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Lawconnect skipper’s son reveals he called the boat a ‘s***box’ the night before it won sydney to hobart.

The son of LawConnect’s skipper admitted he called the yacht a ‘s***box’ the night before it won against the world’s fastest superyacht Andoo Comanche in this year’s Sydney to Hobart.

Indy Beck, son of LawConnect’s Christian Beck, admitted he didn’t think his dad would get over the line first in the globally famous yacht race.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Watch LawConnect win The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

“I thought it was (over and) done for us — I don’t believe it to be honest,” Indy told Sunrise’s Annie Pullar on Thursday.

“It’s like, the greatest comeback in sailing, I reckon.

“It was absolutely amazing.”

Annie mentioned she bumped into Indy at a Hobart pub on Wednesday, and he was less than thrilled over the performance of the yacht before the win.

“I ran into you yesterday, what did you call the boat?” Annie asked.

“It’s a s***box,” Indy answered, smiling sheepishly.

Indy admitted he has since changed his mind about the yacht, following the sensational win.

“(It’s) amazing. I still can’t believe it — especially the win on a boat like that,” he said.

LawConnect had a torn sail, which he believed might have helped the team coming into the Derwent River.

LawConnect beat Andoo Comanche by nine seconds — the second-closest time in the race’s history — with the two yachts neck-and-neck.

Andoo Comanche is known as the fastest super-maxi in the world.

Sunrise star Mark Beretta couldn’t contain his excitement over the win.

“This is incredible — LawConnect have done it,” Mark said, beaming.

“Christian Beck, fourth-time lucky — three-times they’ve been runner-up in this race.

“This is just remarkable. What a finish. Unbelievable.”

Mark also spoke about the historic nature of the win.

“One of the closest finishes in Sydney to Hobart history,” he said.

“Comanche, which is regarded as the fastest supermaxi in the world, has been beaten in the Sydney-Hobart.

“That is a massive result - a great effort from the team on LawConnect.”

Stream free on

LawConnect training for the 2021 Sydney Hobart. Pic - Andrea Francolini/Law Connect

Sailing on Sydney Harbour. Pic - Salt Lab Productions

Getting the bowsprit ready. Pic - Andrea Francolini/Law Connect

From left to right: Lucas Chapman, Charlie Wyatt, Christian Beck, Ty Oxley, Selma Raso and Rachel Williams. Pic - Andrea Francolini/Law Connect

Sydney Hobart super maxi’s secret weapon

It took a few goes for the LawConnect team to smash the champagne bottle on the newly extended bowsprit of Christian Beck’s 100ft super maxi, but they eventually got there, christening the rebranded Juan-K 100 ahead of the 2021 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

It was a strong turn out, with over 50 in attendance to celebrate the yacht’s official partnership reveal with LawConnect.

The partnership company is a lawyer directory website, where individuals and groups can find the right lawyer who meets their specific needs.

At the event, a very impressive looking bowsprit was a talking point. According to Beck, the super maxi, formerly known as InfoTrack and before that Perpetual Loyal, boasts the largest sprit in the fleet, and potentially the world.

The purpose of the extended bowsprit is to increase the yacht’s overall performance. It increases the sail area by 15 per cent and allows the yacht to better perform upwind by having the sails sitting further forward. In addition, the crew can run three sails at once rather than two and in lighter winds it provides extra power and speed.

Beck, entrepreneur and founder of Leap Legal Software (creator of LawConnect) said the extended bowsprit could be the difference between first and second place.

“We’re on a trajectory here,” he said. “This will be my fourth Sydney to Hobart [aboard the super maxi]. The first year we came 24 th , the second year we came fourth and the third year we came second. So, if this trend continues, we should come first this year.”

It wouldn’t be the first time the yacht took line honours the 628-nautical-mile race. In 2016, Perpetual Loyal, owned Anthony Bell at the time, broke the race record, finishing in one day, 13 hours and 31 minutes (the record was broken by Jim Cooney and Samantha Grant’s LDV Comanche in 2017).

On board for the 2016 record was long-time crew member and Boat Captain Ty Oxley, who will be racing in his 19 th Sydney Hobart this year. The 46-year-old has won line honours three times, the first aboard Ludde Ingvall’s maxi Nicorette in 2004, then on Anthony Bell’s Investec Loyal in 2011, and the last time aboard Perpetual Loyal (also owned by Bell). Oxley is looking to turn his three wins into four. To win, there is no room for error.

“The gel of the team is really good,” Oxley said at the launch. “Last time I won [line honours] the Hobart race it was exactly the same, it was the teamwork that led us to beat Wild Oats and hopefully it’ll be the same again.”

