In the 74th Annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, Black Jack, the Supermaxi yacht, made an impressive start by being the first boat to pass through Sydney Heads for the second consecutive year. However, the 2017 winner, Comanche, quickly surged ahead to lead the race this week on Wednesday. After a 3-hour race, Comanche maintained a fast pace of approximately 27 knots, taking advantage of the north-easterly winds along the New South Wales coast.
Comanche opened up a significant lead of four nautical miles over its Supermaxi competitors Wild Oats XI, InfoTrack, and Black Jack. Amidst a crowd of spectators on the shore and a flotilla of boats in Sydney Harbour, Black Jack reached the first checkpoint at Sydney Heads just 13 minutes ahead of Wild Oats XI and InfoTrack.
Comanche rounded the mark in sixth place after a challenging start. The Hong Kong entry, Sun Hung Kai Scallywag, claimed fourth place as it sailed through Sydney Heads. Unfortunately, two boats had to retire from the race out of the 85-strong fleet, with one Supermaxi experiencing a broken bow sprint and TP52 Zen facing rig damage.
In 2017, Jim Cooney, the skipper of Comanche, set a race record of 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, and 24 seconds while winning the 628-mile passage to Hobart in Tasmania under controversial circumstances. Wild Oats XI, a frequent line honours winner, received a one-hour time penalty for an illegal tack on Comanche in Sydney Harbour, leading to Comanche’s victory.
