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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

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 unrivalled.

The sleek, 30-metre (100ft) long ocean racing thoroughbred is undisputedly the most successful yacht in the event’s 76-year history. Helmsman Mark Richards is recognised as the race¹s most successful skipper.

Wild Oats XI¹s success went further in 2020 Hobart race

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

This was pioneered successfully in 2013 and proved once again to give the yacht an advantage over the fleet.

Wild Oats XI has rewritten the Rolex Sydney Hobart record books many times. Apart from being first to finish on nine occasions, the Oatley family’s pride and joy was the first yacht ever to take four back-to-back line honour victories.

In 2009, after being lengthened to 100ft, the supermaxi surrendered its line honours crown to the almost identical Alfa Romeo but returned to its winning ways the following year.

In the 2012 Rolex Sydney Hobart, Wild Oats XI again took the triple-crown of line and handicap honours and a race record time.

In 2015 the stern was shortened by 2m and 12m forward sections were replaced by a 14m longer, sleeker bow, keeping the midship sections unmodified and in effect moving the entire sail plan aft by 2m.

The boat faced challenges between 2015-2017 but made a comeback in 2018 when Wild Oats XI won its ninth line honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, with a time of 1 day, 19 hours, 7 minutes and 21 seconds. This win made Wild Oats XI the most successful yacht in the race’s history with Mark Richards holding the title of the skipper with the most line honours victories.

© 2024 Wild Oats XI | Striving To Achieve Excellence.

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Wild Oats XI: A giant of Australian racing

The supermaxi yacht Wild Oats XI is here at the museum for a short visit. Wild Oats and its crew have become an Australian sporting brand, recognised by the public as Australia’s premier racing yacht and team through their dominance of the iconic Sydney to Hobart yacht race, since Wild Oats XI was launched in 2005.

Wild Oats XI in full flight. Image: Rolex – Carlo Borlenghi.

The supermaxi yacht Wild Oats XI is here at the museum for a short visit . Wild Oats and its crew have become an Australian sporting brand, recognised by the public as Australia’s premier racing yacht and team through their dominance of the iconic Sydney to Hobart yacht race, since Wild Oats XI was launched in 2005. This is Australia’s team, in the eye of the public Wild Oats XI is defending the country’s pride in the nation’s major ocean race – and its public adoration is thoroughly deserved.

Wild Oats XI . Image: Rolex – Daniel Forster.

Triple Crowns and breaking records

The national focus of the Sydney to Hobart is always on the boat to finish first, and in this regard, Wild Oats XI has an impressive scorecard. It has claimed eight line honours wins – at one point, with a run of four in a row! Twice it has achieved the Triple Crown: line honours, handicap win AND a race record. Wild Oats XI is one of the most successful yachts in the history of the arduous event and her helmsman, Mark Richards, is recognised as one of the race’s most successful skipper.

Wild Oats XI was launched just days before its first Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht race in 2005, and despite a limited warm up, it sprinted to the finish line and into history taking the Triple Crown for the first time since 1945, and that was when Rani won the race that began the annual event. Wild Oats XI’s record time for the completing the 628 nautical mile course was 1 day, 18 hours, 40 minutes, and 10 seconds. In 2012, Wild Oats XI shaved 16 minutes, 58 seconds off that record and pulled off another Triple Crown, an unprecedented result. Since then the record has been taken by arch-rival Perpetual Loyal, but   Wild Oats XI is ready to maximise the opportunity again  if the right conditions are present on the 26th of December this year and try to reclaim that record.

Beneath Wild Oats XI’s elegant silver-grey hull is a racing machine. The crew operate an engineering masterpiece and remember, long distance blue water ocean racing takes place over a matter of days, not hours. The team live and work on board, it’s like a military vessel where their off-watch habitation quarters are fitted around a high tech structure, first and foremost designed for racing (and winning).

Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Regatta Yacht Race 2016. Image: Andrea Francolini/Wild Oats XI.

Designed to win

Wild Oats XI was commissioned by well-known winemaker the late Robert Oatley AO in 2005, the largest in a series of successful ocean racers he had owned and sailed on. It was designed by celebrated team Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design in San Diego USA. A protégé of Doug Petersen, John Reichel’s partnership with UK yacht designer Jim Pugh has produced a long series of successful ocean racing craft.

When the IMS rule took over from the IOR in the late 1980s as the means of handicapping offshore racing yachts it lead to cleaner/leaner and fairer hull shapes, assessed by computers for their potential speed rather than handicapped around a series of measurement points to produce a rating. Reichel/Pugh took advantage of the new direction in sleek racing yachts to create a sled like hull that dominated the local Trans Pac event from Los Angeles to Honolulu – a sleigh ride under spinnaker.