The super maxi has 15 professional crew on board, in addition to Beck, and five Leap employees.

“It takes time to build the team, get the boat right. But I think we’re at that stage now,  where we’re getting to the peak of what our performance should be,” Oxley said.

The win won’t come easy. Beck and team will be kept company by the two other super maxis in the fleet: Peter Harburg’s RP 100 Black Jack (2009 line honours winner under the name Alfa Romeo) and Seng Huang Lee’s Dovell 100, SHK Scallywag 100.

The three yachts will compete against one another for the first time this year in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s (CYCA) Blue Water Pointscore Cabbage Tree Island Race, 1.4km off the entrance to Port Stephens (to be held this weekend). The 172-nautical-mile race will be LawConnect’s first race with the new bowsprit.

Oxley said he and the team have 14 to 16 consecutive days of training planned (including Cabbage Tree Island and the SOLAS Big Boat Challenge on Sydney Harbour), to ensure that everything, from crew work to the new bowsprit, is in top form.

They’ll also use this time to train the five Leap employees chosen for the experience of a lifetime.

“They’re part of our crew so there’s not anyone who’s just a passenger. They’ve got a crew number and they’re able to participate in the race,” Oxley said.

Leap sales director Selma Raso is one of the lucky ones, sailing in her first Sydney Hobart, with little sailing experience, on a super maxi.

But the 32-year-old is up for the challenge.

“It’s the kind of stuff you don’t say no to,” Raso said. “And it’s hopefully going to send a message as well. I run a team of sales people, with quite a lot of females on the team. If anything, I want them to lead a fearless life. Just to have them see [what I’m doing] as something they can aspire to is rewarding.”

Raso, along with four other amateur sailors, will be on sail handling duties. Raso is looking forward to finding out what that entails in the intensive training period.

“I hope that means carrying sails not selling because I’m a sales manager. Please don’t tell me I’m doing that, I thought this would be a break!”

Raso couldn’t be happier about being on board a Sydney Hobart line honours contender.

“It would be incredible if they do [win], particularly after last year and the race not happening. I know everybody worked so hard,” she said.

The Sydney Hobart was cancelled last year, days before the start date, due to a NSW Covid-19 outbreak that translated to a 14 day lockdown in Tasmania for all taking part.

The crew couldn’t be more excited to get to Hobart, preferably with the other 105 competitors in their wake, following a year off.

“My dream as a child was to do the race,” Beck said. “I used to watch it as a kid on the TV. And once I did it, I decided I wanted to win it. We’ve been working very hard to do that.”

And could another race record be in the books? Oxley’s not ruling it out.

“It’s a bit early yet [to make that prediction]. I’ve broken the record before, so let’s just wait and see.”

By Greta Quealy

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Supermaxi LawConnect wins Big Boat Challenge ahead of this year's Sydney to Hobart yacht race

Sport Supermaxi LawConnect wins Big Boat Challenge ahead of this year's Sydney to Hobart yacht race

LawConnect has won line honours in the Big Boat Challenge, the last competitive race before the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

Christian Beck's 100ft (30.48m) supermaxi has crossed the line second in each of the last three Hobarts and completed Tuesday's race around Sydney Harbour in just over 70 minutes.

LawConnect, formerly known as Infotrack, led to the first mark at North Head around 20 minutes after the starting gun went off at 12:30pm AEDT.

She did not trail from there as the fleet tracked two laps from Shark Island to North Head and finished by the Sydney Opera House.

The Sydney to Hobart's reigning line honours champion Andoo Comanche reached the finish line at Farm Cove second, roughly two minutes after LawConnect.

Hong Kong-based SHK Scallywag, something of an unknown quantity for this year's Hobart, was third two minutes after that.

The fourth supermaxi entered into the Hobart, Wild Thing 100, did not contest the race as crew complete work on her before Boxing Day.

Calculations will begin to determine which of the nine starters will be declared winner on handicap.

Whisper, formerly known as Chinese Whisper, is already out of contention having retired from the race early following a slow start.

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LawConnect wins Sydney to Hobart line honours after tight finish with Andoo Comanche

• Supermaxis tussle for lead in final moments on River Derwent
• LawConnect overtakes Comanche to win by 51 seconds

Perennial bridesmaid LawConnect has claimed Sydney to Hobart line honours, coming from behind to pip fellow supermaxi Andoo Comanche by just 51 seconds.

LawConnect, runner-up in the past three events, edged across the River Derwent finish line in light winds shortly after 8am (AEDT) on Thursday.

It was the second-closest finish in Sydney to Hobart history after Condor of Bermuda beat Apollo by seven seconds in 1982.

