A pair of heavy hitters have ratcheted up the pressure on their rivals ahead of this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race with resounding victories in the SOLAS Big Boat Challenge on a picturesque Sydney Harbour.
James Mayo and Matt Allen’s Maxi Master Lock Comanche cemented their favouritism for Line Honours in the 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart by scoring a comprehensive defeat of Chrisitan Beck’s two-time defending Line Honours champions, LawConnect.
Joining Comanche as champions today and in the Australian Maxi Championships are URM Group, whose Overall win firmly marks the Reichel/Pugh Maxi 72 as a genuine contender for the Tattersall Cup, awarded to the Overall Sydney Hobart winner.
For Master Lock Comanche, Mayo noted that his crew were raring to go for the race to Hobart after heartbreakingly tearing a mainsail during the first night of last year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart.
“As Victor Kovalenko would say, the greatest Olympic sailing coach of all time, ‘we’re ready to race’,” Mayo said. “We’ve put a lot of work into this program and it’s been very successful. We have a great team of people. Together, everyone achieves more, and we really have a tremendous team.
“It was brutal last year; we had a great team and were incredibly prepared. At midnight, one o’clock, when suddenly, bang, it was all over. That hurt. A year on, and I feel that we’re in really good shape. It feels good and now we’ve just got to make it happen and sail the best we possibly can.”
Mayo acknowledged the rivalry with LawConnect but stated that his focus was on their own boat and crew. “Look, competition is great. The more competition, the better. But our job is just to focus on our boat, our crew and do what we do best. We’ve really got to go forward on the 26th and put our best performance in. If we do, we’re quietly confident.”
By crossing the line first today, Comanche sealed the Line Honours Division in the Australian Maxi Championship after the 100-footer won all but one of the five legs sailed over the past five days.
Owned by waste management kings Anthony and David Johnston, and skippered by Marcus Ashley-Jones, URM Group demolished the fleet in the Overall Division, with No Limit and Moneypenny finishing tied for second in the Championship.
With four Overall race wins in a row across this year’s Australian Maxi Championships, URM Group’s Anthony Johnston was understandably pleased heading towards Sydney Hobart. “Yeah, really, really, happy,” Johnston said. “We had four wins in a row, which is a first for us. So, yeah, really stoked. We went really well. We lost our mast last season, so we started this season a bit slow. We didn’t do the (Sydney to) Gold Coast race, then we started to get used to the rig, so now we’re starting to come good at the right time.”
Johnston will sail to Hobart this year with his four brothers, David, Nick, Andrew and Nigel, something he cherishes. “I think it’d be great (to win). It’s a privilege to sail with them. I love doing Hobart with my brothers, so it’s an absolute privilege. So, to get a win would just be really special.”
For results from the SOLAS Big Boat Challenge, click HERE.
For results from the 2025 Australian Maxi Championships, click HERE.
A more comprehensive review of today’s sailing will be available on the CYCA website soon, HERE.
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