Tour legendary maxi yacht Wild Oats XI this Australia Day weekend at the National Maritime Museum
by Jude Timms 19 Jan 2018 22:29 PST
26-28 January 2018
WILD OATS XI, Sail n: AUS10001, Bow n: XI, Owner: The Oatley Family, Country: NSW, Division: IRC & ORCi, Design: Reichel Pugh 100 © Carlo Borlenghi
The Australia National Maritime Museum is delighted to be offering visitors the opportunity to climb on board legendary maxi yacht Wild Oats XI as it visits the museum this Australia Day weekend. From 26 – 28 January visitors can discover what life on a high-seas racer is like by speaking to representatives of Wild Oats XI who will be conducting tours of the vessel.
Launched in December 2005, Wild Oats XI is the most successful competitor in the 73-year history of the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race. Its record stands at eight line honours, two race record times and two wins on corrected time.
The yacht was commissioned by the late Bob Oatley AO, a keen sailor and strong supporter of the sport in Australia. Designed by Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design in San Diego, it features a deep canting keel. The 12-tonne lead bulb keel moves from side to side, controlled by a huge hydraulic ram. This innovation increases the yacht's stability without needing extra weight, giving it an exceptional power to weight advantage over a conventional keel design.
Wild Oats XI is the latest visitor under the museum's popular visiting vessel program. Guided tours will run from 10am – 12pm and 1 – 4pm. Numbers will be limited to 10 people on board at a time so queues may be likely. For safety Wild Oats XI will only be open to visitors 10 years old and above.
Entry is included with the museum's Big Ticket which allows unlimited access to everything the museum has open on the day including the magnificent HMB Endeavour replica, RAN Destroyer Vampire and interactive family exhibition Arctic Voices. Tickets are $32 adults, $20 child/concession or $79 families (2 adults + 3 children).
The Australian National Maritime Museum, in Darling Harbour, is open from 9.30am to 6pm daily in the summer period. All enquiries (02) 9298 3777 or visit www.anmm.gov.au/wildoats.