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The Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Has a Boat-Size Absence

Wild Oats XI, a crowd favorite that is one of the most successful yachts in the event’s history, will not compete this year pending repairs and rethinking.

By Kimball Livingston

When the hundred-foot Maxi yachts hit the starting line for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, one absence will loom as a powerful presence.

There will be no Wild Oats XI, and Wild Oats XI is more than a boat.

Speculation is inevitable when a crowd favorite is missing. The report from the boat’s skipper, Mark Richards, is straightforward, but it won’t put an end to wondering. Of the boat and its owners, Richards said: “We had a structural failure in the bow and are having that addressed. The Oatley family are re-evaluating how to progress forward in our sport and they have just decided to have a break this year while they work it out.”

That resonates because in this race, Wild Oats XI has taken line honors (first boat to cross the finish line) nine times, set records three times and, beyond that, won the hearts of Australians.

“Kids 6, 7, 8 years old know the name,” Richards said.

No one dares use the past tense in speaking of Wild Oats XI, but questions arise when a boat that is synonymous with the Sydney Hobart, and that has been rush-repaired in the past to make a race, is absent.

Last year, the boat finished fourth at the Sydney Hobart after a sail ripped underway. It was in August of this year during a race in Australia’s Whitsunday Islands that the hull failure occurred.

In 2005, Bob Oatley commissioned the build of Wild Oats XI and set the standard — the boat swept all honors in its first Sydney Hobart race, only two weeks after launch. The boat would win line honors seven more times before Oatley’s death in 2016. His son Sandy, also passionate about sailing, carried on.

“I’d love to get one more crack,” Richards said. “I guess we’ll know more next year.”

Steve Quigley got his first crack as a crewman in 2012 and felt “daunted” joining the famously accomplished crew. Then, “We were first over the finish line, we set another course record, and we won our division on handicap,” he said. “I should have retired from racing then and there, but it wasn’t until I went walking around Hobart in my team shirt, with strangers asking for autographs, that I understood that Wild Oats XI had become the people’s boat.”

What next? Richards said, “The boat is still very capable.”

Quigley, a naval architect, was part of a team responsible for a bold 2015 redesign that bought the boat some time. In Quigley’s recollection, “I was the one in the meeting who had to tell Bob, ‘You may have the fastest Maxi in the world, but if you want to keep it that way, let’s chop it in half,’” he said.

Then they chopped it twice.

To respect the 100-foot maximum limit for the Sydney Hobart race, length was removed from the stern and added in a new bow section that accommodated bigger sails. Wild Oats XI.2 proved effective across the wind range, and success continued as the boat won line honors again in 2018.

Imagining a 2024 race, Quigley said, “Given the right combination of wind strength and direction, we could find a window to win, but the newer boats have a wider window.”

Design DNA in 2023 is different from 2005. Boats are now wider, yielding stability to carry taller masts and more sail. The maximum width of Wild Oats XI, 17 feet, is 45 percent less than LawConnect, winner of the most recent lead-up regatta series and yet not the newest or widest.

Sandy Oatley did not respond to a request for comment. More than one member of his crew spoke of the team as a “family,” so any decision is charged with emotion: Do you throw money at an unlikely Wild Oats XI.3, or would it satisfy if the boat slipped into the role of sentimental favorite and long shot?

The citizens of Hobart cheer for all, but it doesn’t hurt to arrive on Wild Oats XI. Andrew Henderson, part of the crew since 2005 and a 25-race veteran, said: “Anyone who can get a boat to Hobart deserves respect. The town offers the warmest reception in Australia. All of us understand how special that is.”

This year, however, after many years racing, he said, “I’m spending Christmas with the kids.”

• Meet the Team

SUPERMAXI YACHT WILD OATS XI GETS THE CHOP

Bob Oatley and Mark Richards make the first cut into the forward sections of the all-conquering supermaxi, Wild Oats XI. (Image credit: Andrea Francolini)

Australia’s most successful ocean racing yacht, Bob Oatley’s 30-metre supermaxi, Wild Oats XI, is 30-metres no more.

The sleek, silver-hulled beauty literally got the chop today at the hands of Bob Oatley and skipper Mark Richards.

Armed with a high-revving chainsaw, the pair took to the carbon fibre hull just forward of the mast, and by the time the job was finished one hour later, 10-metres of Wild Oats XI’s bow had been lopped off.

It was the first stage of a three month program that will see the yacht back to being 30-metres long, but with a completely different profile: all part of a plan to bring a new lease of life to the record-breaking, 10-year-old yacht and make her more competitive against more recent supermaxi designs.

In a few days the hull will be shortened even more when an additional two metres is cut from the stern.

“This is exciting” Richards said when sharing the first chainsaw cut with Bob Oatley. “I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it when we started, but this is the future for the old girl. She will be an even better yacht when we have finished. The more we cut the better I felt.”

However, legendary Australian Olympic gold-medal winning sailing coach, Victor Kovalenko, did say that watching the beautiful yacht being carved up was “painful”, then added that the pain would be forgotten once Wild Oats XI was sailing again.

