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Wild Oats' dominance under threat
Source: Agencies |
December 25, 2009, Friday
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Print Edition
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WILD Oats XI's dominance of the Sydney to Hobart race - a remarkable four consecutive wins - is expected to come under threat by a combination of late repairs to its keel, unfavorable weather and the presence of several big-name maxi yachts.
In 2007, Wild Oats XI, skippered by Mark Richards, finished the 628-nautical-mile (1,163-kilometer) race in a record 1 day, 21 hours, 24 minutes, after crossing the line at Constitution Dock on the southern island state of Tasmania. It was about two hours slower in winning the race last year.
On Wednesday, Wild Oats XI was lifted from the water for keel repairs. An underwater inspection of the supermaxi's hull on Tuesday revealed the keel was damaged when it hooked onto a buoy and line attached to a fish trap off Sydney Heads. While the damage was not structural, the keel's leading edge was serrated, a problem serious enough to cause speed-reducing turbulence. Repairs were done and the boat was returned to the water later on Wednesday.
"The damage is only superficial, but we need absolutely everything going for us in this year's Hobart race, so it was imperative that we fixed it," Richards said.
Etihad Stadium, formerly known as Skandia, made a rushed mast replacement and was expected to take its place in the 100-yacht fleet. Britain's ICAP Leopard hopes to take advantage of strong headwinds on the first night of the race after the fleet leave Sydney Harbour tomorrow in its Boxing Day schedule.
Other supermaxis in the race include Lahana, Alfa Romeo, Investec Loyal, Rapture and YuuZoo.
Alfa Romeo is one of the most successful maxis ever, with 143 line-honor victories. Owned and skippered by Sydney-based New Zealander Neville Crichton, who claimed line honors in 2002, Alfa is almost identical in design to Wild Oats XI, to which she finished runner-up four years ago. ICAP Leopard has also collected a host of line-honor wins, including two in the Fastnet race. Slower downwind than Oats and Alfa, Leopard will be the favorite to reach Hobart first if the race becomes a heavy upwind slog.
In 2007, Wild Oats XI, skippered by Mark Richards, finished the 628-nautical-mile (1,163-kilometer) race in a record 1 day, 21 hours, 24 minutes, after crossing the line at Constitution Dock on the southern island state of Tasmania. It was about two hours slower in winning the race last year.
On Wednesday, Wild Oats XI was lifted from the water for keel repairs. An underwater inspection of the supermaxi's hull on Tuesday revealed the keel was damaged when it hooked onto a buoy and line attached to a fish trap off Sydney Heads. While the damage was not structural, the keel's leading edge was serrated, a problem serious enough to cause speed-reducing turbulence. Repairs were done and the boat was returned to the water later on Wednesday.
"The damage is only superficial, but we need absolutely everything going for us in this year's Hobart race, so it was imperative that we fixed it," Richards said.
Etihad Stadium, formerly known as Skandia, made a rushed mast replacement and was expected to take its place in the 100-yacht fleet. Britain's ICAP Leopard hopes to take advantage of strong headwinds on the first night of the race after the fleet leave Sydney Harbour tomorrow in its Boxing Day schedule.
Other supermaxis in the race include Lahana, Alfa Romeo, Investec Loyal, Rapture and YuuZoo.
Alfa Romeo is one of the most successful maxis ever, with 143 line-honor victories. Owned and skippered by Sydney-based New Zealander Neville Crichton, who claimed line honors in 2002, Alfa is almost identical in design to Wild Oats XI, to which she finished runner-up four years ago. ICAP Leopard has also collected a host of line-honor wins, including two in the Fastnet race. Slower downwind than Oats and Alfa, Leopard will be the favorite to reach Hobart first if the race becomes a heavy upwind slog.
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