The East Boothbay-built yacht Comanche finished second to a record-breaking performance by Wild Oats XI in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Friday-Sunday, Dec. 26 to 28.
Hodgdon Yachts Inc. built the high-tech racing yacht for Internet billionaire James Clark and his wife, Kristy Hinze-Clark, with the object to win major races and break sailing records.
Comanche took an early lead in the high-profile Australian race known as the “bluewater classic.”
A change in weather conditions, however, favored the design of Wild Oats XI and enabled the boat to take line honors for the third consecutive year and a record eighth time in all, according to media reports.
Comanche impressed its crew despite the second-place finish.
“You can already see Comanche is already changing sailing as we speak,” captain Ken Read said, according to the race website.
“I think we do have a record breaker on our hands,” designer Xavier Guilbaud said. “The real answer will be in June next year when it does the Transatlantic Race.”
Read also plugged Hodgdon Yachts.
“This team, our team, did an unbelievable job, and special credit to the boat-builders and the design team, because Lord knows we tried to break it, and it wouldn’t break,” Read said.
The Clarks and Read have ambitious goals for Comanche beyond the Hobart race. The pair plans an attempt to break the 24-hour distance record, tackle the trans-Atlantic record, and possibly make a run at the nonstop, around-the-world record.