The next part of the schedule for Wild Oats XI will see her trucked to the McConaghy’s boat building facility on Sydney’s northern beaches. Once there a new transom will be fitted where the stern has been cut off. Simultaneously, shipwrights will fit a completely new bow to the yacht – two metres longer than what was cut off today – so that she returns to the same overall length.

Much of the design work for the new-look Wild Oats XI has been done by the original designers, Reichel-Pugh, based in California, USA. By extending the bow forward the yacht will have considerably more buoyancy, a feature which all design testing indicates will make her considerably faster. She will also be lighter.

Wild Oats XI is recognised as the most successful yacht to have contested the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race over its 70-year history, and Mark Richards the most successful skipper. Since being launched in 2005 the supermaxi has secured an unprecedented eight line honours. She is also the only yacht to claim the triple-crown – line and handicap honours and a race record time – on two occasions … and take four consecutive line honours.

The new-look Wild Oats XI is scheduled to be sailing again in November.

There she goes! A 10-metre section of the bow of supermaxi Wild Oats XI is removed so the yacht can be remodelled for this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart race.

For more information please contact:

Media Manager – Wild Oats XI

+61 (0)417 323 573        [email protected]

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MAJOR MODIFICATIONS PLANNED FOR ROLEX SYDNEY HOBART RACE

© 2024 Wild Oats XI | Striving To Achieve Excellence.

• Yachting World
• Digital Edition

Wild Oats XI – how mods can keep a nine-year-old racer up to speed

• April 24, 2015

Crosbie Lorimer takes a close look at Bob Oatley's Wild Oats XI, a nine-year-old that is still taking line honours around the world

Wild Oats in the Rolex Sydney-Hobart 2014. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi/Rolex

Two themes recurred consistently in interviews with the skippers of the five super-maxis that raced the 2014 Rolex Sydney Hobart: good management and the right people. In both regards the core of the Wild Oats XI team has remained remarkably consistent over the decade since she was launched and the contribution that made to her record-breaking eighth win in 2014 should not be underestimated.

Apart from her crew of highly experienced and professional crew, who have raced aboard her for many years, Wild Oats is notable for the number of tweaks and reconfigurations she has had. A year earlier she had made the news after being nicknamed the Swiss Army Knife, following the addition of multiple foils. This year the mods were fewer, but no less significant. But the fact remains that for a nine-year-old boat to beat the brand new, no-holds-barred, master blaster Comanche was no mean feat.

But no amount of experience and expertise can make good a shortfall in boat speed. So what have been the major modifications necessary to keep Wild Oats XI on the pace?

Refinements have kept Wild Oats up to speed. Photo: Daniel Forster/Rolex

Regular crewmember naval architect Steve Quigley cites five changes that have contributed most to Wild Oats XI ’s winning ways over her nine-year lifespan.

The first was the removal of the forward rudder and the installation of the daggerboards, which made the boat more efficient downwind, but just as importantly improved lateral lift and VMG upwind. The daggerboards came with their own issues, however, the most problematic of which was the substantial shift in the centre of lateral resistance (CLR) which didn’t necessarily match the centre of effort (COE) under different sail configurations.

Small variations could be expected, but when changing from a jib to a Code 0 the COE on Wild Oats XI was moving forward by metres, producing lee helm in light airs.

To resolve this issue a forward centreboard was added – the second major modification – supplementing the twin daggerboards and stabilising the balance of the boat in the low wind ranges up to the point where boat speed matches wind speed, where the daggerboards take over again

The third refinement was the addition of a lateral foil (not a DSS, they say). Off the breeze in a seaway and strong winds Wild Oats XI had a tendency to bury the bow. The lateral foil provides lift and reduces that tendency, resulting in a more even downwind speed profile. A longer lateral foil was recently tested and shows further promise.

The fourth refinement was a new mast, 250kg lighter than its predecessor and substantially stiffer, with significant improvements in upwind speeds, especially in lighter airs. The stiffer mast gave the sail trimmers more options.

The final modification was the reshaping of the bow and rebuild of the bowsprit. The whole bow section was refaired to a narrower profile up to two metres abaft the stem and the bowsprit constructed to a more aerodynamic shape – the bobstay stem fitting was also lifted 500mm.

The result had additional benefits beyond streamlining. “The bow team . . . couldn’t believe how dry the boat now was,” says skipper Mark Richards.

As Wild Oats XI berthed in Hobart having achieved a record eight line honours wins in ten years, her owner Bob Oatley vowed to bring his boat back again next year. It is hard to know what further modifications can be effected. When quizzed on the subject after the race, helmsman Stuart Bannatyne smiled wryly, but was giving little away: “We’ve still got a few tricks up our sleeves!”

