The 80th Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race revolved around the strategic execution of three maxis: Master Lock Comanche, LawConnect and SHK Scallywag 100. As the race compressed and offshore tactics gave way to ‘match racing’, Line Honours remained undecided deep into the course.
Across the past two Rolex Sydney Hobarts, LawConnect set the early pace and converted it into results. In 2023 she beat Comanche by just 51 seconds. In 2024 Comanche was forced out with major mainsail damage. In the 2025 edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart, Comanche was not prepared to concede control again, making this a contest defined from the outset.
Add SHK Scallywag to the mix. Winless in Hobart and forced out in 2023 with a broken bowsprit, this race remains unfinished business. For skipper David Witt, the 80th edition was a chance not to let another Sydney Hobart slip away.
Comanche started where a Verdier-designed 100-footer belongs, on the front row. From the gun the leaders split: LawConnect committing to starboard, Comanche holding port. Both wide-beamed boats pressed for leverage, neither conceding the favoured side.
MASTER LOCK COMANCHE, Sail No: CAY007, Owner: Matt Allen/James Mayo – Charterers, Skipper: Matt Allen/James Mayo, Club: CYCA/RPEYC, NSW, Design: VPLP Verdier 100, LOA (m): 30.5, Year: 2014
The first meaningful decision came quickly. As the fleet cleared Sydney Heads and settled into a hard southerly, two clear lanes formed. LawConnect committed closer inshore. Comanche went offshore. The offshore lane offered steadier pressure and cleaner air, at the cost of heavier exposure to the building sea state.
Through Botany Bay and past Wollongong, Comanche tracked within a couple of miles of LawConnect. A clear gap opened behind the leading pair, with Lucky, Palm Beach XI Scallywag next in line, underlining that the front two were sailing cleanly in the power band as the fleet stretched early.
Early progress in rough water
The opening hours were defined by short, aggressive seas and widespread attrition. In those conditions progress was about holding a sustainable mode and protecting structure and systems.
Comanche ceded marginal ground early, then stabilised, before leaning harder into the offshore mode as conditions settled overnight. By the starting day’s 9.30pm AEDT update she had taken the lead. The margin was narrow, but her higher sustained speed suggested a more aggressive, yet controlled, target.
Overnight consolidation through the Tasman Sea
As the fleet ran south, execution became decisive. LawConnect began managing failures, including a broken mainsheet, halyard issues, repeated headsail drops, and later sail damage.
By Saturday morning the race reached its decisive phase. Comanche and LawConnect led the charge into the Tasman Sea, with Scallywag and Lucky still within striking distance. As pressure built into the 20 to 30 knot range, Comanche held a narrow lead with 362 miles to run, averaging just under 13 knots, LawConnect only 4.2 miles astern.
MASTER LOCK COMANCHE, Sail No: CAY007, Owner: Matt Allen/James Mayo – Charterers, Skipper: Matt Allen/James Mayo, Club: CYCA/RPEYC, NSW, Design: VPLP Verdier 100, LOA (m): 30.5, Year: 2014
Tasman Sea and mechanical sympathy
This was a test of platform management. Comanche could generate strong progress, but only by staying within her designed load and angle ranges. The Strait punished over-commitment, and attrition across the fleet reflected that.
Comanche’s lead through this phase was incremental rather than explosive. She held pace while boats behind managed damage and preservation modes. LawConnect stayed close enough to apply pressure but never displaced Comanche decisively.
Scallywag and Lucky pulled clear of Palm Beach XI and settled into a tight match race of their own, until Scallywag finally broke free and accelerated away, still chasing the leaders but closing the gap with intent.
Compression off St Helens Point
The most volatile phase came late. South of St Helens Point, breeze collapsed and became unstable. Boat speeds dropped sharply and the leaderboard churned, driven by positioning, bad luck (LawConnect ripped a huge gap in its mainsail, suffered from forebeam damage and was racing without instruments) rather than raw speed.
Comanche was slowed by the coastal transition as the fleet compressed to within a mile or two. Scallywag taking advantage of her winds came up on the leaders quickly and decisively. Comanche briefly slipped to third, trading places with Scallywag and LawConnect—a maxi match-racing style three-way shuffle that kept watchers on the edge of their seats. The sequence underlined how open Line Honours remained late in the race, with the wind, coastal effects and tide lines driving rapid gains and losses.
MASTER LOCK COMANCHE, Sail No: CAY007, Owner: Matt Allen/James Mayo – Charterers, Skipper: Matt Allen/James Mayo, Club: CYCA/RPEYC, NSW, Design: VPLP Verdier 100, LOA (m): 30.5, Year: 2014
Staying further east delivered marginally better pressure. LawConnect capitalised briefly on that line. Comanche balanced sail mode with lateral positioning to avoid being pinned.
The decisive overtakes
Two late moves defined the win. First, Comanche reasserted control after the St Helens compression. The decisive pass came north of Cape Sonnerat, where she overtook Scallywag to move into the lead. From there she held pressure and angle long enough to convert cleanly into the Derwent.
MASTER LOCK COMANCHE, Sail No: CAY007, Owner: Matt Allen/James Mayo – Charterers, Skipper: Matt Allen/James Mayo, Club: CYCA/RPEYC, NSW, Design: VPLP Verdier 100, LOA (m): 30.5, Year: 2014
Master Lock Comanche crossed the line after 2 days, 5 hours, 3 minutes and 36 seconds, delivering a controlled, technically disciplined Line Honours victory in the 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
Congratulations to all Matt Allen and James Mayo and all the crew of Master Lock Comanche, including Phil Jameson from New Zealand, from all of Boating New Zealand and Insight Media.
