Master Lock Comanche

Matt Allen and James Mayo have taken charge of Comanche, to be known this race as Master Lock Comanche. Allen is well known as the latest of a trio to win the Sydney Hobart three times and has not done the Sydney Hobart since Ichi Ban’s third win in 2021. Mayo is an accomplished Etchells sailor who won the 1999 and 2024 Etchells Worlds, the latter with Graeme Taylor and Richie Allanson, both of whom are aboard for the Hobart with their coach, Iain Murray. Mayo did the 1986 Hobart on Sovereign and was on board again when she took the double line and overall win in 1987. Allen and Mayo opened their account with line honours and winning overall the 260nm Tollage Islands Race in October and Cabbage Tree Island in December. They have made some minor mods to the ‘aircraft carrier’ and added new sails.

John ‘Herman’ Winning charted the rebadged Andoo Comanche for the 2022 and 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobarts, taking line honours in 2022 and in 2023 losing to LawConnect in the Derwent by 51 seconds in a thriller. The most technologically advanced of the 100 footers, in 2023, she took monohull line honours in the Pittwater to Coffs, Sydney Gold Coast and Brisbane to Hamilton Island (breaking the record), among others.

American Jim Clark and wife Kristy bought Comanche new to the Hobart in 2014 and finished 49 mins behind line honours victor, Wild Oats XI. They took line honours in 2015 after scoring line honours in the 2015 Rolex Fastnet Race and smashed the Transpac monohull record in 2017. Jim Cooney/Samantha Grant bought Comanche just prior to the 2017 Hobart and as LDV Comanche, took line honours and the race record after a protest against the initial claimant, Wild Oats XI. In 2018, Comanche finished third on line behind Black Jack and WOXI. Cooney last sailed her in the 2019 race and took line honours after doing the same in the 2019 Transpac Race. Under foreign owners, she broke the 2022 Transatlantic Race record.

News:

Master Lock Comanche out of Rolex Sydney Hobart

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