SYDNEY (Reuters) -Favourite Master Lock Comanche was forced to retire from the 79th running of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race which began on Thursday, leaving Law Connect as the new race leader in the South Pacific.
LawConnect, which won line honours last year in a thrilling finish by just 51 seconds, was first past the turning mark after cannons sounded at 1 p.m. (0200 GMT).
However, it soon ran into some sail issues, giving race record holder Master Lock Comanche an unexpected advantage.
But having set record-breaking pace, Master Lock Comanche retired in the early hours of Friday due to mainsail damage approximately 63 nautical miles of Green Cape -- one among seven retirements from the race from the initial fleet of 104.
Wild Thing 100, another supermaxi, almost capsized after making a late tack to avoid the smaller Celestial V70.
Covering approximately 630 nautical miles of the Tasman Sea and notoriously treacherous Bass Strait, the gruelling annual race is Australia's premier yachting event.
Forecasts were for a fast start in north-easterly winds of up to 20 knots before a trough strikes in the early hours of Friday, bringing strong-to-gale-force, south-westerly winds.
The friendly weather conditions could bring the race record - set by LDV Comanche in 2017 - of one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds in sight.
Sailors will be keen to avoid inclement weather when they cross the Bass Strait as they head across from the mainland towards the island state of Tasmania.
Five yachts were sunk and six sailors killed when a major storm hit the fleet during the 1998 race.
(Reporting by Stella Qiu, Additional reporting by Rohith Nair; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
