Scallywag grabs third place in Sydney-Hobart yacht race to make Hong Kong proud

Hong Kong businessman Lee Seng Huang’s supermaxi Scallywag claimed third place in the Sydney to Hobart yachting ocean classic, easily beating the old race record.

Supermaxi Perpetual Loyal claimed line honours and a race record time late on Tuesday night (Hong Kong time) after earlier inheriting the lead when race favourite Wild Oats XI withdrew because of a ­hydraulic failure.

For the second year in a row, Wild Oats had to quit the race ­early, this time with a technical glitch that affected its moveable keel.

Perpetual Loyal, skippered by Anthony Bell, easily smashed Wild Oats’ 2012 race record of one day, 18 hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds – setting a new mark of one day, 13 hours, 31 minutes and 20 seconds.

New Zealand’s Volvo 70 Giacomo, which hopes to be crowned overall winner in the handicap honours for the vessel that performs best according to size, came in second with a time of one day, 15 hours, 27 minutes and five seconds.

Scallywag crossed the finish line about two minutes later, also easily beating the old record.