More Sydney to Hobart carnage as 27 vessels wiped out of race

There have been strange scenes in the Sydney to Hobart as LawConnect arrived in Constitution Dock after a night of carnage.

A total of 27 vessels have been wiped out of the race as LawConnect claimed Sydney to Hobart line honours in strange scenes on Saturday morning.

The Australian supermaxi took back-to-back line honours, leading a fleet shaken by the deaths of two sailors in wild weather conditions.

LawConnect, the 100-foot defending champion skippered by owner Christian Beck, arrived first in Hobart after main rival Comanche dropped out with a damaged mainsail on the first night.

The crew navigated to victory along the final stretch of Tasmania’s River Derwent in the dark, early hours of the morning after a day-and-a-half of drama since the fleet departed a sun-splashed Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day.

There were strange scenes at Constitution Dock as the crew arrived with only minimal celebration and fanfare.

The Daily Telegraph’s Amanda Lulham reported: “There were no celebratory yells or fist pumps with the crew showing quiet respect” for the sailors who died on Friday.

The ABC’s Chris Rowbottom posted on X there were only “tempered celebrations” as the crew arrived at the dock.

Weather is a critical factor in the 628-nautical-mile race, first held in 1945. This year’s initial fleet of 104 was pummelled by gale-force winds and big waves as it raced southwards along Australia’s eastern coast before tackling the treacherous Bass Strait.

Law Connect arrives in Hobart to take line honours in the early hours of Saturday 28th December in the Rolex Sydney to Hobart 2024. Picture: Linda Higginson

Two sailors were killed in separate incidents in rough weather on the first night, officials said.

The boom on Flying Fish Arctos hit 55-year-old Roy Quaden on the head; and the main sheet on Bowline struck 65-year-old Nick Smith who then collided with a winch, said David Jacobs, vice commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.

Fellow crew members tried to revive both men but failed, officials said. The two fatalities were the first in the race since 1998 when six men died, five boats sank and 55 sailors were rescued after a deep depression exploded over the fleet in Bass Strait.

Twenty-seven yachts including supermaxi Comanche have retired so far, organisers said, many of them either dismasted or suffering damage to sails, engines and other equipment.

It leaves just 77 of the 104 vessels that made up the fleet of 104.

Ten of those retirements came on Friday night and Saturday morning.

There were a total of 19 retirements in the 2023 edition of the race.

LawConnect crew boss Chris Nicholson spoke on behalf of his crew with Beck skipping the post-race festivities after suffering food poisoning in the final hours of the race.

Beck was unable to savour the winning moment as he was rushed off the yacht.

“You never know what to say or think but you think about the families and the crews on the boats and even the rescuers, everyone that had anything to do with it,’’ Nicholson said, per The Daily Telegraph.

Kiwi sailing master Tony Mutter said the crew was surprised and “sad” when learning the news about Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline.

Mutter also said this year’s Sydney to Hobart was the toughest conditions he has faced as a participant in the bluewater classic.

The Sydney to Hobart crew of Law Connect after arriving in Hobart and winning line honours in the early hours of Saturday 28th December 2024. Picture: Linda Higginson

“There was challenging conditions, probably the roughest race I’ve done out of the 11 that I’ve done,” he said.

“But we came through okay, we didn’t break too much stuff, and people are okay, just got a few bumps and bruises.

“I have done much tougher races though – around the world.”

He explained the wild conditions caused chaos throughout the race.

“All the way to Green Cape and a little bit beyond for us,” he said, as reported by the Sydney to Hobart.

“There were big waves, there’s always a lot of counter currents down there, which change the direction of the waves.

“You’ve got to keep on your toes, and then afterwards, once the front rolled through, we obviously had a big push from the west, which added another challenge, where we had to basically slow down for about four or five hours.”

LawConnect crossed with a winning time of one day, 13 hours, 35 minutes and 13 seconds, according to the official race tracker. Fans on the dock cheered her arrival, a livestream showed.

The crew of Celestial, a 70-footer with hopes of winning the Tattersall Cup for the overall handicap race, was sailing about 20 nautical miles behind in second place.

Wild Thing was further back in third.

A four-time winner, Comanche holds the record for completing the race in one day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds in 2017.

— with AFP

Originally published as More Sydney to Hobart carnage as 27 vessels wiped out of race