LawConnect seizes early lead in Sydney to H0bart race

Defending line honours champion LawConnect took the early lead in ​the Sydney to Hobart yacht race on Friday as the fleet of 129 boats, led by the supermaxis, pushed out of a cloudy Sydney Harbour and into choppy seas in ⁠the South Pacific. LawConnect was the first past the turning mark after the starting cannons ‌fired at 1 ⁠p.m. (0200 GMT) as the supermaxi aims to win line honours for the third straight year in the 80th running ‍of Australia’s premier yachting event. Fellow favourite Master Lock Comanche was among the leaders, sailing close behind, as crews brace for wet and wild weather. Australia’s weather bureau ⁠forecast strong southerly winds of up to 25 knots and swells reaching 4m (13 feet) after leaving Sydney Harbour, but conditions are expected to ease slightly along the New South Wales and Tasmanian ‌coasts at the weekend. Sailors, while passing Bondi, will pay tribute to the victims of the Bondi mass shooting nearly two weeks ago. Fifteen yachts – one ⁠for each of those