andoo comanche yacht cost

• Yachting World
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Take a tour of supermaxi Comanche, a yacht so beamy she’s called ‘the aircraft carrier’

• December 26, 2015

Crosbie Lorimer takes a looks at Comanche, the 100ft super-maxi yacht that created such a stir at the last Rolex Sydney Hobart Race

Comanche races in the Rolex Sydney Hobart. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi/Rolex

“The design office were told specifically by me that if this boat wasn’t the worst rated boat in history they have failed,” Dr Jim Clark said about his new raceboat. Not exactly the sort of remark you might expect, perhaps, but Clark, founder of software company Netscape, is well known for his singular approach to his many sailing ventures.

For Clark, owner of the 295ft three-masted schooner Athena and the replica J Class Hanuman , the goal for his brand new 100ft super-maxi Comanche is first and foremost to break records.

At her first major outing in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race 2014, she caused something of a stir, although she was pipped for line honours in the 650-mile offshore classic by the well-sorted and immaculately sailed Wild Oats XI .

Not surprising that Clark should look to his regular skipper Ken Read and the French design team collaboration of Verdier Design/VPLP to create his new master-blaster. Despite a punishing one-year timeline for the build team, project managers Tim Hacket and Brandon Linton worked with boat captain Casey Smith – all three were involved in Read’s previous Volvo campaign – to see the new boat launched on time from the Hodgdon Yard in Maine in late 2014, given an impressive first run in heavy airs and then put on a ship to Sydney.

Under sail, first impressions of Comanche  inevitably draw comparisons with IMOCA 60s and the globe-circling multihulls in which the design team excels. With massive beam at the stern, long reverse sheer, the mast well aft of 50 per cent of the boat length, towering narrow mainsail and a long boom overhanging the stern, everything is built for speed when the wind is abaft the beam.

In anything above eight knots of true wind Comanche starts to move out of displacement mode and at 25° of heel she has the same wetted surface as the 100ft supermaxi  Wild Oats XI – the more remarkable when you consider that you could fit two of Wild Oats ’s sterns into Comanche ’s.

Helming Comanche requires a different mindset, according to Read: “You sail the boat a bit like a multihull in a way, it’s so wide you rock it up on its ‘leeward hull’.”

So beamy is Comanche that she was given the nickname the Aircraft Carrier

The photos below show exactly what this remarkable yacht looks like on deck and below.

Specifications

LOA 30.50m/100ft 0in

Beam 7.80m/25ft 6in

Draught 6.50m/21ft 4in

Mast height 46.00m/150ft 0in

Displacement 31,000kg/68,343lb

Mainsail 410m 2 /4,413ft 2

Downwind sail area 1,022m 2 /11,000ft 2

Upwind sail area 350m 2 /3,767ft 2

Largest spinnaker 1,100m 2 /11,840ft 2

IRC Rating 1.958

Designed by Verdier Design/VPLP       

Built by Hodgdon Yachts, Maine, USA and Owner’s build team

Mast/boom Southern Spars

Sails North Sails

Hydraulics Cariboni       

Foils Re Fraschini

Winch System Harken with Jon Williams

Rigging   ECsix

STERN Comanche ’s beamy stern swiftly earned her the tag The Aircraft Carrier. Her optimum heel angle is anything over 20°, while at 25° she has the same wetted surface as Wild Oats XI . The fitting of an escape hatch and the liferaft stowage in her stern are a direct result of lessons learned from the capsize of Rambler in the 2011 Rolex Fastnet

MAST As with the IMOCA 60s, the mast is positioned well back in the boat; sited directly above the canting keel, the mast is deck-stepped on a triangulated mast post integrated into the same frame as the keelbox. Static loads on the mast base are in the order of 75 tonnes, increasing to 150 tonnes under sail

DEFLECTORS The 150ft (46m) four- spreader rig features two running backstays and three deflectors, precluding the need for checkstays for mast bend control, and also reducing windage and weight aloft. Mast height was limited to be able to pass under Sydney Harbour Bridge

COCKPIT AND WINCHES Sail handling is by grinder-powered Harken winches with customised drive shafts, grinder pedestals and gearboxes to cater for the substantial torque. The winch pedestals are placed inboard to permit stacking of up to four sails in the cockpit

WHEEL POSITION The steering pedestals can be moved to a position at the forward end of the cockpit (ringed), just behind a detachable hard dodger over the companionways, affording the helmsmen and crew maximum protection if required for long passages

DEFLECTOR RAMS The three deflectors controlling mast bend are trimmed by three hydraulic rams that work interactively. Although cheat sheets have been developed for basic settings, the crew is still exploring setting refinements for these

