Yachting: Five vie for first to Hobart

SYDNEY - Five Volvo around-the-world boats were battling for the lead in the Sydney to Hobart race after the frontrunners crossed Bass Strait in an event dominated by a violent early storm and tornado.

Race officials said the first five boats - illbruck, Tyco, News Corp, djuice and Assa Abloy - were close together but struggling in very light wind down the eastern coast of Tasmania with more than 120 nautical miles of the 630-mile race left.

But Tyco will not have its finishing position recorded after failing to make a mandatory radio call to alert race officials as it entered Bass Strait, the toughest section of the race.

Eight Volvo 18m yachts are competing in the Sydney-Hobart as part of the third leg of their race around the world.

German-backed illbruck, Australia's News Corp, Tyco of Bermuda and Sweden's Assa Abloy jockeyed for the lead yesterday and were often so close together it was impossible to tell which boat was in front.

The leaders had been forecast to finish early today - well outside Danish-Australian boat Nokia's 1999 race record of 1 day 19h 48min 2s - but the light winds will probably set their arrival time back.

Pre-race favourite Nicorette closed steadily on the lead Volvo boats after a torrid two days at sea and was only three nautical miles behind in sixth yesterday.

The Swedish maxi and defending champion was in the lead when it was knocked on her side by a tornado on Wednesday.

"We worked out that we lost well over 40, probably over 50 miles in the whole episode of the twister ... just to be able to get close enough to see the leaders is a great victory for us," Nicorette skipper Ludde Ingvall said.

Wednesday's tornado and heavy weather in Bass Strait continued to take their toll on the fleet, and 15 yachts from the starting fleet of 75 have pulled out.

Swedish Volvo entry Team SEB was forced out when its rudder came loose and the boat began taking on water. The crew rigged an emergency steering system and were heading to port.

The all-women boat Amer Sports Too also had a jury rig up after breaking rigging but was continuing to Hobart.

Illbruck, which won the first two legs of the Volvo race from Southampton and Cape Town, led a group of about 14 boats past Green Cape, about 248 miles south of Sydney, into Bass Strait yesterday.

Tyco, forced out of the second leg of the around the world race with a broken rudder, fell foul of race officials for being seven minutes late in making the radio call demanded of all boats within an hour of them passing Green Cape.

Race official Peter Campbell said the action against Tyco did not constitute a disqualification and would not affect its standing in the third leg of the round the world race.

Team spokeswoman Elsa Butler said Tyco had protested against the decision.

She said the crew were unable to check in within the seven minutes because they were battling rough conditions, but called in not long after.

"They believe they were within the intent and spirit of the rule," she said.

The so-called "Green Cape" rule was one of a raft of safety rules brought in after the 1998 race, during which six sailors died after a weather "bomb" exploded over the fleet in Bass Strait.

This year's fleet was the smallest in 28 years, partly because of the rising costs in insurance and mandatory safety equipment which stem from the 1998 race.

- REUTERS