24 boats wiped out in Sydney-Hobart carnage

Heading into the teeth of brisk southerly winds on Sunday, Australian super maxi LawConnect grabbed the front position from rival 30-metre super maxi SHK Scallywag from Hong Kong, which hit a major technical problem with a jib sail fitting after having led the Covid-depleted fleet out of Sydney Harbour.Wild weather on Sunday night meant by Monday morning, Black Jack had regained the lead and according to The Australian, as of 8.30am 24 of the 88 yachts that started the race had retired — reducing the field down to 64.The Australian reports former overall winner Alive was wiped out with hull damage and overall handicap contender URM was also among the casualties after suffering damage to the mainsail.“It’s just heartbreaking,’’ URM skipper Marcus Ashley-Jones said. “We had a 30 knot squall come through. We were putting the reef in and the mainsail failed.”Spectator boats had crowded into a cloudy, breezy Sydney Harbour to enjoy the return of the blue-water classic, which was forced by Covid into an outright cancellation last year for the first time since it began in 1945.The pandemic still cast a shadow, with some of the fastest yachts kept away this year, including the previous line-honours winner super maxi Comanche and nine-time line honours winner Wild Oats XI.Four yachts withdrew in the two days before the race kicked off because of Covid concerns, including one that was announced less than 10 minutes before the traditional Boxing Day starting cannon.Another yacht dropped out because of crew injury.Among those forced out by the virus was Willow, one of the favourites for line honours, which had several crew members test positive.That left 88 entrants, including 17 two-handed yachts, which are allowed to take part for the first time.It was a sharp reduction from the 157 boats that set out in 2019 — and after the wild weather that rocked the opening night, there were even fewer yachts left in the race.Weather is a critical factor in the 628-nautical-mile (1200-km) race down the east coast to the Tasmanian capital.Six men died, five boats sank and 55 sailors were rescued during the 1998 spectacle when a deep depression exploded over the fleet in the Bass Strait.“For all boats, the challenge after starting and exiting the (Sydney) heads will not only be to settle into their race rhythm and watch systems, but to keep their boats intact in the tough conditions,” the organising Cruising Yacht Club of Australia said.The racers face strict health conditions including compulsory PCR coronavirus tests. They were allowed to depart even if they were still waiting for their test results but if any crew member is informed of a positive result while on the water, their yacht will have to retire “immediately”.Depending on the weather, the fastest super maxis are expected to arrive in Hobart sometime on Tuesday.Though the first yacht to reach the finishing line grabs most public attention, the main prize for sailors is regarded as the handicap honours, which takes account of the size of the yachts.In the last race, in 2019, Ichi Ban was the overall handicap winner. Ichi Ban owner and skipper Matt Allen is sailing his 31st Sydney-Hobart race after starting at the age of 17. Via news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site https://www.news.com.au