Scallywag recovered from that, only to break a bow spirit, forcing them to retire soon after.
“The team are obviously very disappointed given the great progress we were making but thankful no one was injured and that we could safely recover the sails that were in the air at the time,” a statement on the team’s Instagram account said. “The team are currently making their way back to Sydney.”
More than 100 yachts set off on Tuesday, in one of the world’s most gruelling ocean events.
Four hours into the race, 100-foot supermaxi Andoo Comanche, had taken a lead of less than one nautical mile. Andoo Comanche, which was first across the line last year, holds the 2017 race record of one day, 9 hours, 15 min and 24 sec.
“We back our boat in any conditions to win the race,” Andoo Comanche skipper John Winning told a news conference ahead of the event.
While preferring weather that favours the quickest possible race, Winning insisted his yacht was “fast in all conditions”.
In second place was rival supermaxi LawConnect, runner-up in the three previous editions of the race.
“I always want to win the race and to actually, finally win it would be a dream come true,” LawConnect skipper Christian Beck told Channel Nine news ahead of the race.
“The start is awesome and the pub at the end is awesome, so I like the whole event.”
Weather is pivotal in the blue water classic, first held in 1945.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of a fatal storm that tore into the 1998 race, whipping up mountainous seas and wild winds in which six men died, five boats sank and 55 sailors were rescued.
For the 2023 edition, weather forecasters are predicting storms, lightning, hail and strong winds as the boats sail southwards down the New South Wales coast on their way to the Tasmanian capital.
Sailors face a risk of “severe” thunderstorms within hours of the start, said the Bureau of Meteorology’s senior meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse.
In a final briefing on race morning, she predicted easterly but “very erratic” winds in the early stages as a low pressure system creates strong winds, heavy downpours and possible hail, hindering visibility.
Vessels still on the water on Friday could face a south-easterly swell with waves of three-to-five metres (10-16 feet), she said.
Last year, Andoo Comanche crossed the finish line first with a time of one day, 11 hours, 56 minutes and 48 seconds.
But the overall winner of the race under a handicap system was 52-foot Celestial, which claimed the coveted Tattersall Cup.
Another 52-footer, Caro, and the 72-foot URM Group are also among the favourites for the overall race honours this year.
Ten international yachts are in the 2023 race, with three from New Zealand (Allegresse, Caro and Niksen), two from Hong Kong (Antipodes and SHK Scallywag) and other entrants from France (Teasing Machine), Germany (Rockall 8), Ireland (Cinnamon Girl – Eden Capital), New Caledonia (Eye Candy) and the United States (Lenny).
Nine-time line honours-winning supermaxi Wild Oats XI did not enter this year’s race.