LawConnect and Comanche, who were in a tight battle the whole race, each had their nose in front in the dying stages.

Skipper and owner Christian Beck said his maiden line honours win in the 628-nautical-mile blue-water event was a dream come true.

“They took the lead pretty close to the line and we thought there was no way we could get it back,” Beck said.

“A wind gust came around. It was a complete surprise. There were guys who couldn’t watch. It was very nerve wracking.”

Pre-race favourite and 2022 winner Comanche took a lead into the River Derwent after holding the advantage down Tasmania’s east coast on Wednesday night.

“It is pretty painful,” Comanche skipper and owner John Winning Jr said.

“We’ve got an amazing boat that should have won. The other guys sailed their guts out and left nothing on the table.

“They beat us with an underdog boat, those guys deserve all the praise they get.”

Winning, whose two-year ownership of Comanche will come to an end after this race, lamented a slow start and getting caught in unexpected low pressure.

“It was one of the most epic finishes in probably any sailing race I know,” he said.

“In the last three minutes I think the lead changed three times.”

Beck, who said he would return to defend the win, jokingly described LawConnect as a “shitbox” compared to Comanche.

“I know it looks good on TV but you go up close … she’s rough as anything,” he said.

“Comanche is better in every way. The fact [our crew] can make that boat beat Comanche is amazing.”

LawConnect arrived in Hobart with a red protest flag flying after they slowed for 30 minutes for Comanche who they believed was in distress.

LawConnect sailing master Tony Mutter said they didn’t assert any wrongdoing on Comanche’s part, with the winners finishing in one day, 19 hours, three minutes and 58 seconds.

She was first out of the Heads in Sydney during a dramatic opening day which included the retirement of fellow supermaxi SHK Scallywag because of a broken bow sprit.

Eleven of the race’s starting 103-strong fleet have pulled the pin, with some reporting damage and seasickness after a challenging thunderstorm on the first night.

Moneypenny, URM Group and Alive are together about 60 nautical miles from the finish, with the third remaining supermaxi Wild Thing 100 further back in sixth.

• Sydney to Hobart yacht race
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Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2023

Last year, LawConnect finished second over the line to Black Jack . In 2019, when known as InfoTrack , she caused a sensation with her brilliant second over the line; 44 minutes 18 seconds astern of Comanche after a five-way 100-footer battle to Hobart. She finished fourth over the line in 2018 as InfoTrack , after a protracted battle with the rest in conditions not suited to her heavy weight. With a larger bowsprit to enhance performance, she took 2021 Cabbage Tree Island Race Line Honours. Beck bought the former Speedboat/Rambler/Perpetual Loyal from Anthony Bell in 2017, renamed her InfoTrack and finished fourth on line in the 2017 Rolex Sydney Hobart (but an infringement dropped her to 24 th ), inside the 2016 Rolex Sydney Hobart record set by this yacht.

Despite a few bumps along the way, this boat continues to defy her critics. When owned by Bell, it retired from the 2014 and 2015 Rolex Sydney Hobarts after finishing second on line in 2013. Beck continues the tradition of taking a few employees along for their first taste of the race, an unbelievable opportunity for these non-sailors. 

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2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race: LawConnect wins thriller to break bridesmaid hoodoo

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Sydney to Hobart updates: Andoo Comanche and LawConnect poised for line honours river duel

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Super Maxi Law Connect (R) and Andoo Comanche (C) during the 2023 Sydney to Hobart race. Photo / Getty Images

Supermaxi yachts Andoo Comanche and LawConnect are set for a tight tussle up the River Derwent to determine line honours in the Sydney to Hobart .

The two 100-footers were within sight of each other as they passed Tasman Island before 5am on Thursday, about 40 nautical miles from the finish line.

Last year’s winner Comanche had the advantage down Tasmania’s east coast on Wednesday night, but LawConnect - runner-up at the past three events - has made up ground.

The closest finish in Sydney to Hobart history came in 1982 when Condor of Bermuda beat Apollo by a mere seven seconds.

LawConnect, skippered and owned by Christian Beck, was first out of the heads in Sydney on Boxing Day after a dramatic start to the 628-nautical mile bluewater classic.

Comanche - the pre-race favourite - flew a protest flag, accusing fellow supermaxi SHK Scallywag of tacking too close to her as the pair made their way out.

Scallywag, which completed a protest turn as a result, was forced to retire roughly six hours into the race after breaking her bow sprit.

Eleven of the race’s starting 103-strong fleet have pulled the pin, with some reporting damage and seasickness in challenging conditions which included a thunderstorm on the first night.