In 1999, their design Pyewacket for Roy Disney Jr (yes, Walt Disney’s nephew) grabbed the race and everyone’s attention, a narrow flat skateboard that was unstoppable. In 2004, Oatley invited Reichel Pugh team to produce his Wild Oats X, a 66-footer but wound up the ante with a canting keel, his perseverance with that concept helped pioneer the technology in ocean racing. When authorities drew the limit out to almost 100-foot maximum length for offshore ocean racers, Oatley and Reichel Pugh answered the challenge with Wild Oats XI,  a super maxi sled optimised to the nth degree and built in Australia. The builder McConaghy Yachts at Mona Vale Sydney is a world-class yacht builder and Wild Oats XI  speaks of their superior skills in crafting fine vessels.

Happy with the concept, the team had Oatley’s support to keep Wild Oats XI up to date. Sail and rig modifications are never-ending, but almost every year the hull and appendages were given a makeover, to the point it was known as the ‘Swiss Army Knife’: new and improved canards, hydrofoils, rudder and canting keel. Lighter is faster too – the keel can be angled 40 degrees sideways, so the modest amount of mass in the bulb, 12 tonnes, creates the same stability out wide as something almost 50% heavier would if stuck on the centreline. The downside is a loss of keel efficiency, so a canard profile centreboard just forward of the mast brings back the balance and lift. Better still Wild Oats XI has two centreboards, one each side, and they only put the leeward one down as required for even more effectiveness.

Heading up the Derwent River, towards Line Honours. Image: Andrea Francolini/Wild Oats XI.

One of the biggest updates was putting a longer bow on the yacht in 2015, which meant taking the extra length of the back end to keep to the required 100-feet. It’s stopped the tendency to dive into waves downwind. The team can drive her harder now, and have abandoned the hydrofoils sticking out horizontally, meaning less drag and more speed in racing conditions.

A huge square top mainsail, a massive Code Zero headsail for light weather, gigantic asymmetric spinnakers (which the crew control using hydraulic winches) and, the entire time the boat is racing, the engine is running to power the hydraulics. All this is handicapped severely, in fact, the boats elapsed time is pretty much doubled to create it’s handicap time, yet Wild Oats XI can still win. In favourable conditions, with the wind behind or abeam, the super maxi can keep up with the moving weather and optimise it’s race strategy around that one pattern, whereas the slower boats start in one system and then have to negotiate another before they finish.

Wild Oats XI can reach speeds of over 30 knots and boasts an average speed of 15 knots for the course – which is a remarkable achievement as many of the competing fleet can’t even reach that at their maximum speed. It’s in another league, and races just a few other similar size yachts each year, but in battle, it takes no prisoners.

Super maxi Wild Oats XI being toed from Woolwich to Sydney City Marine to undergoing radical changes for the Rolex Sydney to Hobart 2015. Image: Andrea Francolini/Wild Oats XI.

Ready to race

The 2015 Sydney to Hobart saw Wild Oats XI retire for the first time, due to a gear failure, while its recently launched nemesis, the skiff-like Comanche from the USA, got its revenge by winning line honours in a rough and damaging race. In the 2016 race, it was up against three other 100-foot long rivals, the modified 2008 designed  Perpetual Loyal , Scallywag ( ex- Ragamuffin 100,  launched 2014) and the newcomer  CQS  (the radically modified Nicorette,  first launched in 2004 when it won line honours as a 90-footer, now its 100-feet long). Bad luck struck again, and whilst in lead,  Wild Oats XI had to retire again, and the eventual line honours winner Perpetual Loyal  and set a new race record.

Wild Oats XI is by no means outclassed by the newer rivals, the different design and configuration approaches have their strengths and weaknesses and these advantages can even out over a long course, but Wild Oats XI has one strength over many others: over ten years of teamwork and spirit, which is recognised and adopted by the Australian public. All of which just adds to the team’s determination to win again.

— David Payne, Curator of Historic Vessels. 

Take a tour aboard  Wild Oats  10am-12pm and 1-4pm, 26-28 January 2018. See our website for details .

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David Payne

David Payne is Curator of Historic Vessels at Australian National Maritime Museum, and through the Australian Register of Historic Vessels he works closely with heritage boat owners throughout Australia researching and advising on their craft and their social connections. David has also been a yacht designer and documented many of the museum’s vessels with extensive drawings. He has had a wide sailing experience, from Lasers and 12-foot skiffs through to long ocean passages. Since 2012 he has been able to work closely with Aboriginal communities on a number of Indigenous canoe building and watercraft projects.

