For the Oatley family, sailing is a way of life

by Susan Boyd on 29 Jul 2004 Hamilton Island’s new owners to race at the Hahn Premium Race Week at Hamilton Island
21-28 August 2004

For the Oatley Family, sailing is not just recreation – it’s a way of life. And the family’s ownership of Hamilton Island has seen a confluence of that way of life with the business acumen and steadfast support for all things Australian that epitomised the family’s stewardship of the great Australian wine brand – Rosemount.

Indeed, it was during the final day of last year’s Race Week on Hamilton that the opportunity for the family’s involvement with Hamilton Island had its genesis. The bonhomie that followed Bob Oatley’s success on the water planted the idea of the acquisition of one of Australia’s premier tourist destinations.

Discussions between Bob, his son Sandy and the Hamilton Island team led by Wayne Kirkpatrick developed speedily into a formal bid and, within a short period of time, the Island that the family had come to love as a sailing destination became both a treasured asset and a vibrant, long term business.

The family has for some years sailed the waters off Hamilton and, for this year’s Race Week, Bob and his sons Sandy and Ian will back again. Family loyalty is a given, but when the moorings are slipped and the races begin, victory at the line will be the individual focus.

In the Big Boat Class, Bob will endeavour to reprise last year’s victory while Sandy will seek to deny him. Ian will be part of the crew on another yacht.

Race Week 2004 will also be Bob’s last race as owner of Wild Oats, the yacht that took Australia to victory in the Admiral’s Cup.

Wild Oats will go to its new owner at the conclusion of Race Week and Bob has a new Wild Oats that will make its debut in the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup off Sardinia, Italy, in September.

Bob Oatley turned the agricultural and marketing skills he honed in the coffee plantations of Papua-New Guinea into the creation of what became Australia’s premier family winery – Rosemount Estate.

From humble beginnings at Denman in the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Bob and his family built Rosemount into one of the world’s most successful family wineries. Bob knew how to grow and how to sell, both nationally and internationally, and as Rosemount grew so too did the international reputation of Australian wine.

In his seminal work on Australian vineyards and wine, James Halliday made the telling point that the Australian wine industry owed Bob Oatley a huge debt for the international growth and respect for Australian wine.

Without Bob Oatley’s decision to be serious in the export of his wines, a decision that followed success at London’s International Wine & Spirit Competition, the world’s major wine show, the current international reputation and market reach of Australian wines would not be a reality.

The meticulous approach Bob Oatley took to growing his wine business is reflected in his approach to sailing. Attention to detail is evidenced in every aspect of boat, crew, conditions and competition. Success has been achieved in races and regattas from the Admiral’s Cup down, but Race Week on Hamilton Island is, to Bob and his family, something special.

Bob Oatley loves the water, the backdrop of the Whitsunday’s, the increasing strength of the competition and the people who come for Race Week.

Now that the family owns Hamilton Island, and he’s become the quasi host to his fellow competitors, the connection along with the will to win is even stronger.

To win, a yacht must have Wild Oats in its wake and that’s a position Bob Oatley doesn’t intend to allow.

Bob Oatley is still an active participant in the Australian wine industry and is Deputy Chairman of Southcorp Limited, the company that has Rosemount, along with Penfolds, Lindemans, Wynns and other major brands, under its banner.

Now Chairman of Hamilton Island, Sandy Oatley worked alongside his father in the growth of Rosemount.

From the initial plantings at Denman during school holidays, Sandy’s concentration was on the vineyards and the quest to produce better fruit, vintage by vintage.

His were the basic ingredients for the winemakers and the fruit-driven style for which Rosemount became synonymous was testament to his success and passion in the vineyards.

Sandy was Chairman of Rosemount when it merged with Southcorp Limited and is currently a director of the company. Like his father, and his brother and sister, he has his own vineyard interests in Mudgee, New South Wales, and his passion for producing the best fruit is unabated.

Away from vineyard work as a teenager, his passion was for sailing. From little boats he moved up the scale until, this year, he will face off against his father in the Big Boat Class on Another Duchess.