After an all-day game of cat and mouse with three other yachts, Master Lock Comanche, the race record holder since 2017, finished the race at 18.03.36 this evening, in the time of 2 days 5 hours 3 minutes 36 seconds to claim the title. Her finish time was nowhere near her record time of 1 day 9hrs 15mins 24secs.
Master Lock Comanche, LawConnect (Christian Beck) and SHK Scallywag 100 (owned by Seng Huang Lee and skippered by David Witt) were locked in a battle that kept starting again, each taking the race lead at times, with Bryon Ehrhart’s Lucky (USA) snapping at their heals. There was little more than a mile separating the four for most of the last day.
In the afternoon however, Master Lock Comanche made her escape, leaving the rest in her wake.
Skipper Matt Allen has never taken line honours in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s race before. He won three Hobarts overall with his TP52, Ichi Ban in 2017, 2019, 2021. He also won overall as crew on Challenge II in 1983.
James Mayo was a crew on Sovereign when she took the double line and overall victory in 1987, when he was 22.
“It’s absolutely amazing,” Allen said speaking to the press after his win.
“We had a great lead during the race, and then it evaporated. We effectively had to restart. I’ve never seen anything like it in the Sydney Hobart — all the boats so close together on day two. To win it twice makes it even more special.”
The Bass Strait crossing was very difficult, even by Sydney Hobart standards, with many crews describing horrendous conditions, injuries and sea-sickness.
“It was like putting scissors in a jar and shaking it,” Mayo said.
“The greatest danger was not equipment failure, but injury,” said Allen. “Making sure you didn’t get thrown around was the hardest part. That’s how things break — gear and people.”
Master Lock Comanche had injures to contend with from the start, with a bowman down almost straight away and another crew member hurt in a fall below decks.
“At one point, people were going down like flies,” Mayo said. “But the crew just kept stepping up.”
Once they reached the Derwent, the conditions calmed significantly to give a glorious end with some great images. Finishing in the daytime also meant there were huge crows ready to welcome the winners.
“The run up the Derwent was the best I’ve had in 33 races,” Allen said. “The sailing was superb, and the welcome in Hobart was unbelievable.”
“Tasmania embraced us,” Mayo said. “That’s something I’ll never forget.”
It was all a far cry from last year when the yacht had to retire early with dramatic mainsail damage and the mast breaking 1.5m above the deck.
“We only decided to come back if we were both all-in,” Allen said. “We decided to do it properly.”
“Last year was brutal,” said Mayo. “This was about redemption. You can’t achieve something like this without an incredible team, and that’s what we have.”
Matt Allen and James Mayo have sailed Master Lock Comanche to Line Honours in the 2025 Rolex Sydney Hobart in the time of 2 days 5 hours 3 minutes 36 seconds.
