SYDNEY (AP) American 100-foot super maxi Comanche was the first yacht out of the harbor on Saturday to take the early lead in the Sydney to Hobart race ahead of eight-time and defending champion Wild Oats XI.
The 71st Sydney to Hobart race featured a 108-yacht fleet, including a record 27 international challengers.
Five hours into the race, Comanche led Wild Oats XI by three nautical miles, with fellow super maxi Ragamuffin in third and another American yacht, 88-footer Rambler 88, in fourth.
Depending on weather and wind conditions, the 628-nautical-mile race to Hobart, the capital of the island state of Tasmania, could take two to three days.
The foreign contingent includes 12 yachts from the Clipper Round the World race, part of its eight-leg, 16-race program.
There were four early retirements. Tasmanian boat Cougar II returned within an hour with the most damage, an entire portion of the stern missing after an incident with the bigger Lupa of London, which later retired.
Chinese boat Ark323 came back with a crack in the deck after a collision with a rival yacht, while Australian yacht M3 pulled out after her forestay snapped off the top of the rig before leaving the harbor.
The traditional cannon for the start was not fired because the ceremonial start boat was forced into an emergency evacuation of its passengers when the engine room started taking in water. The start of the race was not delayed.
High winds and thunderstorms were forecast for later Saturday which could affect the trailing smaller yachts as they head down the New South Wales state south coast and into the often treacherous Bass Strait.
