Sydney (Reuters) – The supermaxis Andoo Comanche and LawConnect encountered issues at the start of the 78th Sydney to Hobart yacht race, with Andoo Comanche almost colliding with Scallywag shortly after the race began. Andoo Comanche, which won line honours last year, and LawConnect, the runner up in the last three races, both faced challenges in the harbour at the start of the 628 nautical mile race to Tasmania.
After two hours, LawConnect, Andoo Comanche, and Scallywag were leading the rest of the fleet, having ventured far east of the coast in search of wind. The race began under sunny skies, but there has been storm activity in the coastal waters off the east coast of Australia, with more expected, warned by Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology.
Thunderstorms could bring rain, strong winds, and hail to parts of the course over the next few days, and sailors will be cautious when crossing the sometimes volatile Bass Strait as they head towards Tasmania. Five boats were sunk and six sailors were killed in a major storm during the 1998 race.
The line honours record was set in 2017 by LDV Comanche with a time of one day, nine hours, 15 minutes, and 24 seconds. The race is known for being grueling and dangerous, and sailors will need to navigate through various challenges in the next few days. (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney; Editing by Jamie Freed)
