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Agence France-Presse

Australian supermaxi LawConnect took back-to-back line honours in the Sydney-Hobart ocean race early on Saturday, leading a fleet shaken by the deaths of two sailors in wild weather.
LawConnect, the 100-foot defending champion skippered by Christian Beck, arrived first in Hobart after main rival Comanche dropped out with a damaged mainsail on the first night.
The crew navigated to victory along the final stretch of Tasmania’s River Derwent in the dark, early hours of the morning after a day-and-a-half of drama since the fleet departed a sun-splashed Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day.
LawConnect crossed with a winning time of one day, 13 hours, 35 minutes and 13 seconds, according to the official race tracker.

Fans on the dock cheered her arrival but there were no signs of the usual celebrations aboard, a livestream by the race organisers showed.
Celestial, a 70-footer with hopes of winning the Tattersall Cup for the overall handicap race, was in second place, finishing a little over two-and-a-half hours later.
Wild Thing came in third, about 25 minutes behind Celestial.
Of the 104 starters, 29 had retired at sea or in port.
“It was challenging conditions, probably the roughest race I’ve done out of the 11 that I have done,” said LawConnect sailing master Tony Mutter.
“But we came through OK. We didn’t break too much stuff, and people are OK, we have got a few bumps and bruises,” he told reporters in Hobart, explaining that his skipper was unable to appear because of a stomach bug.
The crew faced 35-45-knot gales downwind out of Sydney, big waves and tricky currents, he said.
“We are obviously hugely disappointed in the news that we heard during the race with the loss of a couple of fellow competitors and our heartfelt condolences go out to all the friends and family,” Mutter said.
“We are obviously not doing any celebrations on the boat and we will do that quietly later on.”

Weather is a critical factor in the 628-nautical-mile race, first held in 1945.
This year’s initial fleet was pummelled by gale-force winds and big waves as it raced southwards along Australia’s eastern coast before tackling the treacherous Bass Strait.
Two sailors were killed in separate incidents in rough weather on the first night, officials said.
The boom on Flying Fish Arctos hit 55-year-old Roy Quaden on the head; and the main sheet on Bowline struck 65-year-old Nick Smith who then collided with a winch, said David Jacobs, vice-commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.
Fellow crew members tried to revive both men but failed, officials said.
The two fatalities were the first in the race since 1998 when six men died, five boats sank and 55 sailors were rescued after a deep depression exploded over the fleet in Bass Strait.
Twenty-seven yachts including supermaxi Comanche have retired so far, organisers said, many of them either dismasted or suffering damage to sails, engines and other equipment.
A four-time winner of the blue water classic, Comanche holds the record for completing the race in one day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds in 2017.


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Water sports

LawConnect at Constitution Dock in Hobart, Australia on Saturday after claiming line honours in the 2024 Sydney to Hobart yacht race. Photo: EPA-EFE

LawConnect sails down the Derwent River in the early hours of the morning to finish first. Photo: AP

Tony Mutter (left) is presented with the Back Stay flag by Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Vice-Commodore David Jacobs after winning line honours in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. Photo: AP

This image made from video provided by several televsion stations shows sailing boat Flying Fish Arctos moored next to an ambulance at Jervis Bay, Australia on Friday. Photo: AP

David Jacobs, vice-commodore at Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, described the deaths as “devastating”. Photo: AP

Current leader LawConnect is favourite to win line honours again after Comanche’s withdrawal. Photo: EPA-EFE

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Sport

Other Sport

The 100-foot defending champion arrived first in Hobart but there were no signs of the usual celebrations after a race marred by tragedy


The 100-foot defending champion arrived first in Hobart but there were no signs of the usual celebrations after a race marred by tragedy.