CANTING KEEL The canting keel is controlled by a 350kg titanium ram built by Cariboni. The keel can be swung 35° either side of centre and moved through the full arc in about 25 seconds. A secondary slave cylinder can be used to swing the keel if the primary ram fails

WATER BALLAST Manifolds, pipes and valves controlling water ballast are located behind the navstation bulkhead. Water ballast comprises 6.5 tonnes per side in three tanks on each flank. All pipework is built in carbon fibre

COMPASS The cheapest fitting on the boat is a card compass that would look more at home on a Laser. Though the helmsmen and trimmers use the digital read-outs, the rules require a card compass to be fitted, so the team went looking for the simplest and lightest

NAVIGATION STATION is located immediately behind the companionway bulkhead, also being the point from which all the boat’s electrics are controlled. The carbon fibre chart table can be tacked and the bench seat is long enough to allow the navigator to sleep or rest here if required

TACKING HEADS There are two concessions to ‘luxury’ aboard Comanche , one being a carbon fibre tray for six coffee cups and the other a carbon heads that can be tacked! No privacy for the latter, of course

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Comanche – the 31.5m sailing superyacht built to win

Sailing superyacht Comanche is a boat that belongs at the front of the racing pack. Comanche _surprised everyone watching the Sydney Hobart race in December 2014 when the brand new 30.5 metre Hodgdon Yachts-built speed machine was pictured tearing along ahead of Sydney Hobart legend Wild Oats XI. It was an advantage that _Comanche was able to maintain all the way to the Bass Strait during the 2014 Rolex Sydney Hobart. But when 30-knot winds failed to materialise, the more slender Wild Oats XI slipped past Comanche and into the lead, a position she held all the way to Hobart for victory and her eighth line honours. Second place is never going to be good enough for Comanche ’s owner, software mogul Jim Clark, but it was a minor miracle his yacht was there at all. She was only launched in September 2014, so the famously brutal race represented a kind of masochistic shakedown for a yacht designed for just one thing – to win.

Comanche : built to win

Think Laser dinghy or 49er morphed with rocket ship and you’ll get some idea of the qualities of_ Comanche_. At the yard, the racer was partially hidden behind two larger yachts with immaculate pedigrees, _Meteor_ and Artemis , but Comanche ’s square bow and carbon sprit jutted out beyond them, drawing the eye away from the varnished teak of her neighbours to a lean sailing machine intended to go as fast as possible powered only by the wind.

Sailing legend Ken Read, who also happens to be the president of North Sails, managed the project from day one for Jim Clark. Built at Hodgdon Yachts in Maine, US, Comanche had a hand-picked design and engineering team of international experts. It also had a construction schedule that raised eyebrows from the first day Jim Clark talked to Boat International about the radical project during the America’s Cup Superyacht Regatta in San Francisco, September 2013.

Comanche launched one year later and after stepping the mast in Newport, Rhode Island, and just two weeks of sailing trials, including a 600-mile qualifying sail to Charleston, South Carolina, the boat was packed aboard a cargo ship and sent to Australia to compete in the Sydney Hobart, which starts each year on Boxing Day.

Jim Clark and his Australian wife, Kristy Hinze-Clark, met the boat in Sydney for its short re-commissioning, Hinze-Clark racing aboard Comanche in a harbour tune-up event on 9 December 2014, where the yacht placed second despite poor conditions. The tabloids had a field-day, captioning photos with, “The supermodel and the supermaxi” and “She’s got legs” in reference to Kristy Hinze-Clark’s modelling career. These days she is a businesswoman, director for the Australian Nature Conservancy and the mother of two girls.

Boat International speaks exclusively with Comanche ‘s owner, Jim Clark

In our exclusive interview with Jim Clark, shortly before the race begins, we ask simply: “Why?”

“It’s a hobby,” he says, “I like the supermaxis, they are like Volvo 60s on steroids.” Jim Clark appears to be done with the J Class and is not a huge fan of what he calls the “multihull phase” of the America’s Cup with its reduced crew numbers. “The old sailing community is in monohulls and it’s nice to keep the guys engaged – there are lots of good sailors in the supermaxis and the guys are a lot of fun.”

When Jim Clark decided on a supermaxi, his plan was to go for line honours rather than wins on corrected time, and speed/distance records that could be set for yachts with human powered winches. “I don’t want any of that record stuff with an asterisk that says push-button winches,” Jim Clark scoffs. With this target, Jim Clark and Ken Read embarked on a “design experiment” for a yacht that could sail 30 knots or more on a broad reach. The experiment pushed them to some extreme stats, which Jim Clark says were run through CFD tests and simulations time and again.

