Wild Oats XI prepares for Sydney Hobart
The crew of heavies have experience under their belts, but will Wild Oats XI prove reliable after being struck by lightning?With a crew of heavies collectively boasting enough Sydney-Hobart miles to circumnavigate the globe eight times, Wild Oats XI is readying herself as the favourite for the big race south on Boxing Day.
But after Wild Oats XI was hit by lightning a week ago, and losing her navigator to the Volvo Ocean Race heading for Melbourne, the 30m supermaxi isn’t exactly in the box seat.
In the yacht's latest press release, publicist Rob Mundle makes the point that Wild Oats XI has race experience on her side.
"When the knife-like bow carves across the start line in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race on Boxing Day, the 20-man crew will have an astonishing 301 starts in the classic to their credit," he enthuses.
What could be more telling is how well Wild Oats XI exits Sydney Harbour compared with her rival 30m maxis also stacked with gun professional crew and all the optimised kit in this glamour race.
As for experience, three of Wild Oats XI’s crew — skipper Mark Richards, Steve “Mothy” Jarvin, and kiwi Robbie Naismith — will have been aboard for every one of the yacht’s 13 starts since being launched in 2005.
In total, the number of nautical miles covered by the entire crew in Hobart races is said to be the equivalent of Wild Oats XI having sailed more than eight times around the world or more than three-quarters of the way to the moon.
But ocean races aren’t won through celestial navigation or prayer alone these days. The fortunes of this champion yacht lie in the race strategy, her gear, hull and multiple appendages holding up, and the weather gods.
Of course, experience counts. On Wild Oats XI, Steve Jarvin lays claim to 28 race starts, and Iain Murray to 23.
HIT BY LIGHTNING
Wild Oats XI, owned by the Oatley family, was scheduled to be out of the water for much of today (Friday December 22) for a final hull polish.
More of a worry is that technicians were finishing repairs to the yacht’s instrumentation, which was damaged when lightning struck the top of the mast early Sunday (December 17, 2017).
NEW NAVIGATOR
Skipper Mark Richards said today it was unlikely that the yacht’s regular Hobart race navigator, Juan Vila, would be aboard for the Hobart race.
Vila is currently navigator aboard Mapfre, which is leading the fleet towards Melbourne in the Volvo round-the-world race.
Richards said current indications are that Mapfre would not reach the finish in time for Vila to jump ship and get to Sydney before the Hobart race start.
“It’s a scenario we had always planned for,” Richards said, adding that prominent Australian navigator and offshore sailor, Ian “Fresh” Burns, would be aboard for the Hobart race.
Meanwhile, Wild Oats XI’s “little sister”, the 20-metre long Wild Oats X, has undergone some minor modifications this week in preparation for the Hobart race.
Skipper, Troy Tindill, said it was hoped that the changes would increase the yacht’s chances for winning the race on corrected time. He said that the most significant change was strengthening the bowsprit so a more powerful headsail could be carried in light conditions. And that says something about the race forecast.
More on the Sydney Hobart website.
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