In this photo provided by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, LawConnect leads all competitors after the start in the Sydney Hobart yacht race in Sydney on Friday. (AP photo)

SYDNEY (AP) — Master Lock Comanche was leading defending champion LawConnect in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race late Friday local time in the 80th running of the ocean race to the island state of Tasmania.

LawConnect, the 100-foot supermaxi, had led the fleet early on after making a good start in its pursuit of a third straight line honors title.

Five hours into the race, it held a lead of two nautical miles over Comanche before a snapped halyard slowed it down and helped its rival overtake. Comanche, the pre-race favorite which retired from last year’s race with mainsail damage, was in the lead going into the first night when rough conditions were expected.

LawConnect was in second place and Hong Kong yacht SHK Scallywag 100 was third, followed closely by Lucky, a New York Yacht Club entry skippered by Bryon Ehrhart.

Friday’s final weather briefing confirmed the fleet would face a strong southerly wind going down the New South Wales state coast. Crews were warned to expect a cold first night with swell between 10 to 13 feet, with upwind conditions also increasing the chance of damage to boats.

Conditions were unlikely to be as treacherous as last year, when two sailors died in storms, but the fleet was on guard.

“I think there will be retirements, it’s tough on boats in the early part of this race,” said Celestial V70 skipper Sam Haynes, who is also commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia which organizes the race.

“The crash bang, the waves, the gear itself is going to be under stress so it is a hard race in that sense'” he added. “Also it’s hard on crews: seasickness and potentially some injuries. They can put boats out. I think there will be some retirements in these conditions.”

It was the most overcast start to the race in recent years, with boats flying spinnakers from the starting gun to make the best of the windy conditions.

The 128-strong fleet paid tribute to the victims of the Dec. 14 terror attack by scattering rose petals off the coast of Bondi Beach as they passed the area early in the race. At the final briefing, extra rose petals were made available, with the whole fleet expected to participate.

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