Wild Oats XI is out of the Sydney To Hobart after damage to a hydraulic ram forced the supermaxi to retire for a second year in a row.

A broken trunnion pin is believed to have caused the issue, part of the hydraulic system that attaches to the canting keel.

The crew has stabilised the keel according to a Wild Oats XI spokesman, and the boat will now make its way to Eden - although may not arrive until Wednesday given they'll be sailing into a gusty north-easterly wind against adverse currents.

Last year Wild Oats XI had to retire on Boxing Day after ripping its mainsail in half when following a rapid southerly change.

Hartbreaker and Koa are also heading to shore on the NSW far south coast to make engine repairs with hopes of continuing the dash south.

Officials confirmed that Victoria's Hartbreaker and NSW 16-metre boat Koa will pull into Eden for repairs and as long as crews remain on board, they can rejoin the race.

Line honours and a race record now beckon for Anthony Bell's Perpetual Loyal which leads the remaining fleet of 84 by more than 15 nautical miles, with the Volvo 70 Giacomo running a stellar race in second spot.

"We saw them [Wild Oats XI], they were just a couple of miles down," Perpetual Loyal navigator Tom Addis told the Sydney Morning Herald.

"We called them on the radio to make sure they were safe or sound, we were worried they might have lost somebody overboard or something but they're all good. It's sad for them."

Addis expected a speedy run down to Tasmania, but said lighter winds off the island state's east coast could potentially hinder the race leader.

"It's pretty nice from here to the corner now, the new high pressure's coming over so we don't have any major transitions to get through," Addis said.

"The main concern is going to be light breezes after Tasman to the finish.

"It might be okay for a few hours, but we're coming in at a pretty sketchy time. We're a little bit concerned about the light air at the finish but there's really nothing we can do about that. If there's no wind, there's no wind.

"I'm looking at it and trying to come up with a plan. We're just going to get to the corner as quickly as we can.

Maserati is in third spot from Beau Geste ahead of Black Jack, and super maxis Scallywag and CQS.

After a poor start on Monday afternoon, Wild Oats XI recovered to lead the fleet into Bass Strait overnight and was on track to smash its 2012 race record by several hours before disaster struck on Tuesday morning.