Wild Oats XI wins in record time
Source: AFP |
December 29, 2012, Saturday
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SUPER maxi Wild Oats XI smashed its own record time by nearly 17 minutes in Australia's Sydney to Hobart yacht race, taking line honors yesterday ahead of Ragamuffin Loyal.
Thousands of onlookers cheered at Hobart's Constitution Dock as the favorite came home in one day, 18 hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds for its sixth victory over the prestigious 628 nautical mile bluewater classic. Wild Oats XI also won every year from 2005 to 2008 and in 2010.
"It was close, we only just made it but it's a great result for the whole team," skipper Mark Richards said after crossing the finish line. "This boat is a great machine and we're very proud of it. Getting the record is a big thing and it's very satisfying."
Ragamuffin Loyal, which beat Wild Oats by just three minutes last year and is skippered by 85-year-old Syd Fischer, finished four-and-a-half hours later with gear damage hampering a bid for back-to-back wins. "A lot of things just went wrong," said Fischer. "But it's a good boat, well built, strong and it goes fast. We'll make modifications for next year."
Lahana was running third in a tight battle with Black Jack, ahead of Loki in fifth. Jazz leads the handicap standings, which takes into account the dimensions of each boat in the fleet, ahead of Calm and Secret Men's Business.
The previous record was one day, 18 hours, 40 minutes and 10 seconds, set in 2005, and Richards had his 100-foot yacht well ahead of that pace late on Thursday as it powered down Tasmania's east coast.
But a northeasterly tailwind gave way to a weaker westerly that dramatically slowed progress.
Wild Oats' crew had all but given up on breaking the record after rounding Tasman Island in the middle of the night and it was touch and go as they sailed up Hobart's Derwent River.
But the unfurling of a bigger headsail ultimately made the difference to tack home surrounded by a flotilla of smaller vessels.
"It was a very tricky night, the breeze died on us. It was very testing and we had to make a lot of sail changes, but it's all part of the Sydney-Hobart," said Richards.
Thousands of onlookers cheered at Hobart's Constitution Dock as the favorite came home in one day, 18 hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds for its sixth victory over the prestigious 628 nautical mile bluewater classic. Wild Oats XI also won every year from 2005 to 2008 and in 2010.
"It was close, we only just made it but it's a great result for the whole team," skipper Mark Richards said after crossing the finish line. "This boat is a great machine and we're very proud of it. Getting the record is a big thing and it's very satisfying."
Ragamuffin Loyal, which beat Wild Oats by just three minutes last year and is skippered by 85-year-old Syd Fischer, finished four-and-a-half hours later with gear damage hampering a bid for back-to-back wins. "A lot of things just went wrong," said Fischer. "But it's a good boat, well built, strong and it goes fast. We'll make modifications for next year."
Lahana was running third in a tight battle with Black Jack, ahead of Loki in fifth. Jazz leads the handicap standings, which takes into account the dimensions of each boat in the fleet, ahead of Calm and Secret Men's Business.
The previous record was one day, 18 hours, 40 minutes and 10 seconds, set in 2005, and Richards had his 100-foot yacht well ahead of that pace late on Thursday as it powered down Tasmania's east coast.
But a northeasterly tailwind gave way to a weaker westerly that dramatically slowed progress.
Wild Oats' crew had all but given up on breaking the record after rounding Tasman Island in the middle of the night and it was touch and go as they sailed up Hobart's Derwent River.
But the unfurling of a bigger headsail ultimately made the difference to tack home surrounded by a flotilla of smaller vessels.
"It was a very tricky night, the breeze died on us. It was very testing and we had to make a lot of sail changes, but it's all part of the Sydney-Hobart," said Richards.
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