“The 25-foot (7.6 metre) beam saves weight,” Ken Read says. “By going wider, we can have less weight in the keel to keep the same righting moment, thus we will go faster.” This thinking is carried over into the keel itself, which is solid stainless steel and not welded. With a 6.7 metre draught, the keel can be two tonnes lighter than a comparable keel on a boat with half the draught. The governing factor was the depth of Rhode Island’s Newport harbour where the boat will be based when not chasing records. “With the keel canted to one side we can just get to our berth,” Read says.

The downside to beam is increased surface drag when sailing flat in light air. “Being considerably wider than other boats, we need to be heeling at 11 to 13 degrees to present the same beam,” says Jim Clark. “In light air, we are at a disadvantage. When the wind cooperates, there is no question the boat is explosive.”

Hodgdon, the oldest boatbuilding business in the US, might seem like an odd choice if you don’t know that part of the yard’s annual output is high-tech military vessels and another part is carbon fibre limo tenders. In fact, Hodgdon is quite skilled at innovative construction techniques and when Tim Hodgdon agreed to build an oven to cook Comanche ’s carbon fibre hull, the deal was struck. The yard’s location also made it a good gathering stop for its far-flung team.

Is_ Comanche_ too powerful to handle?

Some critics have said Comanche is too extreme and too powerful to handle, but Jim Clark just laughs at this and suggests we “ask Kenny”.

“Yeah, it’s still an unknown but I’m not overly concerned,” he adds. “The hull is well baked and it’s been ultrasounded and X-rayed. There is a fuse in some of the loads so that nothing super bad can happen. But you can’t have a fuse in the rigging… Some of those termination points on the rig are kind of scary,” Jim Clark says.

That rig, which rises 47 metres above the waterline, is more than 50 per cent of the length aft from the bow, a surprising configuration but based on model testing for best all-around performance with the foil and appendages.

Innovation through design

Also innovative on _Comanche _are the daggerboards outboard of the mast and slightly forward of it. By canting the keel and putting the lee side daggerboard fully down, the boat generates enough lift to keep the angle of leeway to a minimum or crab up to a mark.

Comanche ‘s wide cockpit, full of grinder pedestals, hydraulic sail controls and sophisticated LED panels, gives the impression of a workhouse with modern instruments of torture. In a way, that is what they are. Grinders will work these six pedestals to turn the Harken winches. The only push-button winch on board is used to raise the mainsail. Once that sail is up the halyard is locked off and the winch isn’t used.

The winch pedestals are set slightly inboard and Read explains that when sailing on other 30 metre yachts he found that waves coming inboard at 30 knots or so would sweep the helmsman or winch grinders off their feet. “I have fetched up in the corner of the cockpit with pieces of steering wheel in my hands,” he says. Thus, by having 10 feet more beam than other 30 metre boats, there is space to put people and gear in a safer location with the added benefit of space for sails to be temporarily stored outboard of the pedestals on the high side.

Another interesting option is set right into the deck. Small black plugs cover screw holes that allow a dodger to cover both hatches. “On long distance races, we wanted the option to erect a dodger to keep the crew safe when on deck,” Read says. A slot in the cockpit sole just aft of the dodger allows the steering wheel to be moved forward, allowing the helmsman to stand behind the dodger for more protection.

Step below and you can see how much weight has been saved on Comanche . The single-skin carbon fibre hull and foam cored framing is fully exposed. It is mostly black with white non-skid patches. The forward end of the vessel is totally open, to store sails. Directly under the cockpit on either side are the crew berths, which keep the crew centre of gravity aft, close to the position they would be in when on deck; thus the trim of the yacht is not affected by off-watch crew moving around.

Directly under the cockpit sole is the navigator’s area with barely space to sit up. “The only requirement that navigator Stan Honey had was that we made the navigator’s seat 1.8 metres long so that he didn’t have to fight the crew for a berth,” Read says.

Talking to Read one gets a sense he is completely at ease with a project of this magnitude and the commitment it will take to sail Comanche to her potential. He has sailed around the world with several of his present crew and all had input into the new yacht’s design. That counts for a lot of experience, in addition to the French design team of Guillaume Verdier and VPLP (Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prévost). “Without the designers we would probably have built a far more conservative boat,” Read says, “but with their help we have taken a leap forward.”

On deck, Comanche is also radically different. All halyards go to the masthead, where they are locked off in the same style that was pioneered in the 12 Metre Class. But on Comanche , tension is applied on the sail luff by hydraulic rams mounted on the foredeck and by pulling on the sail at the tack. “It reduces weight aloft,” Read explains, “and allows complete sail adjustment from the [safety of the] cockpit.”

