Sydney to Hobart claims early casualties

The Sydney to Hobart claimed its first causalities with four boats forced to pull out and turn back due to the rough conditions.

The boats, including Tina of Melbourne, suffered damage during a rough start to the 70th edition of the blue water classic.

Crew safety came first as Victorian yacht Tina of Melbourne became the first yacht to pull out of the Sydney to Hobart race.

The 37-footer which was just off Bondi when the crew discovered a problem with her hull leaking after sustaining damage in rough conditions outside Sydney Heads.

"We fell off probably a metre and a half, two-metre wave," skipper Andy Doolan said.

"We heard a bit of rattling down there.

"We noticed a bit of water ingress, so at that point I notified the crew.

"They were all okay, there was no imminent danger.

"I switched the pumps on and noticed that we couldn't fix the problem there and then so I made the decision to retire.

"Our number one priority was the safety of the crew. There was no point continuing on."

Three other boats - Bear Necessity (rudder), Occasional Coarse Language (steering) and Willyama (main sail) - also withdrew in the first four hours.