Wild Oats XI takes line honors
Source: Agencies |
December 29, 2010, Wednesday
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Print Edition
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WILD Oats XI took line honors in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race for the fifth time in six years but its victory was uncertain because of a protest lodged by the race committee.
Skippered by Mark Richards, the 100-foot yacht crossed the finish line off Hobart's Constitution Dock 2 days, 7 hours, 37 minutes, 20 seconds yesterday after leaving Sydney and almost 31 miles ahead of its nearest rival, fellow super maxi Investec Loyal. Organizers immediately declared Wild Oats' fifth line honors win provisional pending a hearing today of a protest over a breach of race radio protocols.
Race Committee Chairman Tim Cox said the super maxi failed to have an operational HF radio as she passed Green Cape on Monday, a compulsory reporting stage at the entrance to Bass Strait. A similar protest was lodged against the English yacht RAN.
"The race committee met this morning and considered the position of those two yachts and we believed that we needed to lodge a protest on those boats with the international jury for not complying with the sailing instruction 44.1(A)," Cox said.
The rule was introduced after the disastrous 1998 race, hit by a massive storm in which six sailors drowned.
"From my point of view, passing Green Cape is one of the fundamental safety rules of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race," Cox said. "It's one of the breaches which I personally consider to be one of the more serious ones ... that's also shared by the members of the race committee."
In 2001, Bermudan yacht Tyco was disqualified for lodging its crew and condition report seven minutes late.
The five-man international jury will convene in Hobart today to consider the protest, with the power to impose sanctions ranging from time penalties to disqualification.
Cox said he told Wild Oats' navigator Adrienne Cahalan not to attempt to cross Bass Strait without an HF radio. "I spoke to Wild Oats prior to them getting to Green Cape and they advised that their HF radio did not work," he said. "I advised her that she could not cross Bass Strait."
Skippered by Mark Richards, the 100-foot yacht crossed the finish line off Hobart's Constitution Dock 2 days, 7 hours, 37 minutes, 20 seconds yesterday after leaving Sydney and almost 31 miles ahead of its nearest rival, fellow super maxi Investec Loyal. Organizers immediately declared Wild Oats' fifth line honors win provisional pending a hearing today of a protest over a breach of race radio protocols.
Race Committee Chairman Tim Cox said the super maxi failed to have an operational HF radio as she passed Green Cape on Monday, a compulsory reporting stage at the entrance to Bass Strait. A similar protest was lodged against the English yacht RAN.
"The race committee met this morning and considered the position of those two yachts and we believed that we needed to lodge a protest on those boats with the international jury for not complying with the sailing instruction 44.1(A)," Cox said.
The rule was introduced after the disastrous 1998 race, hit by a massive storm in which six sailors drowned.
"From my point of view, passing Green Cape is one of the fundamental safety rules of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race," Cox said. "It's one of the breaches which I personally consider to be one of the more serious ones ... that's also shared by the members of the race committee."
In 2001, Bermudan yacht Tyco was disqualified for lodging its crew and condition report seven minutes late.
The five-man international jury will convene in Hobart today to consider the protest, with the power to impose sanctions ranging from time penalties to disqualification.
Cox said he told Wild Oats' navigator Adrienne Cahalan not to attempt to cross Bass Strait without an HF radio. "I spoke to Wild Oats prior to them getting to Green Cape and they advised that their HF radio did not work," he said. "I advised her that she could not cross Bass Strait."
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