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Andoo Comanche Leads Sydney to Hobart After Dramatic Start

For those in the yacht racing community, Christmas Day marks the eve of one of the most difficult offshore yacht races in the world. For the past 77 years, Boxing Day marks the start of the prestigious Sydney to Hobart yacht race. The only hiccup in the annual event known as The Great Race came in 2020 when it was canceled due to the pandemic.
Sydney to Hobart Race 10 photos
Photo: Carlo
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The 628-nautical mile (720 miles /1,170 km) race kicked off today from a very cramped Sydney Harbor. A slew of spectators boats and tens of thousands of folks lining the shore bid adieu to the fleet of raceboats as they headed out of the scenic harbor.

By the start of the race, the fog had lifted to reveal a beautifully sunny day with winds of 10-15 knots out of the northeast. The race will be led by four 30-meter (100-foot) super-maxi race boats; Andoo Comanche, LawConnect, Hamilton Island Wild Oats, and Black Jack all vying for Line Honours ( Line Honours go to the boat that crosses the finish line first but may not be declared the overall winner).

The start involved a dash to the northeast, where the racers would then exit the harbor between the North and South Heads before turning downwind on a southernly heading. Boats from 60 feet (18 meters) and up are expected to experience consistent northeasterly winds throughout the race, but the smaller boats will have to battle strong winds after Day 2.

The start was a hairy one and not without some controversy. Super-maxi's Andoo Comanche and Wild Oats both took penalty turns within a few moments of the start. Andoo Comanche's penalty resulted from a collision with a marker (they would later fly a protest flag), while the reason for Wild Oats to take a penalty turn was not clear.

After almost seven hours of racing, Andoo Comanche leads with the other three super-maxis in close proximity as they run down the south coast of New South Wales. Andoo Comanche set the race record back in 2017 with a time of one day, nine hours, fifteen minutes, and twenty-four seconds.

Black Jack is the defending champion, having won last year in a race that was filled with mishaps. Of the 88 boats that left Sydney, 36 were forced to retire from the race due to dangerous sea conditions.

The early stages of this year's race saw just one boat retire, with the 40-foot (12.2-meter) two-handed racer Avalanche bowing out with a broken bowsprit.

In a Rolex Sydney Hobart first, LawConnect is live streaming all the action from the angles of a group of GoPro cameras mounted in various places aboard the boat. In the past, fans would only get to see chopper coverage at the start and finish of the event, but technology now offers start-to-finish coverage from one boat's perspective.
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