LawConnect navigator Chris Lewis described the stormy seas as “wild” with 180-degree wind shifts.

Moneypenny, URM Group and Alive are in a bunch about 90 nautical miles behind the two duelling leaders, with the third remaining supermaxi Wild Thing 100 further back in sixth.

URM Group has battled jib damage and lost her code zero spinnaker.

Shane Connelly, skipper of retired two-handed entrant Rum Rebellion, was briefly flung overboard on Boxing Day off the NSW coast in strong winds.

There may be further challenges for crews, with a strong wind warning in place on Thursday for waters off Tasmania’s east coast.

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51 seconds apart after 628 nautical miles: LawConnect edges Comanche in Sydney to Hobart race

Comanche heads down Sydney Harbour during the start of the Sydney Hobart yacht race in Sydney, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023. The 630-nautical mile race has more than 100 yachts starting in the race to the island state of Tasmania. (Salty Dog/CYCA via AP)

Skallywag, left, and Comanche sail close during the start of the Sydney Hobart yacht race in Sydney, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023. The 630-nautical mile race has more than 100 yachts starting in the race to the island state of Tasmania. (Salty Dog/CYCA via AP)

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HOBART, Australia (AP) — LawConnect won line honors in the 78th edition of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race on Thursday, holding off defending champion Andoo Comanche by less than a minute in an exciting finish between the super maxis.

The pair of 100-foot yachts had dueled for much of the race and were well ahead of the rest of the fleet of 103 yachts that started the race on Tuesday in Sydney harbor.

LawConnect, which was runner-up in the last three editions of the race, finished in 1 day, 19 hours, 3 minutes, 58 seconds. Comanche’s time was 1 day, 19 hours, 4 minutes, 49 seconds — a margin of just 51 seconds.

It was the second-closest finish in Sydney to Hobart history after Condor of Bermuda beat Apollo by seven seconds in 1982.

Both yachts performed several late jibes as they attempted to secure the lead.

“I can’t believe that result. Honestly, it is a dream come true,” LawConnect’s skipper and owner Christian Beck said. “They took the lead pretty close to the line and we thought there was no way we could get it back.

“A wind gust came around. It was a complete surprise. There were guys who couldn’t watch. It was very nerve wracking.”

Comanche holds the race record of 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, 24 seconds, set when it won the race in 2017.

“It is pretty painful, we’ve got an amazing boat that should have won,” Comanche skipper and owner John Winning Jr. said of Thursday’s result. “The other guys sailed their guts out and left nothing on the table. They beat us with an underdog boat, those guys deserve all the praise they get.”

“It was one of the most epic finishes in probably any sailing race I know. In the last three minutes I think the lead changed three times.”

Comanche and LawConnect were clear front-runners from just out of Sydney harbor. The pair began the trip down the New South Wales south coast at a fast clip but fell off the race record pace. The finish was at Constitution Dock in Hobart, the capital of the island state of Tasmania.

The highest-profile retirement of 11 race withdrawals was SHK Scallywag, one of four 100-foot super maxis which sustained a broken bow sprit and withdrew on the first evening of the race.

LawConnect was the first yacht out of the harbor.

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Two super maxis continue to lead the Sydney to Hobart race as storms hit fleet

Australia sailing sydney hobart.

SYDNEY (AP) — The Sydney to Hobart fleet was reduced to 98 boats after overall honors contender Maritimo 52 was one of two retirements on a stormy first night of racing.

Rival super maxis Andoo Comanche and LawConnect remained neck-and-neck in the early hours of Wednesday as the fleet began to pass Eden on the New South Wales south coast before heading into Bass Strait.

The two favorites for line honors were some 40 miles (65 kilometers) ahead of the nearest challengers.

Race officials confirmed Maritimo had retired overnight with rigging damage, while 50-footer Sticky pulled out with electrical issues. The retirements came after line honors contender SHK Scallywag was among the three boats of the 103 starters to pull out on the first evening after the start Tuesday in Sydney harbor.

“We’re shattered, actually,” said Maritimo crew member Peter Jones. “We were trying to work a million ways around it, but at best we were going to be at 50%.”

Jones reported a southwesterly front had come through with three hours of heavy rain and high winds.

"There was as much lightning as we’d ever seen,” Jones said.

LawConnect was the first out of the harbor. The finish line of the 628-nautical mile (720-mile, 1,170-kilometer) race is at Constitution Dock in the state capital of Hobart.