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2023

Another well known competitor, this Farr 43 has won the Tattersall Cup twice under previous owner the late Roger Hickman OA, in the 70th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in 2014 (IRC) and also in 1993 (IOR).  Gordon Smith purchased Wild Oats in 2019 from the widow of late Roger Hickman, as an equal shareholder in a new syndicate. Gordon is currently the majority owner of Wild Oats, with co-owner Stuart Byrne buying into the syndicate in 2023. Wild Oats continues to champion female development in offshore Sailing, following in Hickman's footsteps which has seen the ACSBWPS Wild Rose Pointscore named in his honour to promote women in offshore racing. 

Competitor Details

• Line Honours

Full Standings available approximately three hours after the start.

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!

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2023

Wild Oats XI

With early retirements in 2015 and 2016 (split main and hydraulic ram failure respectively), coupled with the next two years’ highly publicised endings – this year is a new chapter for Wild Oats XI. She is the reigning line honours champion after a thrilling race-long battle with Black Jack, Comanche and InfoTrack, which finished in that order. It occasioned Wild Oats XI’s record ninth line honours victory, an accomplishment destined to remain unbeaten.

Wild Oats XI pipped 100ft Black Jack (by 3mins 31secs - the closest finish in 15 years) in the 2017 Sydney Gold Coast race. In the interim, her keel and its mechanism were gone over and a new North 3Di RAW mainsail added. Black Jack returned the favour in the 2018 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast, taking line honours from WOXI, but the latter returned serve, taking line honours from Black Jack in the Brisbane to Keppel race. In 2014, she beat Comanche to obtain her record eighth Hobart line honours victory, outdoing Kurrewa IV/Morna’s record seven, held since 1960. Other highlights include triple victories of line/record/overall win in the 2005 and 2012 Rolex Sydney Hobarts. The 100 footer was radically modified in 2015 and has received updates since to remain ahead of the times. She will face the same super competition she did last year.

Wild Oats XI Facebook page

Competitor Details

• Line Honours

Full Standings available approximately three hours after the start.

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!

Published on November 13th, 2020 | by Editor

Sydney Hobart: No go for Wild Oats XI

Published on November 13th, 2020 by Editor -->

Few events and yachts have such a connection as does the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the Oatley Family’s Wild Oats yachts.

As a former race record holder and a nine-times line honors winner, the 30-metre (100ft) supermaxi yacht Wild Oats XI is undisputedly the most successful yacht in the 75-year history of the arduous event.

But when the 76th edition gets underway on December 26, this thoroughbred will remain in the stable. Here’s an update from the team:

Since 2005, Wild Oats XI has proudly been on the starting line each year for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. 2020 has been no ordinary year for our employees and business interests, and as such our family has made the decision not to enter Wild Oats XI in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Our best wishes are with all crews who are racing and it is our hope that Wild Oats XI will return to the starting line on Boxing Day in 2021. We would like to extend our deepest thanks and gratitude to Skipper Mark Richards, the Wild Oats XI crew and our supporters.

Race details – Entry list – Facebook

The 628nm Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race will be the 76th edition when it gets underway on December 26, 2020. From Sydney Harbour, the fleet sails out into the Tasman Sea, down the south-east coast of mainland Australia, across Bass Strait (which divides the mainland from the island State of Tasmania), then down the east coast of Tasmania. At Tasman Island the fleet turns right into Storm Bay for the final sail up the Derwent River to the historic port city of Hobart.

Tags: Sydney Hobart , Wild Oats

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Penalty turns and close calls in dramatic start to Sydney to Hobart yacht race

• Fleet sets off down NSW coast in 77th bluewater classic
• Avalanche retires within two hours due to broken bowsprit

Andoo Comanche has overcome a difficult start to set the pace in the early stages of the Sydney to Hobart with the first retirement reported a couple of hours into the race.

Line honours favourite Andoo Comanche and rival supermaxi Hamilton Island Wild Oats each opted to do a penalty turn inside the first 20 minutes of the most action-packed start to race in recent memory.

Three and a half hours into the race Andoo Comanche was leading from LawConnect, Black Jack and Hamilton Island Wild Oats with little separating the four supermaxis.

Andoo Comanche navigator Justin Shaffer said they took their penalty turn after another boat protested against them, but he declined to identify which yacht it was and said that the matter would be resolved in Hobart.

He confirmed his boat was flying a protest flag but did not elaborate and said a few incidents had occurred.

