Leaders neck and neck as Syd-Hob record looms

LDV Comanche and Wild Oats XI were locked in a duel for Sydney Hobart line honours last night, with both set to smash the race record.

Only a few hundred metres separated the supermaxis eight nautical miles out from the Hobart finish line.

Progress slowed to a crawl as the wind eased on their approach up the Derwent River but Wild Oats held a handy lead around four nautical miles from the finish.

Wild Oats XI chipped away LDV Comanche’s Boxing Day night advantage of 20 nautical miles throughout yesterday as the two frontrunners flew down Tasmania’s east coast powered by a strong north-easterly.

The pair were neck-and-neck for long stretches and at times traded the lead.

The yacht race record of one day, 13 hours, 31 minutes and 20 seconds — set by Perpetual LOYAL last year — was set to be bettered by several hours last night.

“Another crack at the race record that I thought was going to live for a long time looks real,” Cruising Yacht Club of Australia commodore John Markos said. “To find the next year you could beat it by several more hours is quite extraordinary.”

Five boats were on pace to better the record, which was improved by almost five hours by Perpetual LOYAL in 2016.

Comanche skipper and owner Jim Cooney said yesterday morning he thought the wind in the River Derwent would be enough to carry his boat home.

Earlier, Comanche indicated plans to lodge a formal protest against Wild Oats XI which could prove crucial in the final wash-up.

The boats came perilously close to colliding about 15 minutes into the race on Boxing Day, with the LDV Comanche crew raising a protest flag shortly afterwards.

They will have six hours after finishing to lodge paperwork with the international jury in Hobart.

“It will likely be a time penalty if there’s a ruling against them but we’ll have to see if there’s a request for a jury yet,” Markos said.

Black Jack was in third place, with InfoTrack — the 2016 record setter when named Perpetual LOYAL — fourth and narrowly ahead of Hong Kong entry Beau Geste.

Jazz Player, Wots Next and Rockall have been forced to retire, while Opt2go Scamp is repairing rotor damage at Eden and hopes to finish.

Boats needed to finish before 2.31am local time today to better the existing mark. The big caveat was conditions when the leaders turned past Tasman Island.