Robert Large has called it "all bad luck" that his yacht Inukshuk was forced to retire from the Sydney to Hobart after becoming entangled in a fishing net.
The South Australian double-hander was thriving in upwind conditions on Boxing Day when she ground to a halt around 10NM south-east of the Sydney Heads.
In the swell, Large and his co-skipper Andrew Ebbott had unknowingly sailed over a well-anchored net that had become caught on Inukshuk's rudder.
"We couldn't move. It took us probably 45 minutes to clear the thing," Large said.
After finally pulling the net off, Large was concerned his boat may have sustained rudder damage, which would have made it risky to sail the remaining 610NM.
Large and Ebbott made the difficult decision to turn back to the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Darling Point and retire from the Hobart on the afternoon of Boxing Day.
"I had to put safety ahead of the race," Large said.
"I felt it was more prudent to return rather than continue sailing, where if the rudder failed further down, we could be into some serious problems."
An Australian resident for nearly 20 years, Canadian native Large has sailed in six previous Sydney-Hobarts and is experienced with preparing a boat for the race.
But no amount of money, spare parts or physical training could have saved Inukshuk from the errant fishing net.
"It's all bad luck," Large said.
"You prepare for everything, you carry spares which you need to prepare the boat for the seas that you're going to be getting, we prepare ourselves psychologically and physically to do the race.
"It takes a lot of money and a lot of time, six or eight months of work to get a boat ready, to keep checking everything, re-checking it, training.
"Three hours into the race and having to stop for a reason like that is pretty hard to take."
Large and Ebbott are hopeful of sailing Inukshuk in a fifth Hobart next year and are planning to contest the trans-Tasman Yacht Race in late February.
Before then, Large will fly down to Hobart, reunite with his wife and join in the post-race festivities.
"We figure we've done enough Hobarts we can justify it, we've earned a place," Large said.
Inukshuk previously withdrew from the 2021 Hobart after reporting auto-pilot issues.
The boat's name is an Inuit word meaning "a structure of rough stones stacked in the form of a human figure", with such figures traditionally used as a landmark or commemorative sign.