Watched by a large spectator fleet, the drama started to unfold as the race fleet of 109 yachts set out in northerly breezes of around 15 knots on Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day afternoon.

Inside the first few minutes some boats came perilously close to each other as they jockeyed for advantage.

Nine-time line honours winner Oats took their penalty turn several minutes Andoo Comanche, following a debate between skipper Mark Richards and senior crew members. The reason for the turn was not immediately apparent.

It brought back memories of 2017 when Oats opted not to take a penalty turn after an incident shortly after the start of the race.

She crossed the line first but dropped back to second after being slapped with a one-hour penalty by an international jury for a rule breach related to an incident with LDV Comanche in the harbour.

Despite the early drama on Monday, race organisers reported a clean start across all four lines of boats.

The first retirement of the race came within two hours of the start with 40-foot two-handed boat Avalanche pulling out with a broken bowsprit. It was the second time in three Sydney to Hobarts the boat didn’t make it to the finish.

• Sydney to Hobart yacht race
• Australia sport

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Sydney to Hobart yacht race — day one of the 77th edition of the bluewater classic, as it happened

Sport Sydney to Hobart yacht race — day one of the 77th edition of the bluewater classic, as it happened

Supermaxi Andoo Comanche is leading a closely bunched pack of supermaxis in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, as the fleet heads south on day one of the contest's 77th edition.

Northerly winds helped the fleet, particularly the supermaxis, amid predictions   the leaders may have supporting winds all the way to Hobart. 

Leading into the traditional Boxing Day start, the Sydney to Hobart was seen as a race in four to be first to the finish — Andoo Comanche, last year's line honours winner Black Jack, Law Connect and Hamilton Island Wild Oats.

Big crowds were on hand on Sydney Harbour for the 1pm AEDT start — but the opening exchanges saw chaos reign, amid near-misses, protests and penalties for two of the big four.

Hamilton Island Wild Oats skipper Mark Richards let loose a number of audible obscenities on the TV coverage, as he and his crew tried to navigate their way to the Sydney Heads and out into the ocean for the trip south.

Race favourite Andoo Comanche had a poor start, not getting enough clear wind to move ahead of its rivals, and then being jammed by other craft making it difficult to do the required tacking down the harbour.

Skipper and owner John Winning Jr and sailing master Iain Murray were not happy, and even less so when they made it to the first turning mark but misjudged the turn and hit the mark.

They had to do a penalty turn, losing ground on their rivals. However Andoo Comanche raised a protest flag, claiming they had been infringed by another boat.

On board Hamilton Island Wild Oats, a spirited conversation took place between skipper Mark Richards and navigator Stan Honey, with suggestions the boat may have infringed rejected by Richards.

Finally Richards relented, ordering crew to "Deploy the jib! Deploy the jib!" before completing a 720-degree turn.

At one point Black Jack cut back across two of its rivals, running a fine line between LawConnect and Hamilton Island Wild Oats.

After the frantic start, LawConnect took the lead from Black Jack, with a gap to the two boats that had done penalty turns.

As the leaders got out into the ocean to turn south, LawConnect held the lead for some time before Andoo Comanche picked up some solid winds further out from shore and hit the front, 90 minutes into the race.

For much of the afternoon, Andoo Comanche then maintained and extended its lead over LawConnect.

As of 9:20pm AEDT, Andoo Comanche led by 4.6 nautical miles (about 8.5 kilometres) over LawConnect, with Black Jack in third and Hamilton Island Wild Oats in fourth. There were 8.7 nautical miles covering first to fourth.

Andoo Comanche is close to its own record pace, which was set in 2017. 

The record is one day, nine hours, 15 minutes, 24 seconds.

On the race website, the estimated time of arrival for Andoo Comanche as of 9:20pm AEDT is 12:38am and 44 seconds AEDT just past midnight on Thursday morning — which would fall short of the existing mark by about two hours.

In the race for overall honours, NSW boat Celestial — which was in line to win overall last year before being demoted on protest — leads from New Zealand boat Caro, and American entry Warrior Won.

Only two of the 109 entries in the race have retired so far. The two-handed boat Avalanche retired early in the race, with a reported damaged bowsprit, while Yeah Baby retired early on Monday evening.

Look back at how the race unfolded on Monday on our blog.

• 6:45 AM 6:45 AM Mon 26 Dec 2022 at 6:45am Andoo Comanche's lead increases - a race record could be on the cards!
• 3:32 AM 3:32 AM Mon 26 Dec 2022 at 3:32am We have a battle at the top!
• 2:21 AM 2:21 AM Mon 26 Dec 2022 at 2:21am LawConnect hits the front as Andoo Comanche protests!

