Sydney to Hobart: Comanche leads into the night over Wild Oats XI
Sydney to Hobart favourite Comanche has extended its lead over the field in the blue water classic.
Yachts to be in Bass Strait by morning
The leading yachts in the Rolex Sydney Hobart race are enjoying a dream run down the NSW far south coast and the gang of supermaxis leading the fleet should be well into Bass Strait by morning.
LDV Comanche continues to lead with Wild Oats XI some 12 nautical miles
behind. InfoTrack, described by its owner Christian Beck before the race as the
“s**tbox of the maxis” had passed early leader Black Jack and was only 3 nautical miles behind Wild Oats XI and moving at better than 23 knots in the moderate north east breeze.
The four supermaxi were being closely followed by the Hong Kong-based
Beau Geste and the American Volvo 70 Wizard.
Wizard and the Sydney TP52 Ichi Ban were the leaders on handicap and looking good to battle it out for the Tattersall Cup, which goes to the overall winner.
If the perfect conditions, moderate north-east winds and smooth seas, continue to prevail, the elapsed time race record set in last year’s race by InfoTrack (then Perpetual Loyal) was in danger of being shattered.
All 102 yachts that started are running down the rhumb line and appear to be set for record times.
Comanche stretches lead late
Comanche is leaving the rest of the Sydney to Hobart to fleet in it’s wake as it steams down the NSW coastline, passing Bermagui.
The Supermaxi has extended its lead over perennial contender Wild Oats XI to 12 nautical miles late on night one of racing after tangling with that boat and lodging a protest over a tacking move, while they were in Sydney Harbour.
Two multi-million dollar maxis getting VERY close.
— 7mate (@7mate) December 26, 2017
It's ON between @wildoatsXI and LDV Comanche!
Watch #RolexSydneyHobart LIVE on @channel7 now. pic.twitter.com/2bR3OzFPJX
Infotrack remains three nautical miles behind Wild Oats XI, while Black Jack, which led the fleet out of the Sydney Heads is in fourth another three nautical miles back.
Comanche overcomes tough start to extend lead into the night
Line honours favourite Comanche continues to lead the fleet in the Sydney to Hobart as they head down the NSW coastline.
Comanche which nearly collided with Wild Oats XI in Sydney Harbour leads that boat by seven nautical miles with Infotrack a further three nautical miles behind in third.
In the harbour Comanche raised the protest flag after Wild Oats produced a late tacking maneuver, which if Wild Oats is found to have done anything wrong could result in a time penalty.
Black Jack, which led the fleet out of the harbour is another three nautical miles behind Infotrack, in fourth with all the boats well behind the record speed set by Perpetual Loyal in 2016.
Comanche sets the pace
As the fleet make their way down the NSW south coast race favourite Comanche has assumed the lead of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.
The Supermaxi has long overtaken Black Jack, who led the race out of Sydney Heads, with Wild Oats XI in second place as the head of the fleet passes Sussex Inlet.
Infotrack and Black Jack round out the top four.
Black Jack takes early lead
An hour after the start the Queensland yacht Black Jack was comfortably leading the fleet as she moved slowly down the coast towards Botany Bay. Wild Oats XI, which earlier appeared to have fouled LDV Comanche by crash tacking only metres from her bow, was running second with Comanche third.
The yachts were sailing in a very light east north east breeze and were well behind the position reached by Loyal at the same time last year.
Loyal set a new elapsed time record last year of one day, 13 hours, 31 minutes and 20 seconds.
Unless a strong north east wind develops overnight, it now seems unlikely this record will be challenged.
Comanche fouled by Wild Oats
Comanche was fouled by Wild Oats XI as the two yachts approached the sea mark off Sydney Heads about 15 minutes after the start. Comanche immediately flew a protest flag as the crew waved their arms and screamed at Mark Richards and his crew that he had tacked too close to them and caused them to change course.
Black Jack takes the lead
Comanche won the start of the 73rd Sydney Hobart but Black Jack quickly took the lead. Wild Oats missed the start and was several lengths behind as they headed down harbour.
America’s Cup skipper Jimmy Spithill is on the wheel of Comanche for the start of the race.
Comanche’s new owner
New owner Jim Cooney, who bought the yacht from its American billionare owner Jim Clark just over a week ago, is at his elbow.
Comanche is expected to lead the fleet of 102 yachts down the NSW coast toward the Bass Strait.
Cooney, who only had his first sail aboard LDV Comanche last Wednesday, said he was now far more comfortable with the boat than he had been on that first sail.
“I thought it would be a step up from the Volvo 70 I was sailing but the loads are almost double,” he said before the race. “However it is a beautifully designed boat and everything is where it should be. It has been a very steep learning curve for me.”
Wild Oats tactician predicts new record
Iain Murray, the tactician aboard Wild Oats XI, is predicting a new record run by the four supermaxis in the fleet.
“The record is easily achievable but there is always the unknown element of getting up the Derwent,” Murray said as Wild Oats left the dock at Woolwich this morning.
He predicted the four supermaxis would reach Tasman Island just after sunset tomorrow. “We could cut several hours off the record,” Murray said, “Last year Loyal averaged just over 17 knots but this year the supermaxis can easily do 20 knots -- there is just the problems of getting around the corner at Tasman Island and up the Derwent.”
Perfect summer conditions of a warm day with light easterly winds are expected to lure tens of thousands of Sydneysiders to the harbour foreshores today for the 1pm farewell the 102 starters in the annual Rolex Sydney to Hobart race.
The 5 to 10 knots easterly winds in the harbour should give the yachts a perfect reach to the heads and some are expected to attempt to fly colourful spinnakers to get a jump on the opposition.
The four 100 foot supermaxis, LDV Comanche, Wild Oats XI, InfoTrack and Black Jack, are expected to lead the fleet out the heads and turn south for the 628-nautical mile trip to Hobart. The Weather Bureau has predicted stronger east sou’east winds outside the harbour that should swing to nor’easterlies later in the day. A strong 20 to 25 knot nor’-easter tomorrow should push the fleet south in record time.
The leading yachts should round Tasman Island early tomorrow night but they will then run into a windless hole and none are expected to challenge the race record time of 1 day, 13 hours, 31 minutes and 20 seconds set last year by Anthony Bell on Perpetual Loyal.
The Derwent traditionally “shuts down” at night and the leading yachts will be left at the mercy of the tide and very light winds. LDV Comanche is expected to lead the fleet around Tasman Island but she could be then overtaken in Storm Bay by the light weather flyers Black Jack and Wild Oats XI. Neither LDV Comanche or InfoTrack presents a threat when the wind drops below five knots.
The leading handicap boats, the TP52 and Cookson 50s, are expected to round Tasman Island at dawn on Thursday morning and get a quick run up the Derwent from a light southerly change.
Among the yachts favoured for a handicap win are Bob Steel’s Quest, Joe Mele’s Triple Lindy, Matteo Savelli’s Mascalzone Latino, Matt Allen’s Ichi Ban, Karl Kwok’s Beau Geste, Craig Carter’s Indian and Sam Haynes’s Celestial.
The last boat home, on New Year’s Eve, is expected to be Sean Langman’s 85-year-old Maluka.
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Wild Oats XI loses on protest to Comanche
Wild Oats XI may not be back to race in 2018 but Comanche definitely will as their crew felt vindicated by winning on protest.
Cat-and-mouse at Hobart finish
The battle for Sydney-Hobart handicap honours is shaping up as a game of cat and mouse between two fleet veterans.
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