Comanche wins line honours for fifth time in Sydney to Hobart, Hong Kong’s Scallywag third
More than a quarter of the field had retired from the race by Sunday morning, either with boat damage or seasickness among the crews
For a moment on Sunday it looked as though SHK Scallywag 100 was going to win the 80th Sydney to Hobart race and consign the disappointment of 2023 to the history books.
Having reeled in Master Lock Comanche, while holding off the challenge of LawConnect, the Hong Kong entry led for several hours down Tasmania’s east coast as the three yachts battled away within a mile of each other.
But Comanche and LawConnect pulled clear, and with a breeze appearing on Storm Bay, David Witt and his crew could not catch their rivals in the race to the finish line on the River Derwent in Hobart.
Comanche, skippered by Matt Allen and James Mayo, took line honours for the fifth time in the 628-nautical-mile blue water classic, coming home in two days, five hours, three minutes and 36 seconds.
LawConnect, bidding for a third straight title, was second, 47 minutes back, while Scallywag, owned by tycoon Lee Seng Huang, was a further 24 minutes behind in third.
For Scallywag, finishing at least represented an improvement on 2023, when a broken bowsprit ended her race before it had even really begun.