Live updates

That's where we'll leave it.

By Andrew McGarry

It's been an eventful first six hours of this year's Sydney to Hobart, with protests, near misses and a fast start that leaves Andoo Comanche in pole position for line honours and a possible race record.

But don't rule out its rival supermaxis - LawConnect,   Hamilton Island Wild Oats and Black Jack!

The wrap of the day's racing will be live shortly. Keep an eye on this article for any major updates during the evening and there will be new stories tomorrow to keep track of the leaders as they get closer to Hobart.

Thanks to everyone for joining us today on the blog -   from myself, Andrew McGarry, have a good evening.  

Change in the placings

The order of the top boats on the water has not changed for some time, but now as we get towards the evening, there is one change we can report.

Hamilton Island Wild Oats is still getting a decent wind as it sits closest to the shore of the four leaders.

The boat has moved into third spot, passing Black Jack.

Hamilton Island Wild Oats is seven nautical miles from the leader, going at 22.3 knots. Black Jack (20.4 knots) is now 8.2 nautical miles from the leader.

An example of the effect handicap has on the race for overall honours

So when we talk about overall honours, we also call it handicap honours. That is because the organisers use a "handicap" - similar to horse-racing but not based on weight carried - to make the race fair between boats of different sizes.

As said previously, as of now, Andoo Comanche is on course to break its own race record from 2017.

However, when you look at the leaderboard for overall honours, you see why it is hard for the supermaxis to win overall.

The leader, Celestial, is predicted to cross the line on Wednesday morning at about 7:33am AEDT. When the handicap of 1.390 is applied, Celestial's corrected arrival time is for 12:09:48am on the Thursday (i.e) just after midnight.

If we look at Andoo Comanche, the predicted arrival time (which changes constantly) is now 7:53:17pm AEDT tomorrow night.

Because of its size, Andoo Comanche has a handicap of 2.047 - on corrected time, it's expected finish time is 4:13:40am AEDT on December 29, more than 32 hours after it would physically finish the race.

Right now, Andoo Comanche is 14th for overall honours. We will see if the northerly winds that are due to help the supermaxis help move the boat up the list as the race goes on.

Andoo Comanche's lead increases - a race record could be on the cards!

Andoo Comanche is keeping up a solid speed on the way south, with the supermaxi still going at 25.4 knots, situated 32 nautical miles south-east of Jervis Bay - that's a lead of 5.5 nautical miles over LawConnect.

The interesting statistic right now is the estimated time of arrival - according to the race website, Andoo Comanche is due to come into Hobart at 7:52pm and 55 seconds AEDT tomorrow night.

If that happens, then the John Winning Jr-owned boat would smash the race record by more than two hours!

As things stand, LawConnect is estimated to finish at 10:16:07pm AEDT - 43 seconds outside the existing record of Comanche.

A word of caution, however. There is NO guarantee that winds will stay this strong all the way, and if there are flat spots then that estimated finish time will blow out.

Plus, of course, there is no idea what the Derwent will have in store. If the winds die down in the river tomorrow evening, then it may not matter how quickly the boats get down there.  

A clip of LawConnect in the Sydney to Hobart

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LawConnect has had a good day so far, taking the lead for a section of the afternoon before giving up the top spot to Andoo Comanche.

The boat's team have released a clip of them in action on the harbour.

You can also follow them in action on the water with their livestream here .

Still a clear top four at the top

Back to line honours again, and the top four is clear, four hours into the race.

As the leaders approach Jervis Bay, Andoo Comanche leads by four nautical miles from LawConnect, then Black Jack trails the leader by 6.2 nautical miles, and Hamilton Island Wild Oats is fourth, 6.5 nautical miles back.

There is a gap of more than seven nautical miles from Wild Oats to the rest of the fleet, led by Stefan Racing, with Willow just behind further out from shore.

An early update on the race for overall honours

While the focus is on the four at the front, let's take a quick look at the race for the overall win.

As we said previously, the weather may well affect this more than most years. If it's true that the top four could make it to Hobart (or at least the Derwent) on just one set of northerly winds, while the smaller boats could be hit by one or two changes on the way south, then even the handicap may not be enough to even things out.

As of the latest update at 4:30pm AEDT, the American-owned Warrior Won is 21 nautical miles east of Kiama, and is going at 17.7 knots.

It's estimated finish on corrected time is 3:26:38am (AEDT).

It's nearest competitor is New Zealand boat Caro, which is at the same spot - 21 nautical miles east of Kiama - but whose estimated finish is five minutes 26 seconds behind Warrior Won.

