Sydney to Hobart 2019: Comanche wins despite drama at sea
Comanche claimed the line honours in the Sydney to Hobart on Saturday but around four hours before her arrival she nearly came unstuck in a big way.
Mosman
Don't miss out on the headlines from Mosman. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Sydney to Hobart 2019 ultimate guide
- 1998 remembered: A horrible storm, a horrible memory
- Rugby mates have big Sydney to Hobart goal
Sydney skipper Jim Cooney has revealed a piece of seaweed or a crab pot hooked on the rudder of his supermaxi in pitch darkness caused the yacht to loose steerage and could have cost Comanche the Sydney to Hobart line honours on Saturday.
Around four hours before she crossed the finish line of the 628 nautical mile race, Comanche was involved in a drama at sea which could have potentially ended her bid for a third line honours win in the race - and second under Cooney’s direction.
COMANCHE: Why Jim Cooney races with his family
The rudder mishap at around 3am around 50nm from the Derwent River finish line followed on from damage to a crucial sail the crew had been using to put distance between Comanche and her rivals in the race the second night at sea.
“Something wrapped around the rudder as we came round Tasman Island and then we were hit with a 35 knot gust,” said the Neutral Bay businessman who runs a wind energy company.
“The boat was rounding up, we had no control in the rudder, and we couldn’t work out why.
“We managed to stabilise the boat and whatever it was, probably some seaweed, untangled itself and we got going.
“But the rudder cavitated and stopped doing what a rudder does in steering the boat.
“So we were in a little bit of drama if only for a short time.”
SURVIVAL TEST: For supermaxis on second night
ROLLING COVERAGE: Latest Sydney to Hobart news
Cooney and his world-class crew emerged from the drama unscathed and still in the lead of the 75th Sydney to Hobart.
But there was more drama to come with the wind dying out on the final approach to the finish and Comanche finally drifting across.
At 7.30am, accompanied by a large flotilla of spectator craft, she cruised across the Derwent River finish line after 1 day 18 hours 30 minutes 24 seconds, 9h15m outside her own race record set in 2017.
“Finishing (and winning ) the Transpac in Waikiki this year was much better,’’ he said. “Finishing this race here, that was traumatic. That’s 30 minutes of my life I’ll never get back.
“It was really stressful. (Winning) was relief more than elation.”
Cooney, whose crew included wife and co-owner Samantha Grant and son James, 21, beat Christian Beck’s InfoTrack by 44 minutes.
In their wake were Wild Oats X1, who beat the David Witt skippered Hong Kong supermaxi Scallywag by just 38 seconds, with Peter Harburg’s Black Jack fourth.
Cooney purchased Comanche from American Netscape billionaire Jim Clarke after the beamy and powerful yacht set a multitude of ocean racing records and won the Sydney to Hobart on its first attempt in 2015.
Cooney, who races the yacht to spend quality time with his family, claimed his first line honours win in 2017 when Wild Oats incurred a time penalty for an illegal manoeuvre not long after the start which relegated the multiple winner to second place.
“In 2017, I maintained we were the first legal boat across the finish line. And we are the first legal boat across finish line today,’’ he said.
“I haven’t seen any [protest] flags anywhere, so fingers crossed. The 75th Sydney Hobart … it’s a fantastic achievement to win line honours.”