Another advanced feature not often seen on smaller craft is that the jib tracks run transversely instead of fore and aft. “The clews for each headsail are in the same place and we might use the same sail for going hard to windward and when easing off onto a reach. With this arrangement all we need do is ease the track car to leeward when coming onto a reach. This enables us to keep power on without altering the shape of the sail when changing course relative to the wind,” Read notes.

The deck-stepped carbon fibre mast has swept spreaders to eliminate the need for adjustable running backstays. In some ways this is a disadvantage in that the masthead cannot be moved fore and aft when sailing up and downwind, but it eliminates the need for checkstays and runners. The masthead position is controlled with backstays to each corner of the transom and lines that are led into the mast from the backstays to control the rig bend.

“I started this boat thinking I could race it,” says Jim Clark wistfully. A degenerative condition in his ankles that makes standing uncomfortable has recently cropped up in his wrists as well. “They made a seat for me where I can drive it,” he says, but he opted out of the Sydney Hobart to make room for America’s Cup-winning skipper Jimmy Spithill to assist Read on the helm.

“I feel confident we’ll start getting line honours and next summer we’ll do the transatlantic race and see how that goes,” promises Jim Clark. “I’m optimistic.”

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Andoo Comanche

Let’s tour the vplp / verdier maxi 100-footer with skipper john winning before the 2023 sydney hobart race..

One of the most well-known monohulls, originally built to win the Rolex Sydney Hobart on line honours (it was her first race in 2014), and to break records, now known as Andoo Comanche, under her current team, she is still breaking records, and is the current line honours holder for all major Blue Water Pointscore Races on the East Coast of Australia.

"The boat is what it is because it is built the best way, with the best tools and the best equipment, and so a big shout out to Harken for all their stuff. I can guarantee you when we have always gone out we are not looking to save money. Price is always what you pay, but value is what you get.”

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much ado about andoo

This much we know: the 100-footer has been chartered, with an option to buy, from “someone in Singapore” by Sydney businessman John ‘Herman’ Winning. (He is known by that nickname to differentiate from his father, also named John Winning, who is also a dedicated racing sailor.)

The fact that no one seems able, as yet, to confirm the identity of the Singaporean owner is a trifle mysterious. It certainly would appear to be a convenient arrangement in relation to the recent ban by World Sailing on any boat with Russian connections. But maybe that’s just a coincidence.

Phone camera snaps from the Caribbean indicate that the boat’s name has already been changed from Comanche to Andoo . Andoo? Well, Andoo is the name of the Down Under business founded and run by ‘Herman’ Winning. It advertises itself as “The home of feel-good living” and sells furniture, homewares and appliances. He also races an 18-foot skiff under that name. 

Meanwhile, a dock berth has already been booked in Sydney for Andoo and it seems certain the boat will be campaigned up to, and including the next Sydney-Hobart race. As reputedly still the fastest 100-footer in the world, and a previous line-honors winner, she has a title to defend.

There will be no lack of competition. Wild Oats XI is soon to emerge from the shed where she’s languished – wrapped in plastic – for the past two seasons. The Oatley family plans to sail her at Hamilton Island Race Week (August 21-27) and will surely want to have another crack at the Hobart.

Also based in Sydney is LawConnect (the former Loyal ). In addition, the Black Jack team will be keen to repeat their 2021 Sydney-Hobart triumph. If Scallywag then comes down to play boats again from Asia that would make five supermaxis on the starting line. 

Whatever, it promises to be an epic contest between the Big Swinging Keels. 

– anarchist David

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After 19 years in publication, Sailing Anarchy has remained true to its roots as a community oriented, edgy sailing publisher. We have long been, and will continue to be, the leader in providing inside stories, great reports from around the globe, along with the informative, snarky, profane coverage that you have come to expect. Others come and go, dilly dally with bullshit, while we remain Anarchists to the core.

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Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

Andoo Comanche

John ‘Herman’ Winning Jr has chartered the Sydney Hobart record holder, Comanche . In their first hit out, Winning took Line Honours from Black Jack in the fluky 2022 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race. She took Line Honours in just under 20 hours and won the inaugural 260nm Tollgate Islands Race. Herman has prefixed the boat’s name with ‘Andoo’ for Andoo Products, which partners with his Appliances Online. This is the boat to beat for Line Honours.