In third is the NSW boat Gweilo, a further two minutes 45 seconds behind on estimated time.

Next is Celestial - which won overall line honours before being demoted on protest.

As they say in the (bluewater) classics, this is VERY early days, and will change a fair bit depending on events, the weather patterns and how clear a run the big four get.

Andoo Comanche is ripping along

Things are going well on board the leader Andoo Comanche.

The supermaxi is passing Nowra and has picked up speed again, to be running at 28.4 knots (52.6 kmh).

Clearly the further out you go, the better the wind - at least for them.

The winds are stronger again, with all three of Comanche's rivals going at a minimum of 22 knots (40.7 kmh).

One boat out of the race so far

We have confirmation that the two-handed boat Avalanche is the first entry out of this year's Sydney to Hobart.

It is understood that the James Murchison-owned Hick 40 boat went back to port with a damaged bow sprit.

It is the second time that the boat has been forced to retire from the race - in 2015 Avalanche was launched and contested the race, before retiring with hull damage.

Decent winds predicted for tomorrow evening

It's early days ... but having a look on Windy , the predictions are for 40 to 50km an hour northerly winds blowing the fleet due south through late tomorrow afternoon into the evening and night, which means if it's not going to be a race record, it might not be far off it.

The idea of the leaders being downwind the whole way to the Iron Pot will do their chances no harm - the big question is, what will the River Derwent have in store? Many a contender has slowed down or come to a standstill and watched their chances go out the window in the final stages.

We will have to wait and see.  

The leaders have passed Wollongong

The head of the fleet is going past Port Kembla, two and a half hours after the start.

Andoo Comanche is still getting the best of the wind, furthest out from shore. The leader is picking up speed and going at 24.5 knots, extending the lead over Law Connect to 2.1 nautical miles.

Black Jack is going at 20 knots and is 3.2 nautical miles back, while Hamilton Island Wild Oats is 4.0 nautical miles back, at 21 knots.

Will this be a race of two races?

As we settle in for the run down the coast, the question is what the weather will do and how it will affect the fleet.

So far, the winds are solid but not spectacular. The leading four boats are all travelling at between 19 and 21.5 knots (35.2 - 39.8 kmh).

The expectation is that the winds will remain northerly (i.e. pushing the boats south towards Hobart) and will increase in strength as the afternoon goes on.

The overall forecast is that the winds will stay northerly all the way to Hobart - at least for the leading bunch of boats.

The first real change will come on Wednesday, when a trough is expected to shift the winds to southerly, making it harder for boats to keep speed up.

By the time that trough comes, however, the leading chances may well have finished the race!

Just remember, the race record is one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds - so to set a new mark, boats will have to reach Hobart before 10:15pm AEDT tomorrow night.

It's getting tasty up the front

We are getting a sense of the different plans at play for the leading chances as we head towards the two-hour mark.

There is an arrayed line of four, outside to inside (out to sea to closest to shore).

Andoo Comanche leads on the wide line, with just under 600 nautical miles to go to the finish.

Inside her and a little further astern is LawConnect, which is still travelling well, 0.7 nautical miles behind.

Next is Black Jack, a little further in to shore and 1.5 nautical miles behind.

In fourth is Hamilton Island Wild Oats, but after all the swearing and penalties and lost ground earlier, Mark Richards and his crew are hitting the mark now. The boat is picking up speed on an inside line, and is going at 19.2 knots, just 2.3 nautical miles behind.

Some photographers will do ANYTHING for a Sydney to Hobart picture

There are camera crews on board various boats in the harbour for the start of the race, and they then have to make a hasty exit - unless they want to take the long route to Hobart!

But it's not just the TV folks who brave the water. Getty Images' Mark Evans got up close and personal to the water to get this amazing shot of Stefan Racing . Hopefully he's dry now...

We have a battle at the top!

With the leaders well and truly out in the open going down the coast, the supermaxis are able to take advantage of the winds from the north.

Andoo Comanche has found its sea-legs, so to speak, and is absolutely flying! Right now the John Winning Jr-owned entry is the furthest out to sea, going at just under 25 knots.

Comanche has caught up with LawConnect and is officially level, but   has a 3.9 knot wind advantage over its rival.

A little further back is last year's line honours winner Black Jack, travelling at 20.1 knots. Hamilton Island Wild Oats is sticking closer to shore, but isn't getting the big wind. Wild Oats is 1.6 nautical miles behind the two leaders, going at 17.9 knots.

Get ready, this could be a four-way race all the way down the coast!

