Australian supermaxi LawConnect took line honours in the punishing Sydney-Hobart ocean race on Thursday, pipping rival Andoo Comanche in one of the tightest-ever finishes to the blue water classic.
The two 100-foot supermaxis jostled for position as they charged down Australia’s east coast overnight, and were separated by around two nautical miles as they turned into the final stretch on Tasmania’s River Derwent.
Having trailed for much of the morning, LawConnect outwitted Andoo Comanche with the finish line in sight after almost two full days of “cat-and-mouse” sailing.
With 51 seconds separating the two yachts, race organisers said it was the second-closest finish in the prestigious race’s 78-year history only beaten by the 1982 edition which was decided by seven seconds.
“It’s a dream come true. I never thought it was possible actually,” LawConnect skipper Christian Beck told reporters in Hobart. “They took the lead pretty close to the line. We thought there was no way we could get it back.”
The 103-strong racing fleet had been battered by thunderstorms and heavy swells since setting off from Sydney Harbour on Tuesday. By Thursday morning the field had been whittled down to 92 vessels, with rough conditions forcing a number of damaged boats to retire.