American Jim Clark and Aussie wife Kristy bought brand new Comanche for her first Rolex Sydney Hobart in 2014 and finished 49 mins behind Line Honours victor, Wild Oats XI , ahead of her Line Honours victory in 2015 after scoring Line Honours in the light and fluky 2015 Rolex Fastnet Race. She also smashed the 2225 nautical mile Transpac monohull record in 2017. Jim Cooney and Samantha Grant bought her just prior to the 2017 Rolex Sydney Hobart and as LDV Comanche , she took Line Honours and the race record after a protest against Wild Oats XI . In 2018, Comanche was pipped for second over the Rolex Sydney Hobart finish line by Black Jack after a race-long battle between the four 100-footers, won by Wild Oats XI . Cooney last took her to Hobart in 2019 and took Line Honours after doing the same in the 2019 Transpac Race.

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Shop the official clothing range of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in person at the Club in New South Head Road, Darling Point or online below.  

From casual to technical clothing, there is something for all occasions. Be quick as stock is limited!

Published on December 27th, 2022 | by Editor

Comanche first to finish Sydney Hobart

Published on December 27th, 2022 by Editor -->

(December 28, 2022) – John ‘Herman’ Winning Jr has set his sights on back-to-back Line Honors wins in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race with Andoo Comanche after the maxi claimed this year’s title.

Early this morning, Winning Jr skippered the champion 100-footer to its fourth elapsed time victory for the 628 nm course, but his first with the boat he has on a lease until April 2024.

“We’ve got the boat and will be coming back for sure,” said Winning. “We’re not trying to come second. We’re here to win every race that we do.

“This boat doesn’t deserve to come second; certainly not when it’s in its prime. Until the foiling boats outdate this boat she should always be going out there trying to win Line Honors.”

However, for now, Winning Jr and his crew will continue to celebrate their success in this year’s race, secured when they crossed the finish line at 12:56:48 am today.

Their winning time of 1 day 11 hours 56 minutes 48 seconds was just outside the race record time of 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, 24 seconds, set by LDV Comanche in 2017.

But their victory was nonetheless an impressive one in the fast downwind conditions which were created by the north-north easterly winds that prevailed for their entire journey south.

Second to finish at 1:23:19 am was Christian Beck’s LawConnect in 1 day 12 hours 23 minutes 19 seconds.

Third at 1:40:34 am was Peter Harburg’s Black Jack, skippered by Mark Bradford. The Oatley Family’s Hamilton Island Wild Oats, skippered by Mark Richards, crossed at 2:38:13 am

Andoo Comanche and LawConnect, which flew protest flags due to incidents exiting Sydney Harbor, both finished with their protest flags no longer up.

For Winning Jr, who was aboard Perpetual Loyal for her victory in 2016, it was a special result. It was his first as skipper and his father, John ‘Woody’ Winning, was also aboard.

“The moments are still sinking in,” Winning Jr said. “It just didn’t feel real until the last minute. Once it started sinking in, I just started thinking about who went into making it all possible.”

Andoo Comanche’s win added another chapter to its history. It was its fourth Line Honors win after 2015, 2017 (record that still holds), and 2019. It is also the first boat to win under three different owners.

American Jim Clark and his Australian wife, Kristy Hinze Clark, were the original owners of the yacht designed by Verdier Yacht Design and VPLP. They launched Comanche in 2015 and took Line Honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart that year.

The Clarks sold the boat to Jim Cooney and his wife Samantha Grant, who renamed the yacht LDV Comanche and took Line Honors and the race record of 1 day 9 hours 15 minutes 24 seconds in 2017, returning as Comanche in 2019, to take Line Honors again.

LawConnect’s owner, Christian Beck, was more than happy about finishing second behind Andoo Comanche, especially in conditions that did not suit his boat.

“We thought we were going to come fourth in these conditions, so second was beyond our expectations,” said Beck, for whom it was his fifth campaign on the boat.

“I’m very proud of it. The boat’s not that good, but the crew is awesome. For us to be half an hour behind Comanche and ahead of Wild Oats and Black Jack is incredibly good for us.”

Black Jack skipper Mark Bradford said this Rolex Sydney Hobart might be the last for Peter Harburg’s yacht, which won Line Honors last year.

“We’re going to head to Europe next year,” he said. “We’re going to go where the winds are light. We’re getting out of here!”

As for this year’s race, Bradford noted how it was a totally different race compared to last year. “Just an easy downwind race. No real dramas. Everyone should get here safely and yet have a great race.

“It was always going to be a close race, this race. Halfway through, Comanche had a pretty healthy lead and then towards the end, it came back into sort of 12 miles or so to us and six to LawConnect. I think that’s probably a fair result for everyone, really, to be honest.

