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Ichi Ban claims overall Sydney-Hobart win

Ichi Ban also won the handicap race in 2017.

Ichi Ban also won the handicap race in 2017. Photo: Getty

Ichi Ban is the overall winner of the Sydney to Hobart, the yacht’s second handicap victory in three years.

Skipper Matt Allen and the crew of the TP52 will on Monday be presented with the prestigious Tattersall Cup in the 75th edition of the race.

Ichi Ban crossed the line on Saturday evening, with her corrected time not threatened by a flurry off boats that finished on Sunday.

Thirty-four minutes separated the leader and the second-placed Gweilo, while Quest came third in the handicap race.

The NSW yacht, which won overall in 2017, was an agonising fifth in the handicap standings last year after losing the lead on a calm River Derwent.

Allen and his crew feared history would repeat when they became parked off Tasman Island in light winds.

Fortunately a breeze picked up to take them into Hobart.

“When you see (a lead of) seven or eight miles evaporate into two … we were starting to get the heart in the mouth a bit,” Allen said on Saturday.

“There were some nervous moments.”

Ichi Ban finished about 12 hours behind line honours winner Comanche, which took out the blue water classic for the third time.

On Saturday, supermaxi Comanche claimed its third line honours victory, with a race time of 1 day, 18 hours, 30 minutes and 24 seconds.

Comanche was followed into the River Derwent by its fellow supermaxis, with InfoTrack crossing the line second and Wild Oats XI third.

-with AAP

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