Jimmy Spithill’s wish for a first Sydney Hobart Yacht Race victory finally came true in this year’s blue water classic.

The Oracle Team USA skipper was on-board Jim and Kristy Clark’s 100-foot supermaxi Comanche, which came from behind to seize line honours in an elapsed time of two days, 8hr 58min 30sec.

“The boat is an absolute machine,” said Spithill, who was making his fourth race appearance. “Coolest monohull in the world.”

Spithill was joined on-board by Oracle team-mate Louis Sinclair.

Comanche’s passage to victory was anything but smooth sailing as the boat damaged its daggerboard and steering system during heavy squalls on the first night of the race after setting sail from Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day.

“When we got into the Bass Strait and the current, it was a pretty heinous seaway,” Spithill said.

Comanche retired from the race and headed back to Sydney before Sinclair, Oracle’s grinder/bowman, and a group of crew jury-rigged a repair to the steering system that enabled the yacht to rejoin the race.

It is believed to be the first time that a boat has retired before deciding to continue on racing and go on to win.

“Full credit to the boys who were able to fix it,” Spithill said. “We were heading back to Sydney.

“Everyone in the race will have had challenges — I’d be amazed if anyone came through it unscathed. Our boys did a great job to keep us in there.”

Comanche, which finished runner-up behind Wild Oats XI the previous year, is the first American yacht to take line honours in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s race in nearly two decades while co-owner Kristy Clark became the first female owner to take line honours in the race.

The last American yacht to take line honours was Sayonara owned by Oracle’s team’s owner Larry Ellison.

Also earning a place on the podium was Spithill’s Oracle team-mate Rome Kirby on-board the supermaxi Rambler 88 which was third across the line.

Although there was plenty of cause to celebrate for Spithill, Sinclair and Kirby, the same could not be said for the other Oracle sailors on-board Wild Oats XI and Perpetual Loyal that were forced to abandon the race on the first night after suffering damage in 40-knot squalls.