The line honors record of 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, 24 seconds was set by Comanche in 2017, after Comanche also won last year’s race . In 2022, Comanche finished at Constitution Dock in 1 day, 11 hours, 56 minutes and 48 seconds — the second-fastest time behind its 2017 race record.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

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• Zhik collaborates with LawConnect Super Maxi for three year Sydney Hobart campaign

Australia’s innovative technical apparel brand Zhik is delighted to announce they have partnered with Christian Beck’s ‘LawConnect’, the Australian based Super Maxi, for the next three seasons.

Going into the 2021 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, owner and skipper Beck will lead a high profile crew who have raced multiple seasons together, including sailing master Tony Mutter, tactician Chris Nicholson (AkzoNobel Ocean Racing skipper) and boat captain Ty Oxley. Also onboard will be five LawConnect staff taking part in this iconic race for the first time who are set to gain an ‘in at the deep-end’ experience alongside their professional peers.

The entire crew will be using Zhik’s recently launched OFS800™ offshore range made from eVent® Direct Diffusion fabric which offers unrivalled breathability levels without any compromise on durability and waterproofness. It also features Zhik’s inventive new ‘head-lock’ hood, designed to engage neatly around your face and always follow your head movement whilst preventing wind and water ingress. Australian tactician Chris Nicholson, says he is very excited to be working with Zhik again for this campaign, “Having the latest clothing technology on board is all part of propelling our team to success.”

The campaign will be the Super Maxi’s fourth Sydney Hobart since Beck’s ownership and will be a predominantly Australian affair. The majority of the crew are Australian or reside there permanently. The boat recently took the name of Beck’s latest legal search and collaboration tool ‘LawConnect’ enabling easy selection and booking of a lawyer online. It has also had a complete overhaul of systems and equipment by entirely Australian and NZ-based businesses including fitting the fleet’s largest bowsprit.

Christian Beck comments, “It’s great to partner with Zhik. Both LawConnect and Zhik were founded in Australia and both set out with a mission to change the way things are done in their respective markets, giving people easy and effective solutions. We are a high-performance team and we are looking forward to putting Zhik’s OFS800 through its paces during what we hope will be a fast and furious Sydney Hobart.”

Zhik CEO, Piet Poelmann adds, “The development of the OFS800 had absolutely no compromise. The result is the best offshore performance gear, with unrivalled breathability and extreme waterproofness. It’s therefore fantastic to be part of the LawConnect team and contribute to the iconic Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race”.

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EXCLUSIVE: 'Horrifying' Sydney to Hobart fear confronting rookie after lucky dip win

When more than 100 yachts begin the journey from Sydney Harbour to Hobart on Monday afternoon, aboard one of the boats will be a crew member who until November had no sailing experience and remains too scared to swim in deep ocean water.

Payal Pattanaik, a 31-year-old software engineer who emigrated from India to Australia in 2020, will sail with LawConnect — one of four 100-foot super maxis entered in the iconic race — after coming up trumps in a lucky dip.

Pattanaik is one of 20 LawConnect crew members set to sail approximately 1163 kilometres in the 77th edition of the race, potentially navigating huge waves, gusty winds and wild storms.

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"I think it will really be a very challenging experience because I've never seen big waves," Pattanaik told Wide World of Sports.

"When we were having our training period we didn't see very big waves; only light waves.

"So I really don't know how it will be exactly with the big waves like you see in the movies. So I'm really afraid of that. I don't know how I will react to that.

"Let's see how it goes.

"I definitely don't want to experience a storm during the race; I think that would be horrifying."

Pattanaik was introduced to sailing as LawConnect trained for the Sydney to Hobart race for about two weeks across November and December.

She had never participated in any adventure sport, rather volleyball and basketball.

"I have a fear of the ocean ... because when I see high tides or high waves I freak out," Pattanaik said.

"So I've never been for a swim in the ocean because if I can't see the horizon, or there are big waves in front of me, I panic. I panic a lot.

"I have to overcome that fear, for sure, and that's why I want to challenge myself."

North-easterly winds forecast to pick up over Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to favour the super maxis: LawConnect, the Andoo Comanche, Black Jack and Hamilton Island Wild Oats.

The biggest boats in the race are tipped to hurtle down the east coast of Australia and threaten the record.

The benchmark is one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds — a time posted in 2017 by LDV Comanche, now known as Andoo Comanche.

Pattanaik is tasked with capturing video for LawConnect's live stream and being a "helping hand".

She offers a stirring perspective.

"I think I should encourage people. If I can do it, anyone can do it," Pattanaik said.

"It's really good for your mental health because it boosts your confidence and you come out stronger.

"So, that's why I want to try.

"These things are very overwhelming, really, and I never thought about experiencing this in my life.

"You are getting paid for everything. You just have to be there, and you get to experience this amazing journey, so I think it's really great to have an opportunity like this."

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