Defending champion LawConnect takes early lead in Sydney to Hobart yacht race

SYDNEY (AP) - Defending line honors champion LawConnect led the Sydney to Hobart yacht fleet out of Sydney harbor on Thursday at the start of the 79th running of the 628-nautical mile (722 miles, 1,160 kilometers) race.

Favorite for line honors Master Lock Comanche was in close pursuit behind her rival 100-foot super maxi, the pair leaving the harbour behind about 15 minutes after the start.

A large spectator fleet gathered outside of the exclusion zone on the harbor to take in the start of the race and bask in the pristine Southern Hemisphere summer conditions.

The fleet of 104 boats was expected to make a fast start down the New South Wales state coast in a northeasterly breeze before a wind change hits the Bass Strait overnight, bringing strong winds and possible showers.

The race takes the yachts across Bass Strait and to the island state of Tasmania, ending in the state capital Hobart after sailing the last portion of the race on the Derwent River.

The first all-Filipino crew of 15 sailors is sailing in the race. With veteran sailor Ernesto Echauz at the helm, Centennial 7 is one of six international entrants and includes sailors from the Philippines' national team and the Philippines navy.

:Last year, LawConnect won line honors after holding off defending champion Comanche by less than a minute in an exciting finish between the super maxis. The pair of 100-foot yachts had dueled for much of the race and were well ahead of the rest of the fleet of 103 yachts that started last year's race.

LawConnect, which was runner-up in the last three editions of the race, finished in 1 day, 19 hours, 3 minutes, 58 seconds. Comanche's time was 1 day, 19 hours, 4 minutes, 49 seconds - a margin of just 51 seconds.

It was the second-closest finish in Sydney to Hobart history after Condor of Bermuda beat Apollo by seven seconds in 1982.

Comanche holds the race record of 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, 24 seconds, set when it won the race in 2017.

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