A total of 14 yachts have now retired from the 628 nautical mile race, with 114 still racing, including 15 of the original double handed crews. 

At the front of the race, Master Lock Comanche (Matt Allen/James Mayo) is firmly in the hunt, sailing into stronger pressure offshore as navigators weigh when to commit to a critical tack back toward the Tasmanian coast.  

Master Lock Comanche on the morning of 27 December – ROLEX/Andrea Francolini pic.

Master Lock Comanche navigator, Andy Green, says the immediate challenge is timing the shift as the fleet skirts the influence of a distant Tasman low. 

“The short-term synopsis is we believe the breeze is going to increase slightly as we extend towards the east, sailing into the low far off in the Tasman,” Green said from on board a short time ago. 

“But then as we start initiating tacks — our tacking window is sort of one-and-a-half to three hours from now — once we tack over, we’re expecting the breeze to progressively lighten as we close back into the Tasmanian coastline.” 

Green warned that conditions near shore could become particularly testing later tonight. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see sub-10 knots by the time we get within 10 miles of the coast, around midnight — maybe even less than that.”

Four nautical miles behind them, the last two years’ Line Honours winner, LawConnect, was mirroring their line. 

And this is a major concern for Master Lock Comanche, Green saying, “We are keeping an eye on their strategy – trying to keep them at bay – seeing if they will do something radical.” 

They should worry, LawConnect (Christian Beck) is stronger in windy upwind conditions, but will also have to deal with the coming light airs and who knows what will happen then… 

Nine and 10 nautical miles behind them, SHK Scallywag 100 (Hong Kong) and Lucky (USA) were keeping the pressure on. 

Lucky is placed fourth on Line Honours  – ROLEX/Andrea Francolini pic.

Reigning overall champion Celestial V70, skippered by Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Commodore, Dr Sam Haynes, was maintaining a handy lead again in the charge for Overall honours. 

Behind the leaders, the fleet is sailing west and east of the rhumbline, some choosing the offshore route over the coastal one. Among those opting to stay east of the rhumbline in search of steadier pressure is Titlespace Yeah Baby, which is enduring the full force of the Tasman Sea. 

Marc Ryckmans who owns the boat with his identical twin Louis, described a tough second day at sea. 

“We are a long way out to sea, abeam of Montague about 50 miles east of rhumbline. Winds are now about 25 knots. It’s still a messy seaway and hard to cook a warm meal — looks like sandwiches until midnight again,” he said an hour before this update was published.

Elizabeth Tucker pops her head out from the cabin of First Light – ROLEX/Andrea Francolini pic.

“Hopefully in the transition late tonight we put the upwind behind us and progress to some gentlemanly downwind sailing, which is what the boat enjoys.” 

Conditions have been equally unforgiving further down the fleet. On Rum Bucket, crew member Jo Clarke summed up the physical toll. 

“‘Go for a sail down the coast of Australia they say!’” Clarke said. “It is really uncomfortable and tough on the body with the confused big seas — lots of sea sickness — but people are starting to recover.” 

Rum Bucket powering away – ROLEX/Andrea Francolini pic.

The attrition rate continues to tick upward with some of the race favourites sidelined, including Rob Appleyard’s Moneypenny, which is out after losing a life raft overboard, though all crew are safe and the yacht is expected to return to Sydney. 

A bumpy ride on board Oroton Drumfire – ROLEX/Andrea Francolini pic.

The latest retirement is another favourite, Anthony and David Johnston’s RP72, URM Group, which suffered hull damage and is heading back to Sydney. 

Further back, the grind in the 80th race continues for boats like Antipodes, where skipper Brad Kellett reports little respite.

URM Group has retired from the 2025 race – ROLEX/Andrea Francolini pic.

“The upwind slog continues. We seem to be hanging in there with the boats around us. A few breeze changes last night mixed it up a little, but we’ve all fallen into a line down the NSW coast,” he said.

“This afternoon looks like much the same, with an increase in pressure — we’ll probably be reefing for the first time so far.” 

Meanwhile, Celestial V70’s crew are bracing for more heavy work. Navigator Alex Nolan says any brief easing has already passed. 

“Pretty chilly out here. We had a bit of flatter water, but we’re heading into the next windy bit now — expecting a hard next 20 hours or so.”