Supermaxis Comanche and LawConnect continue close duel on Day 2 of the Sydney to Hobart race

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HOBART, Australia (AP) — Supermaxis Master Lock Comanche and defending champion LawConnect continued their close duel Saturday on the second day of the 80th running of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

Just over 24 hours into the race that began Friday in Sydney harbor and ends on the island state of Tasmania, Comanche had a four nautical mile lead over LawConnect.

LawConnect was forced to contend with a broken mainsheet and halyard overnight but managed to fix both issues and remain in pursuit of Comanche, which is skippered by Matt Allen and James Mayo.

“We had a few things slow us down and Comanche’s obviously done quite well,” LawConnect skipper Christian Beck said Saturday. “It’s mildly disappointing for us, but you win some, lose some. Everything’s good, we’re still in the hunt."

With nearly half the race completed, Hong Kong yacht SHK Scallywag 100 was third, followed closely by 88-footer Lucky, a New York Yacht Club entry skippered by Bryon Ehrhart.

The leading yachts were near Gabo Island, located off the east coast of Victoria state and at the entrance to the often treacherous Bass Strait. They were likely to finish at Constitution Dock in Hobart late Sunday afternoon under current weather and wind projections — more than two days after the start and well outside the race record.

The race lost its first supermaxi when Wild Thing 100 retired. All crew were safe as Wild Thing began the journey back to Sydney overnight Friday night after reporting rigging damage.

Skipper Robert Large aboard his yacht Inukshuk was also among the retirements after becoming entangled in a fishing net.

“We couldn’t move. It took us probably 45 minutes to clear the thing,” Large said. After finally pulling the net off, Large was concerned his boat may have sustained rudder damage, which would have made it risky to continue sailing.

An Australian resident for nearly 20 years, Canadian-born Large has sailed in six previous Sydney-Hobarts.

LawConnect led the fleet out of Sydney harbor in search of its third straight line honors win. Overnight conditions Friday night were rough on the fleet, but not as dangerous as last year when two sailors died in storms on the first night.

On Friday, the fleet paid tribute to the victims of the Dec. 14 terror attack by scattering rose petals off the coast of Bondi Beach off Sydney as they passed the area early in the race.

LawConnect, owned by Australian tech millionaire 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.

The race record set by LDV Comanche — 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, 24 seconds — has stood since 2017 and only comes under threat in very strong downwind conditions.

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