Big crowds watch the start

The rest of the top 10

We've been focused on the big four, because they are the ones likely to fight it out for line honours.

But the rest of the top 10 has some interesting names there.

In fifth is the Botin 80 boats Stefan Racing, owned and skippered by Grant Wharington.

Next is the Reichel Pugh Maxi 72 URM Group, followed by Willow, whose best finish was fourth for line honours in 2016.

Then we have Moneypenny, owned and skippered by Sean Langman, and then Tasmanian boat Alive, which won the race overall in 2018. Rounding out the top 10 is Whisper, owned by Phillip Turner and skippered by Duncan Hine.  

What's the wind doing?

At the moment, the winds seem to be northerly / north-easterly, which will assist the boats in going down the coast.

The forecast says the leaders could well get all the way to Hobart with helping winds, which is why the tip is that the race record could be in danger.

The record is held by Comanche - in 2017 the race was won in one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds.

Just to show you how things can change, depending on the winds ... last year, Black Jack took line honours, crossing the line in two days, 12 hours, 37 minutes and 17 seconds.    

LawConnect still the one to catch

LawConnect is going nicely in the lead, the supermaxi has clear air in front.

Black Jack is second, and then there is a fair gap back to the other two leaders. Wild Oats is sticking closer to the coast, while Andoo Comanche is further out to sea in search of the best wind.

Another view from Sydney Harbour

Various ABC reporters have been out and about on the harbour for the start, and Nick Sas has posted this beautiful clip of the boats against a gorgeous blue sky.

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Fastest yacht: The giant record breakers

• Toby Heppell
• October 29, 2021

Skorpios is the latest in a long list of giant monohulls designed with a view to becoming the fastest yacht on the planet. We take a look at some of her predecessors

Every so often the yacht racing world sees an ambitious owner with pockets deep enough to want to step things up a gear and produce a new record-smashing fastest yacht.

The latest of these to hit the water is the jaw-dropping ClubSwan 125 Skorpios built for its Russian owner, Dmitry Rybolovlev. Almost everything about this new monster yacht is bigger, stronger, faster and higher tech than any boat which came before it.

Pretty much any metric you care to look at on Skorpios is mind-boggling. The five-spreader Southern Spars mast stands at 175 feet tall, and she can carry 11,324 square feet of sail upwind, and 21,108 square feet downwind.

Enough sail? Skorpios off the Dorset coast. The ClubSwan 125 is named after owner Rybolovlev’s famous Greek island, where Jackie Kennedy married Aristotle Onassis. Photo: Mark Lloyd / Lloyd Images

Skorpios has been built with the express brief to break offshore records as the world’s fastest yacht. Her recent win in the 2021 Fastnet Race – only weeks after hitting the water for the first time – shows she certainly has what it takes to take line honours in big races.

And the numbers Skorpios has shown while racing initially seem to indicate that it is really only a matter of time until she starts claiming some of the biggest records on offer in the sailing world.

But Skorpios is only the latest in a long line of new yachts built with the express purpose of winning line honours and taking records, each bigger, faster and more technologically advanced than that which came before.

The current transatlantic record holder, Comanche , is probably the yacht that most readily springs to mind when we’re looking at the development path for Skorpios .

Before Skorpios , Comanche was the most recent, highly ambitious racing yacht on the planet. She was built with one thing in mind and one thing only, to break ocean records and win line honours in some of the world’s most famous races.

Comanche showing off her considerable beam. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

“The design office were told specifically by me that if this boat wasn’t the worst rated boat in history they have failed,” stated the owner Jim Clark on Maxi, Comanche ’s launch, reaffirming the aim of the boat to break records and win line honours without any consideration for handicap wins.

Comanche was something of a revelation when she was first launched. Over the years boats had been carrying more beam (width) towards the transom to create more power – at the expense of outright light weather, upwind and VMG running performance.

Comanche took this line of thought to the extreme with what seemed an impossibly wide stern, which led to the boat being nicknamed the aircraft carrier.

Although Skorpios is technically beamier than Comanche (8.75m vs 7.85m) the ClubSwan’s hull shape has a more modest beam-to-length ratio, and far greater internal volume and higher freeboard, all products of the project starting out with some focus on cruising in addition to outright performance.

But despite a slightly less powerful hull shape compared to Comanche , when you look at the rig, you see that this will likely be overcome by sheer grunt in terms of sail area. Skorpios ’ mainsail alone is 7,093 square feet, compared to Comanche ’s 4,413 square feet.

Comanche was, indeed is, a yacht that pushed technology to the absolute limit and when she was launched her extreme design caused quite a stir.

