Sydney to Hobart 07

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With new rigging, Wild Oats sets cracking pace

THE noises were very disconcerting, more so because they were coming from revolutionary carbon fibre rigging that was supporting a new hi-tech mast and a cloud of new sails.

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Wild Oats X1 leads Skandia during the Big Boat Challenge on Sydney Harbour. Picture: Brett Costello

The cost of the gear would buy a very nice home, but that was the furthest thing from the minds of the crew aboard Bob Oatley's Sydney to Hobart race record-holder Wild Oats XI on Sydney's harbour yesterday.

This was the first time the yacht's new mast had been tested under the rigours of racing and if it failed, the 30-metre supermaxi would lose any chance of taking its third consecutive line honours win in the Sydney-Hobart.

Wild Oats was contesting the Big Boat Challenge, a 14-nautical mile sprint around the harbour designed to showcase many of the largest yachts heading for Hobart on Boxing Day.

For Oatley and the Wild Oats team, this outing was far more important than that. The mast was fitted only last week and with less than two weeks to go to the start of the classic, their time for solving any major problems was rapidly running out.

Each time there was an unfamiliar sound, particularly of the cracking variety, there were anxious looks among the 24 crew. They looked aloft and consoled themselves with the knowledge that experts from the US rigging firm who oversaw the installation of the new mast had stressed that the carbon fibre strands would make plenty of noise as they "settled in".

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Still, the crew had every reason to feel anxious. In September they were racing Wild Oats in a major championship off Porto Cervo, in the Mediterranean, in only 11 knots of wind when something inexplicably failed in the rig and the giant mast crashed over the side, never to be recovered.

Within an hour of the incident, Oatley proclaimed that Wild Oats would be ready for Hobart. And yesterday, after seeing his yacht confronted by winds of more than 20knots, and registering a top speed of 24.3knots, Oatley had no hesitation in saying: "Our confidence is back. Bring on Hobart."

Skipper Mark Richards added: "That was a great test. We are now going to take the boat offshore over the next few days and push it as hard as we can, just to get everything ready for Hobart."

While all skippers agreed that yesterday's race was little more than an exhibition and had no real bearing on the Hobart race, it was still evident that there could now be four yachts in the hunt for line honours. Melbourne's Grant Wharington showed that modifications made recently to the keel and ballast bulb of his supermaxi Skandia had brought a significant improvement to the yacht's speed.

Yesterday Skandia, which was first to finish in the 2003 Hobart race, was only 90seconds behind Wild Oats in the challenge and almost 10 minutes in front of the third-placed yacht, Matt Allen's Ichi Ban.

Wharington said that streamlining the keel fin and reducing the weight of the keel bulb by 1.5tonnes were the reasons for the improvement.

"It was a satisfying result for us when you consider we were using only a cruising mainsail and were far from being in our Hobart race configuration," Wharington said.

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Paul Bibby
December 27, 2007 - 8:35AM

Wild Oats XI remains on track to win its third Sydney to Hobart, but the most courageous competitor in the race is undoubtedly a crewman who will continue to compete despite severing the tip of his finger in an on-board accident.

The crewman's boat, Capriccio of Rhu, was forced into port after he suffered the injury so he could receive treatment at Wollongong Hospital.

After having an x-ray and his hand rebandaged, the crewman elected to rejoin his mates for the remainder of the journey, where the yacht will sit well behind the rest of the field, which is led by the 30m maxi Wild Oats XI.

Capriccio of Rhu, a cruising yacht skippered by cancer survivor Michele Colenso, is expected to take at least another four days to reach Hobart, meaning the crewman may not receive further hospital treatment until the new year.

In a text message to race organisers this morning, skipper Ms Colenso said: "All good, all in good spirits, heading south."

A race spokeswoman added: "They're the only boat in their class, so no matter when they arrive he's guaranteed to be a winner."



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At the front of the race Wild Oats XI remains on track for a third straight Sydney to Hobart yacht race win after cruising to a handy lead overnight.

The boat is enjoying a comfortable ride down the NSW south coast in winds of around 14 knots and leads the race by almost 12 nautical miles from its nearest rival, UK super maxi City Index Leopard.

Victorian maxi Skandia is in third, with the trio well ahead of fourth-placed Ichi Ban.

Only two yachts so far, Berrimilla and Mr Kite, have been forced to retire from the race.

Wild Oats would become the first boat in almost 60 years to claim three successive line honours.

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December 27, 2007


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WILD OATS XI remained on track for a third successive Sydney to Hobart line honours win after cruising to a considerable lead over its super maxi rivals overnight.

After leading the charge out of Sydney heads yesterday, the NSW boat gradually increased its lead throughout the night and had pulled more than 11 nautical miles clear of second-placed UK maxi City Index Leopard by the time the boats entered Bass Strait at 5am this morning.

Victorian maxi Skandia, travelling closer to shore, remained in third place with Ichi Ban and Rosebud heading the rest of the fleet.

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The leading boats were on race record pace for most of the night travelling winds of up to 20 knots, and are still some chance of bettering the mark despite conditions easing.

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Leopard skipper Mike Slade said even a slight increase in conditions could put Wild Oats XI's 2005 race record under threat and also declared this year's contest was far from over.

“Were trying hard to pull back Wild Oats XI after her splendid downhill run,” Slade said today.

“We are in reaching conditions now, doing 14 to 15 knots with our reaching sails up.

“The 10-hour downhill run was not our best suit but we quite like this.

