This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Wild Oats XI’s quest for a ninth line honours crown and a new race record has been snuffed out, with the record-breaking yacht forced to withdraw for the second year in a row.

The Mark Richards-skippered entrant had been on track to crush its previous race record and was in the lead when she made the decision to retire almost halfway through the race after suffering a broken hydraulic ram – the component which powers the canting keel on board the all-conquering yacht.

The decision to abandon was made at 8am as the leading yacht entered Bass Strait.

Nobody onboard the race favourite was injured. The crew has started to sail against the current to the safety of Eden in New South Wales.

The withdrawal of Oats leaves Perpetual Loyal in first position. The boat that owned Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day and led the race outside of the heads has clawed back the lead.

Anthony Bell’s super maxi has kept up a searing 16-knot average for the race so far. With Olympian and America’s Cup sailor Tom Slingsby onboard, Loyal will be difficult to catch – providing she can avoid trouble or a shutdown of the wind.

Just 16 nautical miles adrift is the big overnight mover, New Zealand entry Giacomo. The carbon fiber Volvo 70 threaded the nighttime needle to sail her way into second position and to the front of the pack on corrected time.

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The conditions have played into the hands of the Volvo 70 yachts – the vessel of choice for round-the-world ocean races for the best part of a decade.



Queensland entry Black Jack is also flying the flag for the 70-foot category. While she had to retire in the boat-breaking conditions of 2015, this year she has negotiated the first night at sea and sits in fourth position – much to the delight of sailing master Bruce Clarke who is celebrating his 25th passage to Hobart.

Jim Cooney, the former owner of two-time Sydney to Hobart winner Brindabella, is enjoying his newly purchased craft – Maserati. The Volvo 70 captured fourth position last year with decorated Italian mariner Giovanni Soldini at the helm and is on track for another top five finish this year.

In sixth position is another international entrant in Beau Geste. While those on deck may argue celebrity chef Donna Hay has provided the biggest boost to morale, those in the know will attribute a lot of that early success to New Zealand sailor Gavin Brady.

The second in command aboard the 80 footer knows what it is like to deliver success in the Sydney to Hobart – he did so with legendary American boat Rio 100 that sailed her way into fourth position at Constitution Dock two years ago.

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That leaves Hong Kong super maxi Scallywag licking her wounds. The new acquisition had been in third position but as darkness descended she slipped into seventh, although talismanic skipper David Witt’s campaign is far from over.

The 17-time Hobart racer is the furthest boat offshore hoping to take full advantage of the easterly breeze in the push beyond Bass Strait to the welcome sight of Flinders Island.

On her stern off to starboard is Ludde Ingvall’s unknown entity CQS. The 100-foot experimental super maxi is 43 nautical miles behind the race leader – and still under the record pace.

“We were originally aiming for a top four, now we are looking at a top 10. It was very variable last night and sailing in 2 knots sometimes,” said the former race winner.

While Giacomo is currently the leader of the handicap, the battle for the Tattersall’s Cup is still on in earnest. Boats ranging between 50 and 80 feet are dominating the corrected time contest.

If the leading boats can get to Hobart’s Constitution Dock before 7.23am on Wednesday the race record will fall.