Andoo Comanche has triumphed in a two-boat chase down the River Derwent to take out its fourth line honours in a late-night finish to the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.
Key points:
- Andoo Comanche’s finish was less than three hours off the race record set in 2017
- LawConnect crossed the finish line in second place, with both boats barrelling down the River Derwent at the same time
- The overall winner is yet to be declared, with times adjusted for boat size and other factors
The 24-strong crew on the John Winning Jr-skippered supermaxi crossed the finish line at 12:57am AEDT on Wednesday with a time of 1 day, 11 hours, 56 minutes and 48 seconds.
Favourable weather led to a speedy race this year but it was still not enough to pip Comanche’s 2017 line honours win with skipper Jim Cooney, which set the race record of 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds.
This year’s tussle for line honours and the JH Illingworth trophy became a clash between supermaxis Andoo Comanche and LawConnect on the River Derwent.
LawConnect finished a little over 20 minutes after Comanche.
Black Jack followed closely behind the pair and all three chased each other down the east coast of Tasmania, hooked a sharp right turn around Tasman Island and closed in on Hobart in quick succession.
Comanche skipper John Winning Jr said the line honours win felt “pretty unbelievable at the moment” and was “still sinking in”.
“I was on [line honours winner] Perpetual Loyal as one of the skippers in 2016 so I sort of know what to expect in terms of all of this,” he said.
“But to do it in a campaign that I was part of putting together is really quite exceptional.”
He said this year he had “lost a dear friend”, Andoo Team X founder Matthew Munting, and would dedicate the win to him.
He also thanked the “incredible legends” on his crew as well his parents, who he said put a love of the water into him at a young age.
Black Jack crossed the finish in third with a time of 1 day, 12 hours, 40 minutes and 34 seconds.
Hamilton Island Wild Oats lost ground earlier in the race to become a distant fourth.
Wild Oats got into drama on the first night, with a seam splitting across one of its downwind sails.
The crew were forced to pull down the sail to repair it, which took them an hour and a half.
Monday saw a chaotic start to the 77th edition of the bluewater classic, with near-misses, protests and penalties for the big four.
Despite its eventual win, Comanche had a poor start when it did not get enough clear wind to move ahead of its rivals, and became jammed by other craft. It then misjudged a turn and hit the mark, losing even more ground.
Wild Oats skipper Mark Richards let loose a number of audible obscenities on the TV coverage as he and his crew tried to navigate their way to the Sydney Heads and out into the ocean for the trip south.
At one point, Black Jack cut back across two of its rivals, running a fine line between LawConnect and Wild Oats.
There have been three retirements so far — Avalanche, Yeah Baby and Koa — from a field of more than 100 in this year’s race
Avalanche and Yeah Baby both retired with rudder damage while Koa suffered a damaged bowsprit.
‘Polar opposite’ weather conditions compared to 2021
On Tuesday, Tony Mutter, sailing with LawConnect, said the contrast in weather between this year and last year’s event had been startling.
Mutter told the ABC conditions were “pretty nice” for the crew and the “polar opposite” to last year.
“I was wearing thermals [last year]; we were in thunder and lightning,” he said.
“Now, I am in a T-shirt, shorts and life jacket.”
While line honours goes to the first yacht to cross the finish line, the overall race winner is yet to be declared.
The major prize for sailors is the Tattersalls Cup — which goes to the overall winner on handicap after times are adjusted for boat size and other factors.
Last year, line honours went to Black Jack, but the overall winner — Ichi Ban — was not crowned until two days later.
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