New Zealand entry Konica Minolta pulled away from super maxi rival Skandia to take an extended lead Monday in the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race as rough seas battered some of the smaller and slower boats.
Last year, the 30m Skandia, skippered by Melbourne sailor Grant Wharington, beat Konica Minolta, then known as Zana, by 14 minutes in one of the tightest finishes in the history of the race.
PHOTO: AFP
"It's as close as it was last year," Skandia navigator Will Oxley said Monday as the two boats traded the lead throughout the day.
But Konica Minolta extended its lead over Skandia to about six nautical miles as nightfall approached on Bass Strait and both yachts had about 200 nautical miles to the finish line at Constitution Dock in Hobart.
Nicorette, launched three weeks ago, led a fleet of 116 boats out of Sydney Harbor on Sunday at the start of the 60th edition of the race to the island state of Tasmania, 1,163km away.
Nicorette slipped back to third and AAPT was in fourth, but neither yacht looked as if it could threaten the two leading boats.
Strong southerly winds forced a number of retirements yesterday, with 18 boats out of the race and seven more seeking shelter along the Australian coast to see if conditions improved.
The retirements included the Sydney 38 craft Hidden Agenda, which went to Eden on the New South Wales south coast with a slightly injured crewman. Last year, the same boat was dismasted during the race.
Also out is Tasmanian entry Quest Travelscene 66, skippered by John Bennetto, the yachtsman with 43 race crossings, the most of any sailor in the race.
The race record of one day, 19 hours, 48 minutes and two seconds was set by Nokia in 1999.
Wharington said before the race began that he expected his super maxi to finish in about 54 hours, at least 10 hours slower than Nokia's record. He is trying to become the first skipper in more than 20 years to win back-to-back races.
That finishing time looked to be accurate, although it could be Konica Minolta taking line honors.
In 1998, six sailors died and seven boats were abandoned or sank during a terrible storm that hit the fleet. Of the 115 yachts that started that year, 70 boats withdrew.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was