Master Lock Comanche has won Sydney to Hobart line honours for the fifth time after outpointing its supermaxi rivals in a “dogfight” down Tasmania’s east coast.
It was redemption for skippers Matt Allen and James Mayo after the 100ft yacht was forced to retire early in the 2024 race with mainsail damage.
Comanche finished strong to cross the River Derwent finish line at 6.03pm on Sunday about 10 nautical miles ahead of LawConnect, which was gunning for a third consecutive line-honours win.
Comanche’s time of a little more than two days and five hours was well short of the race record of one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds it set in 2017.
Crews have battled gruelling upwind sailing that has forced 33 of the starting fleet of 128 to pull the pin due to a range of issues including sea sickness, injury, yacht damage and lost life rafts.
Comanche led most of the race down Australia’s east coast but was forced into a tussle down the Tasmanian coast with LawConnect, the Hong-Kong owned SHK Scallywag and the smaller Lucky.
Scallywag, guided by veteran skipper David Witt who was aiming for a breakthrough line-honours win, took the lead briefly on Sunday.
But Comanche was able to pull away and get to the River Derwent in top position.
Before the race, Mayo declared the Comanche crew had “unfinished business” after the disappointment of 2024.
LawConnect was hindered by mainsail damage on Saturday night, adding to a repair list that included a broken outhaul and mainsheet and no working wind instruments.
Mid-afternoon on Sunday, crew member Tony Mutter said the yacht was a “wounded animal” but was still in the fight.
“It was a funny morning, the three (supermaxis) were all side by side, dogfighting our way down the coast,” he said.
LawConnect in action during the earlier stages of the race. Photograph: David Gray/AFP/Getty Images
LawConnect’s skipper Christian Beck was less confident, saying his crew needed an easing of winds to be any chance in the race’s 80th edition.
Crews have been forced to retire with broken ribs and sea sickness, with yachts suffering various damage while two lost their life raft.
“It was pretty rough. It’s the longest upwind I’ve ever done. It was pretty unpleasant. I was pretty sick myself,” Beck said.
LawConnect was first out of the Sydney Heads on Boxing Day but surrendered her lead to Comanche after tacking out to sea after 6pm.
Higher-profile retirements have included handicap contender URM Group and supermaxi Wild Thing 100, which finished third in line honours and overall standings in 2024.
Aside from its record-setting 2017, Comanche also took out line honours in 2015, 2019 and 2022.
Conditions are expected to ease for the remaining yachts at sea, with a wind change set to help the fleet down to Hobart.
LawConnect and Comanche were involved in the second closest finish in race history in 2023, when the former triumphed by just 51 seconds in a battle up the River Derwent.
