The annual Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, which starts on Thursday, takes sailors on a 628-nautical mile race that exits Sydney Harbor and plunges south along the New South Wales coastline before crossing Bass Strait, rounding Tasman Island, crossing Tasmania’s Storm Bay and pushing up the River Derwent to Hobart.

Defending line honors champion LawConnect led the Sydney to Hobart yacht fleet out of Sydney harbor at the start of the 79th running of the 628-nautical mile (722 miles, 1,160 kilometers) race

LawConnect was first out of the Heads, but a furling issue allowed line honours rival Comanche to grab the lead, while last year’s overall winner, Alive, was forced to retire just three hours into the race.

LawConnect, which won line honours last year, was first past the turning mark in Australia’s premier yachting event but ran into sail issues.