High-profile Sydney to Hobart favourite among 17 yachts to retire on dismal first night
Updated . First published at
17 yachts were forced to retire after a dismal first day of the 2024 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.
The 17th, Pretty Woman, pulled out of the race after it took damage to its headstay foil.
It was just off the coast of the NSW-Victoria border when disaster struck.
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It capped off a miserable day which also saw the new yacht in the fleet, Bacchanal, which is owned by American attorney Ron Epstein, retired.
That boat copped a broken boom ending their campaign on the spot.
The flett leave the Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day. Getty
The Bacchanal was seen as a genuine contender to win the Sydney to Hobart.
Another genuine favourite, Master Lock Comanche, was retired after suffering damage to her mainsail in the early hours of Friday morning.
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It left their crew devastated.
URM was also retired after being dismasted.
By 2am AEDT, seven yachts had retired.
And soon after, Wild Rose, who is a previous Sydney to Hobart winner, was pulled out with rigging damage.
The next yacht to go down was Calibre.
Retirements in 2024 Sydney to Hobart
Alive - engine issues
Bowline - retired
Calibre - mainsail damage
Centennial 7 - mainsail damage
Ciao Bella - steering issues
Flying Fish Arctos - retired
Master Lock Comanche - mainsail damage
Mayfair - broken equipment
Philosopher - dismasted
Porco Rosso - retired
Pretty Woman - headstay foil damage
Rum Rebellion - equipment damage
Transcendence Rudy Project - dismasted
URM Group - dismasted
Wild Oats - rigging damage
Zeus - foil damage