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“We are trying to get some separation from Wild Oats XI by going east looking for stronger wind and at the moment we are getting it.

“We have the whole of Bass Strait ahead of us and these are conditions we like so we must make the most of it.”

Slade said he hoped to reel Wild Oats back to within around five nautical miles by the time they reached Flinders Island so he could take advantage of any opportunities that might come from the unpredictable winds off the Tasmanian coast.

The comfortable race conditions so far has seen only two boats retire from the race - Mr Kite (broken rudder) and Berrimilla, which wrapped a spinnaker around its mast.

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Capriccio of Rhu was set to resume racing this morning after it was forced to stop in Wollongong last night to allow a crew member to go to hospital after he severed the top of a finger.

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Bruce Taylor's Chutzpah led the early IRC handicap standings this morning, from Spirit of Koomooloo and Wedgetail, while Namadgi led the PHS division.

Wild Oats is aiming to become only the second boat after Morna and the first in almost sixty years to claim three straight line honours wins.

AAP

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With the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race fleet spread from Wollongong to Flinders Island, there is a certain calmness on board most boats as they anticipate the next weather change, due overnight.

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a swing back to the north/north-west after today’s southerly change and that will suit everyone trying to get to Hobart as quick as possible.

Meanwhile, some of the boats have been e-mailing with some insights into life on board on day two of the 628 nautical mile ocean classic which began from Sydney Harbour yesterday.

Ichi Ban 8:40am

All is going well at this stage. We are a fair way east and tracking beautifully. At the moment we are bang on course doing 11 knots.

We are currently experiencing an 18-20 knot sou’wester, the breeze should eventually swing left which should help us…depending on when it happens.

There is also an adverse east nor’east current which is causing us a little bit of grief but nothing too serious.

Matt Allen, skipper

Wild Oats XI 9:15 am

Things are going GREAT! Really wonderful night's yachting, boat's going well, crew are changing the sails (which is a Herculean effort) whenever required. Great running last night and now on the breeze with a few bumps - wouldn't be Hobart without that! All good here.

We seem to be holding a small advantage over City Index Leopard and Skandia after a tricky night where they both were making gains - on either side of us! We stuck to our game plan, the wind did what we hoped it would and we have managed to keep in front through the first 'chicane'.

It's been relatively straight forward this morning but should see some more wind shifts and challenges at lunch time.

More later, Ian “Fresh” Burns, navigator

Spirit of Koomooloo 9:36am

We have had a great night and it is looking like we are currently leading on IRC handicap. Last night was champagne sailing and this morning it’s a bit more like Bundy sailing.

It was a little bit bumpy overnight…not too bad though, we have the no. 2 headsail up with a full main.

The old Koomooloo would be very proud of our pace at the moment, very proud.

We are going to start writing up our blog on:
http://margaretrintoul2.bigblog.com.au/

Mike Freebairn, skipper

Toyota Aurion V6 (ex Brindabella) 8:17 am

Everything is going well now. We did have a spinnaker block give way under load in the 30 knot northerly we briefly had last night and luckily the stanchion saved it from going all the way forward.

We bent the stanchion over 55 degrees- surprisingly it held on until we gybed over, apart from a wine glass in the spinnaker which we managed to get out after five minutes. Fortunately no-one was in its path. We gybed and did the necessary repairs and gybed back onto course without any further incident. There was no other damage- and we did have one spare block in our supply kit.

We currently have a 15 knot south-westerly breeze and are getting along at 10 knots just passing Green Cape

Rosebud 10:00am

Stressful morning breeze-wise, getting through the trough but in a better stream now and putting the pedal down again.

I’m after hints on how to deal with these Americans who are going to think all Hobarts are this pleasant! They are starting to think that all our stories of backless waves, icy winds etc are rubbish!

Tom Addis, Australia navigator on board the US yacht

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Rob Mundle, Hobart | December 27, 2007


SYDNEY to Hobart race record holder Wild Oats XI was tonight teetering on the edge of a remarkable victory in the classic event.

As well as showing the fleet the way to Hobart and being close to a record-equalling third consecutive line honours victory, she was also calculated to be leading the race on handicap, and she still held a remote chance of breaking the race record.

The wind would decide the outcome, and tonight yachting meteorologist Roger Badham confirmed that the possibility of a race record still had life in it. Wild Oats XI would experience more favourable strengthening winds late today as she sailed towards Tasman Island, 44 nautical miles from the finish. The big boat must finish by 7.40am tomorrow to break the record.

Wild Oats XI’s chance for line honours improved all day today as her main rival, the British super maxi City Index Leopard (skippered by Mike Slade) failed to make an impression on the Australian boat’s lead.

Wild Oats XI started the day with a 9nm advantage and by last night that had stretched to 20. Skandia (Grant Wharington) was in third place another 15 nm in arrears.

Unfortunately for the Englishman, Bass Strait has not co-operated. Slade, in a beamy yacht that is 10 tonnes heavier than Wild Oats XI needed Bass Strait to be in a bad mood if Leopard was to have any chance. Instead, this often wild stretch of water offered little more than a whimper.

With the wind forecast to freshen tomorrow to as much as 35 knots, the entire fleet will pick up speed. There could also be a number of retirements as the seas build throughout the day.

These conditions should suit the smaller yachts, especially those around 40 foot, in the all-important battle to win the race on handicap.

Only three yachts of the 82 starters had retired by late tonight.

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