Strong winds and rough seas took its toll on gear.

Yoko was the first boat to retire when computer problems forced them to turn back to the heads at 05.30 hrs. Then at 10:00hrs Fantasea of Man retired with a jammed jib.  Both boats are now back at their respective clubs.

By late afternoon the fleet had rounded Cape Otway and the wind was now from the north west and “on the nose”.  The strengthening wind, reported to be gusting up to 50 knots  at times created a big sea and swell.  The boats were beating into the wind and hugging the coast in an attempt to gain some protection.  At 16:00 hrs The Secretary reported hydraulic failure and was forced to retire.  Initially they continued on to Port Fairy under motor then changed their minds when conditions continued to decline and altered course to motor back to the Heads. They are currently just past Cape Otway.

At 17:28hrs with only 24.5 mls to go Dekadence’s great run as leader for line honours  was over as she was forced to retire with a broken main halyard in difficult conditions. They are currently returning to the "Heads". At 18:59 Magazan retired when the skipper decided the conditions were too rough to continue and they also turned their head for home. In company with The Secretary they have both rounded Cape Otway on their way home.

At 19:45, Alien, who was doing very well in the top half of the fleet broke its mast.  After clearing the decks, Alien headed for Port Fairy under motor. At 19:50hrs Spirit of Downunder was the next causality with a ripped jib forcing their retirement in very strong winds. They are currently approaching Cape Otway on their way back to the "Heads". Then just when Bandit was out in front and a clear leader in many divisions and not many contenders left in the race, the skipper decided to “pull the plug” on the race as conditions declined even further and made it extremely difficult to continue the race. They are nearly at the entrance to the River Moyne having motored the rest of way to Port Fairy.

This leaves just four boats in the race, Dry White, Inception, Slinky Malinky and Trybooking.com. Dry White is a long way ahead of it nearest rivals and has just over 14 nmls to go to the finish line where it is expected she will clean up with a first place in all 4 race categories.  Slinky Malinky is bringing up the tail with nearly 41 nautical miles to go and slowly making headway in big seas.  It could be a long night and she is expected to reach Port Fairy tomorrow morning.

Full credit must go to the skill of the crews combined with the good decision making skills of the skippers to keep everyone safe in what has become very difficult conditions,