Rolex Sydney Hobart Race: Master Lock Comanche regains lead
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com/nz 28 Dec 2025 13:05 NZDT
SHK Scallywag heads south © Bow Caddy Media
As predicted yesterday afternoon, by Sail-World, the supermaxi Master Lock Comanche has struggled in an area of light winds from an advancing cell of High pressure.
The race-record holder was listed as third overall when just 0.2nm covered the first three yachts. SHK Scallywag initially was now listed as the Race leader, as the three supermaxis are in a cluster off the Tasmanian coast.
As predicted a day ago, the fleet leaders have converged just north of Schouten Island halfway down the Tasmanian Coast. At 0700hrs AEDT according to one of the race's positional trackers SHK Scallywag looks set to make a breakaway move, sailing at 8kts, and pointing to Hobart. Law Connect is chasing her - heading in the same direction, but at 5kts. Meanwhile Master Lock Comanche is near parked, further inshore and sailing on port tack at just 2.9kts.
PredictWind is showing a northerly flow settling in across the race leaders and continuing all the way to the race finish in Hobart.
The weather routing using SHK Scallywag's 0900hrs AEDT position, but with a hypothetical supermaxi shows the wind remaining consistent in strength and direction. While the various models produced by PredictWind are only in broad agreement, the differences are for some to call another flat spot, however the more reliable PWAI - a new feed developed by PredictWind using a combination of forecast models, overlaid with generative data form past events with similar markers to the current event, shows consistent breeze, dropping to 3-4kts at the 628nm race finish,
The retirements list has grown overnight from 24 boats to 33.
In the Overall Honours, the back markers seem to be bringing the new breeze with them, with Damien King’s MRV (Margaret Rintoul V) the new leader and the former leader the Volvo 70 Celestial is second. New Zealand TP52 Callisto is in second having moved up from 8th before midnight on Saturday.
Retirements List as at 0800hrs AEDT:
- Ambition - Retired - hull damage
- Avalanche (DH) - Retired - battery charging issues
- Awen - Retired - broken forestay
- Chancellor - Retired - steering damage
- Coastwatcher - Retired - medical incident
- Hutchies Yeah Baby - Retired - headstay damage
- Inukshuk (DH) - Retired - rudder issues
- Koa - Retired - headstay foil issues
- Kraken 42S - Retired - crew injury and electrical issues
- Le Tiroflan - Retired - forestay damage
- Loch Sloidh 3 - Retired - skippers discretion
- Maritimo 100 - Retired - electrical issues
- Maritimo Katwinchar - Retired - skipper’s discretion
- Mazu Denali's Little Helper - Retired - battery issues
- Minerva - Retired - engine issues
- Mistral (DH) - Retired - crew injury
- Moneypenny - Retired - equipment issues
- Mudgee Concrete - Retired - rigging issues
- Ocean Crusaders J-Bird - Retired - minor hull damage
- Philosopher - Retired - rudder issues
- Ragtime - Retired - equipment issues
- Roaring Forty (DH) - Retired - seasickness
- Titoki (DH) - Retired - rigging issues
- Troubadour - Retired - seasickness
- Trouble & Strife - Retired - engine issues
- Unicoin - Retired - pulpit damage
- URM Group - Retired - hull damage
- V5 - Retired - keel damage
- Vixen Racing - Retired - crew injury
- White Noise - Retired - rigging issues.
- Wild Thing 100 - Retired - rigging issues
- Wine-Dark Sea - Retired - equipment issues
- Wots Next - Retired - minor crew injuries
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