KEY POINTS:
SYDNEY - Australian maxi Wild Oats XI was on course for a rare second successive victory in the Sydney-Hobart yacht race after extending its lead on Thursday.
The 98-foot yacht has led for most of the 628 nautical mile race since it started in Sydney Harbour on Tuesday and was nearing the island state of Tasmania.
Wild Oats was on course to finish early on Friday. It held a lead of about 10 nautical miles over another Australian maxi, Skandia, and the 70-footer Ichi Ban.
Last year, the hi-tech yacht became the first boat in 60 years to win the triple honours of race record as well as line and handicap honours.
It is now on course to become the first yacht in more than 40 years to claim back-to-back line honours wins.
The last yacht to achieve that feat was Astor in 1963 and 1964.
But headwinds and rough seas over the first two days have robbed Wild Oats of the chance to challenge the race record it set last year of one day, 18 hours, 40 minutes and 10 seconds.
Wild Oats was at least able to avoid the trouble which claimed nine boats on Wednesday from a starting fleet of 78. New Zealand maxi Maximus and Dutch entry ABN Amro had both briefly taken the lead before they were dismasted in rough seas.
Skandia, the 2003 winner, was probably too far back to mount a serious challenge to Wild Oats but was sailing well and was about 10 miles ahead of the smaller Ichi Ban despite losing its canard, or forward rudder, on Wednesday.
"Skandia is going well in spite of our damage and the boys are sailing her as hard as they can," owner and skipper Grant Wharington told race officials.
Conditions were much calmer during the fleet's second night at sea, with winds expected to build to up to 20 knots later on Thursday.
The fleet was battered by headwinds of up to 30 knots and swells of about three metres late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday which forced nine yachts to retire.
The crew of Australian entry Koomooloo abandoned their 38-year-old timber yacht after it began sinking.
Eight crew members on board Maximus were injured and three were winched from its decks by helicopter after it was dismasted early on Wednesday. All crew were later reported safe.
While rough, the conditions were nowhere near as bad as the 1998 race, during which six sailors died after a terrifying storm slammed into the fleet.
That tragedy prompted race organisers to impose stringent new safety standards but minor injuries are still common in the annual bluewater classic, regarded as one of the world's toughest.
- REUTERS
