Defending champion LawConnect leads Sydney to Hobart yacht race on first day

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SYDNEY (AP) — Defending champion and 100-foot supermaxi LawConnect led the Sydney to Hobart fleet out of Sydney harbor on Friday for the 80th running of the ocean race to the island state of Tasmania.

LawConnect’s pursuit of a third straight line honors title started well, with the crew claiming an early lead over supermaxi rival Master Lock Comanche after the cannon was fired.

Five hours into the race, LawConnect held a two nautical-mile lead over Comanche. Hong Kong yacht SHK Scallywag 100 was in third place, followed closely by Lucky, a New York Yacht Club entry skippered by Bryon Ehrhart.

It was the most overcast start to the race in recent years, with boats flying spinnakers from the starting gun to make the best of the windy conditions.

The 128-strong fleet paid tribute to the victims of the Dec. 14 terror attack by scattering rose petals off the coast of Bondi Beach as they passed the area early in the race. At the final briefing, extra rose petals were made available, with the whole fleet expected to participate.

Friday’s final weather briefing confirmed the fleet would face a strong southerly wind going down the New South Wales state coast. Crews were warned to expect a cold first night with swell between three and four meters (10 to 13 feet), with upwind conditions also increasing the chance of damage to boats.

Conditions were unlikely to be as treacherous as last year, when two sailors died in storms, but the fleet was on guard.

“I think there will be retirements, it’s tough on boats in the early part of this race,” said Celestial V70 skipper Sam Haynes, who is also commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia which organizes the race.

“The crash bang, the waves, the gear itself is going to be under stress so it is a hard race in that sense'" he added. "Also it’s hard on crews: seasickness and potentially some injuries. They can put boats out. I think there will be some retirements in these conditions.”

The yacht Yendys was a late scratch. Yendys had been sailing on the harbor in advance of the start when it broke one of two backstays, the carbon wires that run from the top of the mast to the stern, forcing it to withdraw.

Rough conditions also forced three other yachts out. Hutchies Yeah Baby (damaged headstay foil), White Noise (rigging issues) and two-hander Inukshuk (rudder problem) joined Yendys on the sidelines after racing began.

LawConnect, owned by Australian tech millionaire Christian Beck, won last year's event in 1 day, 13 hours, 35 minutes and 13 seconds for the 628-nautical mile (722 miles, 1,160 kilometers) race.

“It all comes down to the crew. I think they’ve done an exceptional job,” Beck said after the start Friday. "Really on a downwind start, Comanche should always beat us. We’re good on an upwind start but I was very surprised to win a downwind start.”

The race record set by LDV Comanche — 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, 24 seconds — has stood since 2017 and only appears under threat in very strong downwind conditions, which are not expected this year.

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