“Comanche is a great boat with a great crew. They sail it well, obviously; but to be 12 miles behind after 628 nautical miles in what is their conditions? We’re pretty happy with that.”

(L-R) Benoit Falletti – Managing Director, Rolex Australia; John Winning Jr – skipper, Andoo Comanche; John Winning Sr – Andoo Comanche; Arthur Lane – Commodore, Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. Photo: ROLEX/Carlo Borlenghi

Attrition: Two boats retired on day one – the two-handed Avalanche (James Murchison/James Francis) due to a broken bowsprit and Louis and Marc Ryckman’s Yeah Baby with rudder damage from a sunfish strike.

On day two, the fleet was reduced to 106 boats with the retirement of the TP52 Koa, co-owned by Peter Wrigley and Andy Kearnan, after losing its rudder and calling for assistance.

Race details – Tracker – Facebook

The 628 nm Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is the 77th edition in 2022 and had a fleet of 109 boats for the start on December 26. One hundred fifty seven teams set off in 2019, but since then the 2020 race was cancelled due to the pandemic with 88 entries in 2021.

From the start in Sydney Harbour, the fleet sails out into the Tasman Sea, down the south-east coast of mainland Australia, across Bass Strait (which divides the mainland from the island State of Tasmania), then down the east coast of Tasmania. At Tasman Island the fleet turns right into Storm Bay for the final sail up the Derwent River to the historic port city of Hobart.

Source: RSHYR

Tags: Sydney Hobart

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Double win for two-handed team in Sydney Hobart →

VIDEO: Sydney Hobart Race 2023 →

Alive claims overall Sydney Hobart title →

Victory to LawConnect in Sydney Hobart →

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SAILING - Noakes Sydney to Gold Coast 2023 29/07/2023 Ph. Andrea Francolini Andoo Comanche

Andoo Comanche wins Line Honours in 2023 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race

Andoo Comanche has claimed Line Honours in the 384 nautical mile Noakes Sydney Gold Coast, for the second year in a row.

The VPLP/Verdier Maxi 100, skippered by John Winning Jr, crossed the line at 4.34am in 1 day, 15 hours, 34 minutes and 33 seconds to claim another win in the race that was created back in 1986 to promote tourism to South-East Queensland.

The majestic maxi finished off Main Beach in around 8-12 knots of breeze, as she reached in from over 50 miles offshore on the other side of the East Coast Current.

“Originally the models had us going much further out,” said Skipper John Winning Jnr.  “But we got a right-hand shift not too long off South Head, so we took that went left on the right shift on starboard and then we took another little one back.”

“We were, pretty lonely out there, I guess. We didn’t see another boat after about three hours into the race,” Winning said. 

Sailing Master Iain Murray AM said they went far offshore to capitalise on the wind.

“We did end up 60 nautical miles off the coast which is a long way for a race that is only 384 nautical miles. It means that we actually sailed further, but we went out there to get the wind and to avoid the current. 

“The thing for Andoo Comanche is that she likes wind and the thought of being in-shore and not too much wind, is something we put high on the risk factor and to try to avoid,” sailing legend Murray said.

Skipper John ‘Herman’ Winning Jnr said despite being in a solo battle, as the only maxi in the fleet, it was still gratifying journey North.

With 18 on board, they kept morale high the lots of jokes, a crew member’s birthday and some dolphins.

“There are lots of laughs and jokes. At one stage Campbell set his hair on fire, there was a pigeon who visited us for a day, there were some dolphins,

“We were streaming the Bledisloe Cup at one stage, then we went too far off-shore and a few of us voted to tack in to get reception, but we were out-voted,” Winning said. 

Winning Jr chartered the boat for a two-year period before last year’s Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Race and has since campaigned it successfully in all major Australian events, including a Line Honours victory in the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

The race from Sydney Harbour to a mark off Main Beach on the Gold Coast didn’t offer ideal conditions for Andoo Comanche which generally prefers stronger winds given her wider beam.

Her versatility has become apparent since last year’s Hamilton Island Race Week where she triumphed in a range of conditions against Hamilton Island Wild Oats.

She led from start to finish in the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast, progressively extending her lead over the mini maxis, Anthony Johnston’s URM Group and David Griffith’s Whisper .

Watch the 4;30am finish  here Follow the race standings  here   Join us on  Facebook  for regular race updates 

CYCA Principal Sponsor

Cyca official sponsors, helly hansen, club marine, sydney brewery, lgt crestone, the luxury collection, winnings appliances, roads and maritime services, cyca youth sailing academy sponsors and supporters, helly hansen, forecasts.global, vibe hotels, network marine, sun foundation.

