Sydney to Hobart - Comanche back in the lead, half way to Hobart

by Rob Kothe & the Sail-World Team on 27 Dec 2015 The wounded warrior Jim and Kristy Clark's Comanche is now firmly back in the lead in the 2015 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race

Comanche announced her retirement to race control off the NSW south coast after midnight, when as skipper Ken Read explained she ‘ hit something”. That “something” took out one set of rudders and daggerboards.

Maybe it was one of Grant Wharington’s famous sunfish asleep on the surface.

After a brief period heading north to gain respite from the belting southerly, while the crew worked on a desperate reconfiguration, the boat turned south again and in a period of 13 hours has chased down her smaller rival.

Just how she will go on the tack with just one serviceable rudder and daggerboard, this question will no doubt be answered when the boat reaches the Tasman coast.

“We decided to punch on through. We think we can get to Hobart safely,” Read said. “I don’t care if we limp over the line. We are going to finish this damned race.”

She is now climbing away from George David's Rambler 88 in mid Bass strait, with two knots better boat speed, she is now four nautical miles in the lead, half way to Hobart.

In an interesting twist Rambler has now confirmed that she too has hit something in the water and she has now a damaged starboard daggerboard, just moments before she lost the race lead.

These two boats have gapped the fleet, 30 miles behind them is Syd Fischer's Ragamuffin 100, now in danger of being overtaken by the fast approaching Giovanni Soldini's Maserati, the Volvo 70, campaigned as Erikson III,

Some 40 miles back is Matt Allen's Carkeek 60 Ichi Ban, right now the Yachting Australia President must be wondering if he took the right boat south as Paul Clitheroe’s TP 52 Balance is less than a mile behind on distance to Hobart, almost on the rhumbline, tracking south.

This long period of upwind sailing has certainly slowed the fleet and all thoughts of a challenge to Wild Oats XI 2012 race record are out the window.

As an aside, for the Yacht Tracker designers, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Clicking on boats no longer delivers heading and speed, that info is cleverly hidden at the top of the page, often a scroll away. Plus the Lat and Long and time is no longer available.