Comanche heads north

RECORD-BREAKING supermaxi Comanche has been sold to Russian interests and while Rolex Sydney-Hobart boss Paul Billingham says it’s a loss the race has been “spoiled” to have five of the world’s six supermaxis racing for the past four years.

Days after winning its third Sydney-Hobart, and second for Australian owner, Sydney renewable energy millionaire Jim Cooney, Comanche left Hobart on Monday, possibly for the last time. A crew is takBillingham, ing the world’s fastest supermaxi back to Sydney where it will be prepared to be shipped to its new owners, a Russian offshore racing consortium.

Its first major outing is expected to be the 600-nautical mile Middle Sea Race departing from Malta later this year.

Commodore of the Cruising yacht Club of Australia, had mixed feeling about Comanche’s departure to the northern hemisphere.

“Yes and No. I was talking to Jim Cooney about this and he said have we ever had five supermaxis finish the SydneyHobart and I don’t think we have,” Billingham said.

“If you go back 10 years there was no such thing as a 100-footer. We had a couple of 98-footers with Skandia and Wild Oats XI, and they later got extended. So we’ve been spoiled to have five of them, and that will evolve again.

“It may well be the next generation of boats will be smaller foiling yachts, so you can see where technology is going and that’s the exciting thing about yacht racing.”

Comanche left an indelible mark on the Hobart race as three-times line honours champion and departs with its race record intact — one day, nine hours 15 minutes 24 seconds. “She still holds the 24hour sailing record and the Rolex Sydney-Hobart record, so it would be pretty hard to find a 100-footer that’s faster,” Billingham said.

“There are only half a dozen supermaxis out there, so I think she can genuinely claim that one.”

Billingham believes Cooney is working on a “project”.

After taking line honours, Cooney hinted at a new direction.

“It’s hard to say what’s going to happen in sailing,”

Cooney said. “Look at the foiling monohulls that are competing in the America’s Cup and in the Volvo and elsewhere.

“A 60-footer might beat Comanche in a few years, who knows, it’s a rapidly changing sport.”

Most of the fleet of 157 starters had finished yesterday, with NSW yacht Gun Runner trying to cross to be home before midnight and Tasmanian yacht Take Five due later on New Year’s Day.