Sydney to Hobart fleet braces for rough night at sea as last year's Tattersall Cup winner retires early
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The Sydney to Hobart fleet is bracing for a rough night at sea with reigning handicap winner Alive the first boat to retire from the iconic race rather than face the difficult conditions. Line honours favourite Master Lock Comanche led the fleet into the night after overtaking incumbent LawConnect, which experienced a furling issue coming out of Sydney Harbour in a crisp north-easterly.
![[Wild Thing avoided Alive at the start of the race, with the latter retiring later on in the evening]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/26/13/93494119-14227191-image-a-79_1735220512335.jpg)
LawConnect's furling problem has since been fixed, but allowed Comanche to open up a gap that grew beyond 8nm in the afternoon. LawConnect closed to just more than 5nm as the fleet approached Eden on NSW's south coast around 10pm after the two line honours front-runners came in towards the shoreline.
![[The Sydney to Hobart fleet is bracing for a rough night at sea amid difficult conditions]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/26/13/93494109-14227191-image-a-80_1735220544504.jpg)
Fellow supermaxis Wild Thing 100 was in third place by that point, around 14nm behind LawConnect and ahead of mini-maxis Celestial V70 and URM Group. A west south-westerly change is expected to hit the Bass Strait overnight, bringing winds up to 40 knots and possible showers - conditions that will be particularly challenging for the smaller boats in the fleet.
![[Alive cited a mechanical issue before the boat was forced to retire from the race early on]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/26/13/93494149-14227191-image-a-81_1735220595942.jpg)
Line honours favourite Master Lock Comanche led the fleet into the night after overtaking incumbent LawConnect. Wild Thing avoided Alive at the start of the race, with the latter retiring later on in the evening. The Sydney to Hobart fleet is bracing for a rough night at sea amid difficult conditions.
![[A west south-westerly change is expected to hit the Bass Strait overnight, bringing winds up to 40 knots and possible showers - conditions that will be particularly challenging for the smaller boats in the fleet]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/26/13/93494111-14227191-image-a-82_1735220661444.jpg)
