the bottom of the mainsail.
Black Jack tries to sail quickly through the rough seas, propelled by a 15 knot northwesterly wind.
“Comanche swearing made my day,” another laughed, while one amused fan noted: “Sevens’ Sydney to Hobart yacht race coverage has had some f-bombs and we’re only three minutes in.”
Spithill, who won the America’s Cup in a historic race, said the carnage was unmissable and praised the captains for making preemptive decisions on penalties.
“How much action we saw,” he said as the fleet passed him in the background.
‘Really surprised that super maxis pushed so much. Two of the four super maxis chose to take penalties, (but) I think it was a very wise decision.
“Clearly Andoo Comanche was in trouble a few times,” Spithill said.
In one of the highlights of the Sydney sporting calendar, fans once again flocked to the harbor in brilliant sunshine to watch the fleet take off for Tasmania.
Venues around Sydney Harbor were packed as spectators jostled to watch and take photos of one of the highlights of the city’s sporting calendar.
Spectators also climbed into the boats to follow the yachts out of the heads as fans watched in brilliant sunshine.
There was hardly a spare piece of land to be found as people crowded onto the iconic South Head, complete with the original lighthouse.
There were also fans at the North Head to watch the yachts leave the harbor for Hobart.
Tens of thousands of fans packed the harbor edge and watched on the water in the first ‘normal’ race after three years of Covid-hit racing.
Since it began in 1945, the race has become one of the pinnacles of the sport, with boaters and spectators flocking to Sydney and the finish line in Hobart to enjoy the arduous race.