Please select your home edition
Edition
Vetus-Maxwell 2021 v2 LEADERBOARD

Sydney Hobart - Wild Oats XI- Latest attachment is making a difference

by Rob Mundle on 10 Dec 2014
Wild Oats XI crew Crosbie Lorimer http://www.crosbielorimer.com
Rolex Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race 2014 - While it wasn’t deployed when Bob Oatley’s supermaxi, Wild Oats XI claimed top honours in yesterday’s SOLAS Big Boat Challenge on Sydney Harbour, the skipper and crew of the champion yacht feel that the recently fitted hydrofoil wing will give them something in reserve for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, starting on Boxing Day.

Trials over recent days have left little doubt that the now lengthened retractable wing, which extends to leeward near the mast, is contributing to an increase in speed in light winds. Its benefits have already been proven in in stronger winds.

'The tests have shown that the new wing is producing results better than expected,' Wild Oats XI’s skipper, Mark Richards, said after the yacht secured the Big Boat Challenge line honours trophy for the eighth time. 'We deliberately didn’t use it in the harbour race, but when we did trial it over the weekend, both in the harbour and offshore, there was a noticeable increase in speed in the low wind range – and that was what we were looking for.

'However, what we didn’t expect was the stabilising effect the wing provided on all points of sailing – the yacht didn’t rock around anywhere near as much as she used to. It’s a proven fact that a smoother motion through the water leads to improved airflow over the sails – two things that really contribute to better speed.'

Wild Oats XI is already dubbed the 'Swiss Army Knife' because of the six, either fixed or retractable, appendages on the hull. Now, in keeping with the attachment theme, the crew has decided to refer to the new carbon-fibre hydrofoil wing, which is 80 centimetres longer than the previous version, as 'The Ironing Board'.

Richards, who flew out to Malaysia on a 48-hour business trip immediately after the Big Boat Challenge, will be back at the helm of Wild Oats XI for more trials at the weekend.

Wild Oats XI is the most successful yacht to have contested the Sydney Hobart race in its 70 year history. This year, in what will be her tenth start in the classic, the sleek racer will be going for an unprecedented eighth line honours. Since being launched for the 2005 Hobart race she has become the only yacht to secure the triple-crown – line and handicap honours and a race record time – on two occasions. She is also the only yacht to have achieved four consecutive line honours.

Switch One DesignSydney Boat Show 2025 - Apply to ExhibitAllen Dynamic 40 Footer

Related Articles

Marine Auctions: Special July Online Auction
The bidding will end on Tuesday 22 July at 2pm AEST The alternative way of selling any type of vessel or marine asset with proven and successful results.
Posted today at 4:03 am
Transpac 2025 underway
Sixteen boats hit the line for the first start, departing LA for Hawaii Sixteen boats hit the line for the first start of three in the 2025 Transpac. Next stop: Hawaii.
Posted today at 1:13 am
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D2
A challenging southerly breeze and short three-lap course put teams to task A challenging southerly breeze and short three-lap course put teams to task on the second day of racing at the GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy in Marstrand, Sweden.
Posted on 1 Jul
Admiral's Cup 2025 | Interview with the CYCA Team
A highly experienced team for the revived Admiral's Cup regatta from July 17 The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia is fielding a highly experienced team for the revived Admiral's Cup regatta that will be run from Cowes on the Isle of Wight in the UK, from 17th July 2025.
Posted on 1 Jul
Australian Hobie Cat Nationals entries rolling in
With at least three World Champions already entered, the racing is sure to be exciting too! There is excitement in the air for the Pitts Design and Construction 53rd Australian Hobie Cat National Championships.
Posted on 1 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais - Practice Day
Will Platoon Aviation's big breeze, big pressure experience prove key to their fourth world title? Of the three past and present world championship winning crews which completed their final practice today in typically muscular 25 knot breezes and big waves out of Cascais, Portugal it was Harm Müller-Spreer's Platoon Aviation which showed best today.
Posted on 1 Jul
Some thoughts on provisioning for distance sailing
A new perspective on provisioning and time spent at sea One of the great joys of distance racing unfurls the moment that the dock lines are untied. Suddenly, the myriad packing lists that inevitably define most trip-planning efforts become about as relevant as a tax return from eight years ago.
Posted on 1 Jul
LA28 sailing venue decision driven by politicians
The LA28 Olympic "dinghy" events will be sailed alongside a working container port. The decision to stage the Los Angeles "dinghy" events alongside a working container port appears to have been a determination by local politicians.
Posted on 1 Jul
Freestyle Pro Tour Paros day 3
The return of Super X Day 3 at the FPT Paros 2025 was a slower one - with a lay day with no wind anticipated and a late skippers meeting at 13:00 to assess the conditions, there wasn't much initially filling up the schedule.
Posted on 1 Jul
McIntyre Mini Globe Leg 2 update
The Mad Bastard may be right! When the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race set off—the first solo, non-stop circumnavigation—many thought it impossible. But one sailor proved them wrong: Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, sailing his beloved Suhaili!
Posted on 1 Jul