Wild conditions lead to 33 retirements as three-way battle to decide Sydney to Hobart line honours
Updated . First published at
Wild conditions in the Sydney to Hobart have caused 33 yachts to retire with the battle for line honours heating up in a three-way battle.
As of 7am AEDT on Sunday morning, the list of retirees had grown to 30.
Among the overnight retirements on Saturday night were Maritimo Katwinchar and Mistral, with the latter boat pulling out after one crew member suffered a broken rib.
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The continued withdrawals has set up a thrilling finish between LawConnect, Scallywag and Master Lock Comanche, who are expected to arrive in Hobart on Sunday afternoon.
Master Lock Comanche held a narrow lead for line honours on Saturday night, but just 10 nautical miles separated the front-runners.
Celestial V70 is likely to be the overall winner.
Retirements throughout the race have been largely down to seasickness, injuries, equipment issues, though Inukshuk retired due to being caught in a fishing net.
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Moneypenny had to retire after a life raft was lost overboard.
"We are devastated to announce that Moneypenny has officially retired from the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race after one of our life rafts became unsecured and was lost overboard from the bad weather," the yacht's team said in a statement.
"As safety is the first priority, we had to retire from the race as all safety equipment is required to remain onboard during the race.
Moneypenny sails out of Sydney Harbour on day one. Getty
"We are grateful that the crew are all safe and they are currently making their way back to Sydney. It's a real shame as the boat and crew were in top shape and were having a really strong race.
"The very things that make ocean racing so exciting can also make it devastating. Thank you to everyone who's been following along and cheering us on. Your support means the world to us all.
"Further investigations have confirmed that the CO₂ canisters discharged, inflating and deploying the life raft, which subsequently detached from the boat."
