The more Christian Beck plays down his super maxi yacht LawConnect as a favorite in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, the more the boat defies his modest assessment.
It took less than 12 minutes after the 80th edition of the 628-nautical-mile race started at 1 p.m. (AEDT) on Boxing Day, for Beck’s self-described “s**t box” to assert herself.
The back-to-back line honours winner and defending champion was not only the first yacht in the fleet to round the ocean mark and exit Sydney Harbour through the Heads, but did so decisively. Several hours later, Beck maintained that he was surprised by the strong start.
Sailing into a 25 knot southerly and a three-to-four-meter swell, LawConnect led her four other super maxi rivals, along with the rest of the big boats contesting line honors and the John H. Illingworth Trophy, awarded to the first yacht to finish in Hobart, Tasmania.
Behind the early leaders came the remainder of the fleet, racing in their respective divisions but united by one ambition: the hope of also winning the Tattersall Cup on corrected time.
Anticipation of what lay ahead over the next 24 hours was tempered on Friday as the fleet passed Sydney’s Bondi Beach, the site of the attack on December 14 in which 15 people were killed and many more injured.
Off the iconic Australian beach, crews from 15 yachts invited by race organizer the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) dropped rose petals into the ocean in memory of those killed and in solidarity with the Jewish community targeted by the attack.
After three hours of racing, the fleet began to settle in for an expected bumpy and wet first night in conditions likely to test boat strength and crew morale. At 4 pm (AEDT), LawConnect was in first place, ahead of another of the five 100-footers, Master Lock Comanche.
Behind them were the 100-footers Palm Beach XI and SHK Scallywag 100, the latter after completing a precautionary 720-degree penalty turn and reporting it to the race committee.
The boats paid tribute to the victims of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack. (Jeremy Ng / Getty Images)
Following them were the New York Yacht Club-registered 80-footer Lucky — which had held third place early — and the fifth 100-footer, Wild Thing 100. When contacted at sea by phone, Beck said he was “surprised” that LawConnect had jumped ahead of Master Lock Comanche in the early fast conditions.
“The crew (which includes former Australian Olympic swimming star Ian Thorpe) has been fantastic. Our spinnaker was deployed 20 seconds before Comanche’s was,” Beck said. “We were very surprised to win the start.”
It did not take long for the demands of one of the world’s toughest ocean races to begin taking a toll.
Even before the start, the 55-footer Yendys withdrew from the original 129-yacht entry list due to a broken backstay.
Soon after the start, in 64F (18C) temperatures and overcast skies, the 48-foot Sumatra temporarily suspended racing and stopped just inside the Heads to address a hydraulic issue. Two hours later, the yacht reported that it was back racing.
As LawConnect continued to set the pace at the front, the 78-footer Oroton Drumfire also stopped for repairs in Botany Bay, south of Sydney, and rejoined the race an hour later.
Not long after, the first withdrawals of the race were confirmed: Hutchies Yeah Baby (headstay foil), Inukshuk (rudder), and White Noise (rigging).
The Sydney Hobart, first raced in 1945, is defined by such uncertainty.
What was clear from Friday’s start was that it marked the end of all pre-race deflection among super maxi skippers and owners over which boat was most favored to win line honors.
For the most part, it has been Beck and his continued downplaying of LawConnect’s chances that has fueled the debate.
Christian Beck has been less than complimentary about his boat. (Jeremy Ng / Getty Images)
As SHK Scallywag 100 skipper David Witt interjected during Wednesday’s press conference while Beck spoke down his boat: “Boats that win Hobarts don’t do it by accident.”
Those remarks did nothing to shift Beck from his position. He held firm right up until the start.
Asked dockside after the final race briefing whether LawConnect was truly the underdog, Beck told reporters: “Definitely.”
Pressed further, given LawConnect’s line-honors victories in the past two editions of the race, Beck did not waver. “As I keep saying, the boat’s a s**t box. That’s the problem. It’s not the crew,” Beck said.
“Our crew has won those two races in very tough conditions. The tougher it is, the more likely we are to win. It’s a bit like Max Verstappen (in Formula One). He likes it when it’s rainy.
“We like it when it’s really rough. The forecast is a little rough, but probably not rough enough to make it likeable for a win, unfortunately. We’ve got a big, heavy boat, so we can bash through anything. It gets tougher for us when it lightens later.”
Master Lock Comanche co-skipper Matt Allen was nevertheless upbeat about his boat’s prospects, especially given the tough conditions forecast at sea.
LawConnect, left, does battle competes with Master Lock Comanche Hobart. (Saeed Khan / AFP via Getty Images)
He understands the balance of fate in a race he has previously won on corrected time rather than line honors.
In their first campaign with Master Lock Comanche last year, Allen and co-skipper James Mayo withdrew from the race after mainsail damage.
Before joining his crew after attending the final race briefing, Allen told reporters: “There’s going to be some breakages through tonight and tomorrow morning.
“The seas are going to be pretty big, so we’re going to see maximum wave heights of around 5.5 meters with a bit of current.
“They’re going to be steep waves, and it’s going to be a matter of really balancing how hard you can push. It’s pretty open between probably three or four boats.”