Master Lock Comanche out of Rolex Sydney Hobart

Master Lock Comanche leading the fleet © Bow Caddy Media

In shock news early this morning, Master Lock Comanche (NSW) has retired from the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, reporting mainsail damage.

So far, the conditions that were predicted before the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s annual race, have claimed six casualties.

Master Lock Comanche is the race record holder and was leading the race, approximately 63 nautical miles of Green Cape when she retired.

She is co-skippered by four-time Sydney Hobart winner, Matt Allen and James Mayo, who last sailed the race aboard Sovereign when she took the double line and overall win in 1987.

This is an eighth Sydney Hobart for Comanche and her first retirement since launching and racing in 2014. She has taken line honours four times, including 2022 and famously missed out last year by just 51 seconds to Christian Beck’s LawConnect, which is the new race leader.

A short time later, the Gordon Smith skippered Wild Oats (NSW), which has twice won the race in the past, the last time in 2014 for Roger Hickman, retired with rigging damage.

URM Group in the 2023 RSHYR - photo © RSHYR | Andrea Francolini

Back on URM Group, navigator Alice Parker explained, “I was downstairs, we were about to get the A4 (an asymmetric spinnaker) off, then there was a big bang and a big collapse. The mast broke 1½ metres above the deck, right above the instruments.”

Parker continued, “The boys did a really good job of cutting the rig away and we are heading to Eden.

“We’re all pretty gutted. The boat was really lit up . We were doing really well. We were averaging 20 knots in 25 knots of breeze.”

So far seven yachts have retired from the initial fleet of 104, leaving 97 boats still racing.