Sydney to Hobart heavyweight barely avoids disaster as chaos hits the start of the famous yacht race
- Field received their starting order in Sydney Harbor at 1:00 PM
- Master Lock Comanche opened an early lead
Reigning line honors champion LawConnect led the Sydney to Hobart fleet from the Sydney Heads as the 79th running of the bluewater classic kicked off on Boxing Day.
But a rolling problem meant her lead was short-lived, with rival supermaxi Master Lock Comanche leading the way, sailing in a stormy north-easterly direction along the NSW coast.
The pair of 30-footers, the main contenders for line honours, left the picturesque Sydney Harbor well ahead of the chasing pack at around 1.15pm local time – 15 minutes after the starting gun on Boxing Day.
LawConnect recovered from her sailing problem after suffering a similar problem early in the race last year, but not before Comanche had opened a significant gap.
The drama unfolded elsewhere as fellow supermaxi Wild Thing 100 narrowly avoided a collision with Celestial and capsized before regaining her speed from the Heads.
Wild Thing is racing her second Hobart at a distance of 100 feet and will have to make the best of the conditions – when the wind blows over the boat – to challenge Comanche and LawConnect for line honors.
Master Lock Comanche (below) is pictured leading the field from Sydney to Hobart from the Heads on Boxing Day
Wild Thing 100 (foreground) can be seen at the moment she almost collided with Celestial
Sydneysiders flocked to the best vantage points to watch the yachts depart
URM Group and Celestial V70, two leading contenders for overall honors, got off to a fast start; the former took a different tactical approach by staying close to the east coast early on.
But Anthony Johnston’s 70-foot URM Group completed a penalty lap for an incident that apparently occurred in the harbour, with details still unknown.
The turn may have been a precaution.
Penalties for incidents that occur in port must be completed early in the race or the offender will face a time penalty upon arrival in Hobart.
Salt Lines was the last of the 104 starters from the Heads at around 1.50 pm local time.
A west-southwesterly change is expected to occur in Bass Strait overnight, bringing strong winds and possible showers that will be particularly challenging for the smaller boats in the fleet.
The race record could be in jeopardy if Comanche or LawConnect can take advantage of those conditions, but boats risk damage in the wild weather.