Sailing vessel, MMSI 319073600

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The current position of COMANCHE is at East Australia reported 3 hours ago by AIS. The vessel COMANCHE (MMSI 319073600) is a Sailing vessel and currently sailing under the flag of Cayman Islands .

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COMANCHE current position and history of port calls are received by AIS. Technical specifications, tonnages and management details are derived from VesselFinder database. The data is for informational purposes only and VesselFinder is not responsible for the accuracy and reliability of COMANCHE data.

Andoo Comanche wins Line Honours in Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race

Andoo Comanche has claimed Line Honours in the 384 nautical mile Noakes Sydney Gold Coast, for the second year in a row.

The VPLP/Verdier Maxi 100, skippered by John Winning Jr, crossed the line at 4.34am in 1 day, 15 hours, 34 minutes and 33 seconds to claim another win in the race that was created back in 1986 to promote tourism to South-East Queensland.

The majestic maxi finished off Main Beach in around 8-12 knots of breeze, as she came in from a wider position 50 miles out.

“Originally the models had us going much further out,” said Skipper John Winning Jnr. “But we got a right-hand shift not too long off South Head, so we took that went left on the right shift on starboard and then we took another little one back.”

“We were, pretty lonely out there, I guess. We didn’t see another boat after about three hours into the race,” Winning said.

Boat Captain Iain Murray said they went far off-shore to capitalise on the wind.

“We did end up 60 nautical miles off the coast, which is a long way for a race that is only 384 nautical miles. It means that we actually sailed further, but we went out there to get the wind and to avoid the current.

“The thing for Andoo Comanche is that she likes wind and the thought of being inshore and having not too much wind, is something we put high on the risk factor and to try to avoid.” Murray said.

Skipper John ‘Herman’ Winning Jnr said despite being in a solo battle, as the only maxi in the fleet, it was still a gratifying journey North. With 18 on board, the team kept morale high with lots of jokes, a crew member’s birthday and some dolphins.

“There are lots of laughs and jokes. At one stage Campbell set his hair on fire, there was a pigeon who visited us for a day, and there were some dolphins.

“We were streaming the Bledisloe Cup at one stage, then we went too far offshore and a few of us voted to tack back in to get reception – but we were out-voted,” Winning said.

Winning Jr chartered the boat for a two-year period before last year’s Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Race and has since campaigned it successfully in all major Australian events, including a Line Honours victory in the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

The race from Sydney Harbour to a mark off Main Beach on the Gold Coast didn’t offer optimum conditions for Andoo Comanche, who generally prefers stronger wind strength and reaching conditions for which her wider beam is most suited.

She has however, exhibited more versatility of late and it has become apparent since last year’s Hamilton Island Race Week that she can triumph over her 100-foot competitors in a broader range of conditions.

Andoo Comanche led from start to finish, progressively extending her lead over the mini maxis, Anthony Johnston’s URM Group and David Griffith’s Whisper.

Watch the dark finish here Follow the race standings here

Article by CYCA

Official website www.goldcoast.cycaracing.com

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Rolex Sydney Hobart: Andoo Comanche regains lead in thrilling arm wrestle

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Andoo Comanche wins Sydney to Hobart yacht race 2022 line honours after tussle with LawConnect

Topic: Sport

Andoo Comanche has triumphed in a two-boat chase up the River Derwent to take out its fourth line honours in a late-night finish to the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

Key points:

• Andoo Comanche's finish was less than three hours off the race record set in 2017
• LawConnect crossed the finish line in second place, with both boats barrelling up the River Derwent at the same time
• The overall winner is yet to be declared, with times adjusted for boat size and other factors

The 24-strong crew on the John Winning Jr-skippered supermaxi crossed the finish line at 12:57am AEDT on Wednesday with a time of 1 day, 11 hours, 56 minutes and 48 seconds.

Favourable weather led to a speedy race this year but it was still not enough to pip Comanche's 2017 line honours win with skipper Jim Cooney, which set the race record of 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds.

This year's tussle for line honours and the JH Illingworth trophy became a clash between supermaxis Andoo Comanche and LawConnect on the River Derwent. 

LawConnect finished a little over 20 minutes after Comanche, with a time of 1 day, 12 hours, 23 minutes and 19 seconds.

Black Jack followed closely behind the pair and all three chased each other down the east coast of Tasmania, hooked a sharp right turn around Tasman Island and closed in on Hobart in quick succession.

Andoo Comanche finished more than 20 minutes ahead of the next competitor. ( ABC News: Maren Preuss )

A crowd greeted Andoo Comanche's crew in Hobart. ( ABC News: Maren Preuss )

Comanche skipper John Winning Jr said the line honours win felt "pretty unbelievable at the moment" and was "still sinking in".