BOW The refairing of the bow section, remodelling of the bowsprit and lifting of the bobstay attachment to the stem have streamlined the forward end of the boat and made it drier for the bow team. Photographers are the only losers

LATERAL FOIL The lateral foil adds lift downwind, reducing any tendency to bury the bow into waves and thus improving the downwind speed profile. The foil is deployed to the windward side in upwind mode to minimise drag

FOILS From left to right: starboard daggerboard, rudder, keel, forward centreboard, port daggerboard. The aperture for the lateral foil can just be seen on the starboard side of the hull. Note original position of the bobstay

WITH COMANCHE Given that Wild Oats X I’s stern can fit twice into Comanche ’s it’s hard to believe that the two boats were so evenly matched. But when Comanche heels at 25° she has the same wetted surface as Wild Oats . The latter’s narrower cross section allows her to gain mileage from VMG running

Specifications

LOA 30.48m/100ft 0in

Beam 5.10m/16ft 9in

Draught 5.91m/19ft 5in

Displacement 32,000kg/70,550lb

Ballast 14,000kg/30,864lb

Sail area: mainsai l 382m 2 /4,112ft 2

Jib 228m 2 /2,454ft 2

Genoa 535m 2 /5,759ft 2

Spinnaker 880m 2 /9,472ft 2

IRC Rating 1.974

Designed by Reichel/Pugh

Built by McConaghy, launched December 2005

Hull type carbon/Nomex monohull

This is an extract from a feature in Yachting World March 2015 issue

Wild Oats XI

The supermaxi yacht Wild Oats XI, owned by the  Oatley family , is one of the fastest and most technologically advanced ocean racing yachts in the world. Her record in Australia¹s international offshore classic, the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, is evidence of that.

This sleek, 30-metre (100ft) long ocean racing thoroughbred is undisputedly the most successful yacht in the 75-year history of the arduous event. Her helmsman, Mark Richards, is recognised as the race¹s most successful skipper.

Wild Oats XI¹s success went further in the most recent Hobart race when she claimed a record-breaking ninth win. Her line honours achievement in 2014 saw her beat the previous record of seven line honours which was achieved by Morna (later renamed Kurrewa IV) over 14 years ¬ between 1946 and 1960. Wild Oats XI claimed her eight line honours in just ten years.

Wild Oats XI was launched only a matter of days before her first Rolex Sydney Hobart race in 2005, yet she proved to be so fast that she blasted her way to a rare triple crown line honours, a race record time and victory on handicap. Her time for the 628 nautical mile course was 1 day, 18 hours, 40 minutes, and 10 seconds.

When launched, Wild Oats XI¹s ground-breaking design and construction included a radical and technically brilliant canting keel, a feature Bob Oatley pioneered into this form of ocean yacht racing. A canting keel means the keel is hinged on the underside of the yacht¹s amazing carbon fibre hull and controlled by a huge hydraulic ram so it can swing from one side to the other and increase stability. The hydraulic mechanism is so powerful it can lift a jumbo jet off the ground. It is manufactured using aviation grade steel.

With the 12-tonne, torpedo-shaped lead ballast bulb moved 40 degrees out to windward, Wild Oats XI enjoys an exceptional power-to-weight advantage over a conventional design. If she had a non-canting keel, Wild Oats XI would require an additional five tonnes in ballast to achieve the same level of stability. In that configuration she would be 20 percent heavier, and considerably slower.

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30.48m  /  100' | mcconaghy boats | 2005 / 2015.

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The 30.48m/100' sail yacht 'Wild Oats XI' was built by McConaghy Boats in Australia. This luxury vessel's exterior design is the work of Reichel-Pugh and she was last refitted in 2015.

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She is also capable of carrying up to 29 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.

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Wild Oats XI is built with a composite hull and composite superstructure, with composite decks.

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Sail yacht Wild Oats XI is currently not believed to be available for private Charter. To view similar yachts for charter , or contact your Yacht Charter Broker for information about renting a luxury charter yacht.

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Wild Oats XI wins Sydney to Hobart

Hobart - AFP

Supermaxi Wild Oats XI took line honours ahead of Ragamuffin-Loyal in Australia's Sydney to Hobart ocean yacht race Friday in record-breaking time. Onlookers cheered at Hobart's Constitution dock as the race favourite crossed the line in one day, 18 hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds for its sixth victory in the prestigious 628 nautical mile bluewater classic.

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Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

Brett Eagle purchased Wild Rose in 2020 and reverted to her original name Wild Oats . The late Roger Hickman, crewed by male and female amateurs, won the 2014 Rolex Sydney Hobart with her as Wild Rose  and scored wins in the Australian and NSW IRC Championships, among many great victories with this famous yacht, including taking Division 4 of the Rolex Sydney Hobart in 2011, 2012, 2013.

‘Hicko’, with Bruce Foye and Lance Peckman, also won the 1993 race (IOR) with the boat, alongside IMS winner, Cuckoos Nest. Her last Rolex Sydney Hobart was 2015, when Hickman skippered her to sixth overall and third in Division 4. New owner, Eagle, raced on Ted Tooher’s Chancellor for three years as second in charge and navigator prior to buying this boat. He has given Wild Oats a new paint job, with the rose remaining between the two words of her name. Eagle and crew are in still in the early days of learning this beautifully set up boat.

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OFFICIAL ROLEX SYDNEY HOBART MERCHANDISE

Shop the official clothing range of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in person at the Club in New South Head Road, Darling Point or online below.  

From casual to technical clothing, there is something for all occasions. Be quick as stock is limited!