"I was on [line honours winner] Perpetual Loyal as one of the skippers in 2016 so I sort of know what to expect in terms of all of this," he said.

"But to do it in a campaign that I was part of putting together is really quite exceptional."

Skipper John Winning Jr tastes victory has he hoists the JH Illingworth trophy. ( ABC News: Maren Preuss )

He said this year he had "lost a dear friend", Andoo Team X founder Matthew Munting, and would dedicate the win to him.

He also thanked the "incredible legends" on his crew as well as his parents, who he said had put a love of the water into him at a young age.

The 24-member crew of Andoo Comanche celebrate their line honours win in Hobart. ( ABC News: Maren Preuss )

LawConnect crew member Gavin Smith said on Wednesday morning the team was exhausted but happy with the result.

"We were always hoping we would be able to catch them in the end, it was just a case that we didn't get there this year, but hopefully next year."

Black Jack crossed the finish in third with a time of 1 day, 12 hours, 40 minutes and 34 seconds.

Hamilton Island Wild Oats lost ground earlier in the race to become a distant fourth.

Wild Oats got into drama on the first night, with a seam splitting across one of its downwind sails.

The crew were forced to pull down the sail to repair it, which took them an hour and a half.

Monday saw a chaotic start to the 77th edition of the bluewater classic, with near-misses, protests and penalties for the big four.

Despite its eventual win, Comanche had a poor start when it did not get enough clear wind to move ahead of its rivals and became jammed by other craft.

It then misjudged a turn and hit the mark, losing even more ground. Shortly afterwards, the crew raised a protest flag.

Comanche romped home with another line honours win but wasn't able to beat the record it set in 2017. ( Supplied: Rolex/Andrea Francolini  )

Wild Oats skipper Mark Richards let loose a number of audible obscenities on the TV coverage as he and his crew tried to navigate their way to the Sydney Heads and out into the ocean for the trip south.

At one point, Black Jack cut back across two of its rivals, running a fine line between LawConnect and Wild Oats.

On Wednesday morning, Comanche's protest flag was noticeably absent as it came up the River Derwent to the finish line.

Skipper John Winning Jr was asked why the team removed it.

"Would you worry about it if you came first?" he asked.

Yachtie injured, more boats retire as wind lashes Tasmania

Moneypenny crew member David Blanchfield received cuts to his leg when he was washed from the bow to the mast.

Stefan Racing suffered a torn mainsail as it raced Willow up the River Derwent. ( Supplied: Leash Harvey )

He was met by an ambulance after the yacht crossed the line in ninth place.

Stefan Racing skipper Grant Wharington said conditions were "heinous" off Tasman Island on Tuesday night, with winds of up to 45 knots from the north.

The sixth-placed yacht was racing Willow and Alive up the Derwent on Wednesday morning when it suffered mainsail damage.

"We got stuck with a jib that was too big," he said.

"It's maximum 18, 20-knot sail and we got like 30, 33 knots or something and it's just broke in half.

"It was quite an old sail. Anyway, you get that."

Although a number of other yachts have retired from the race, including White Noise, Mondo, Navy One, Sail Exchange and Huntress, it is a stark contrast to last year, when almost a quarter of entries dropped out before finishing.

Earlier in the race, Avalanche and Yeah Baby both retired with rudder damage while Koa suffered a damaged bowsprit.

It will be rough sailing for those still in the race, with the east of Tasmania now subject to gale and strong wind warnings.

'Polar opposite' weather conditions compared to 2021

LawConnect was the second yacht to reach the River Derwent. ( Supplied: Rolex/Andrea Francolini )

While Wednesday brought tough conditions for sailors, LawConnect crew member Tony Mutter said for his yacht, the contrast in weather between this year and last year's event had been startling.

Mutter told the ABC conditions were "pretty nice" for the crew and the "polar opposite" to last year.

"I was wearing thermals [last year]; we were in thunder and lightning," he said earlier.

"Now, I am in a T-shirt, shorts and life jacket."

LawConnect docked in Hobart after a "pretty nice" ride. ( ABC News: Liz Gwynn )

While line honours go to the first yacht to cross the finish line, the overall race winner is yet to be declared.

The major prize for sailors is the Tattersalls Cup — which goes to the overall winner on handicap after times are adjusted for boat size and other factors.

Last year, line honours went to Black Jack, but the overall winner — Ichi Ban — was not crowned until two days later.

As many in the fleet made their way down Tasmania's east coast, much of the state was under a severe weather warning for damaging winds. ( ABC News: Alexandra Humphries )