She is still considered one of the fastest yachts on the face of the earth and, in addition to her transatlantic record, Comanche also holds the monohull 24 hour sailing record at an impressive 618.01nm (averaging 25.75 knots) in a 24 hour period.

These two records will almost certainly be two of the key prize scalps Skorpios will be hoping to take.

Mari Cha IV

Although for many Comanche is the most obvious boat to which Skorpios can be compared, arguably a closer comparison could be that of Mari Cha IV , particularly when you consider length and ambition to break oceanic records.

The 140ft Mari Cha IV was launched in 2003, at this size both Mari Cha IV and (140ft) Skorpios face a similar problem, there are several top races that have an upper LOA limit of 100ft – neither could take part in the Sydney Hobart race for example.

Mari-Cha IV held the Atlantic record for 12 years. Photo: Thierry Martinez

In 2003, Mari-Cha IV set a new west-east transatlantic record with a total time of 6 days, 17 hours. During the run, she also set a new 24 hour monohull distance record of 525.5 nautical miles . This record stood until Comanche snatched the crown in 2016.

Due to her size and the sail area needed to power the giant, Mari Cha IV was built as a two-masted schooner. This meant that each mast could be smaller – within the bounds of the technology available at the time.

The twin rig on Mari Cha IV also meant each of the sails could be smaller than would be needed on a single masted yacht, reducing loads and enabling the boat to be sailed without resorting to powered winches.

That Skorpios is a single masted 140 footer demonstrates two things. The ClubSwan 125 shows the advances in technology with a single 175ft mast now being much more easily managed and understood – thanks, in no small part to advancements in load sensing technology which have filtered down from the America’s Cup and high tech offshore yachts such as the Ultime trimaran and IMOCA 60 fleets.

However, sail handling for sails of the size needed on Skorpios is still an issue and the ClubSwan 125 still needs powered winches, which will put her out of contention for a number of records that require exclusively human power.

In 2008, Speedboat was launched . The Juan Kouyoumdjian -designed 100ft Maxi was a yacht designed to produce blistering speeds and was built with the express purpose of ocean record breaking.

Speedboat , Newport Bermuda Race 2010

The yacht was built by Mick Cookson at Cookson Boats in New Zealand and her radical underwater features, including an incredibly flat run aft were all features that would later be included in the design of Comanche – features that demonstrate a yacht built for record breaking as they offer serious compromises in lighter winds.

In many respects Speedboat was the first to take the wide flat hull concept and transplant it wholesale into a 100ft Maxi.

Speedboat was also the first Maxi to have a deck-stepped rig, which was produced by Southern Spars, and she has plenty of other radical features.

To an extent Speedboat was built as a scaled up version of the Volvo 70 ’s which had been impressing in the Volvo Ocean Race . As such it is hardly a surprise the boat was the product of Kouyoumdjian’s design house, as he had created several of the fastest Volvo 70s then racing.

Unfortunately Speedboat arrived at the very start of the financial crisis and she only sailed in a number of events before she was mothballed and eventually sold.

She went through a couple of incarnations before being purchased by George David and was sailed as Rambler 100 during which time she dramatically lost her keel and capsized while competing in the Fastnet Race .

For his part David would go on to commission Kouyoumdjian to draw Rambler 88 , an impressive bit of kit in its own right and aimed at winning line honours and races outright in an 88ft package.

Wild Oats XI

No list of record breakers and record holders would be complete without a mention of Wild Oats XI , the 100 ft Maxi belonging to the Oatley family, which has won the Sydney Hobart no less than seven times.

Wild Oats XI ( WOXI for short) was actually launched back in 2005 and is a prime example of what can be done to a yacht to keep her on pace with current trends and developments.

In 2009 she was lengthened at bow and stern from 98ft to 100ft. In 2011 her forward balanced spade canard was removed and twin daggerboards were added amidships. In 2012 she received a bow centreboard as well as caudal fin winglets on her torpedo bulb.

Wild Oats XI . Photo: Kurt Arigo / Rolex

In 2013 she was equipped with a Dynamic Stability System (DSS) foil, which is a retractable horizontal foil deployed on the leeward side of the boat.

In 2015 her stern was shortened by 2m and her 12m forward sections were replaced by a 14m longer, sleeker bow, keeping her midship sections unmodified and in effect moving her entire existing sailplan aft by 2m, a trend which had been seen in many of the newer maxis to be produced since.

The various appendages which have been added and removed over the years have lent the yacht the affectionate nickname the ‘Swiss army knife’.

By today’s standards WOXI remains a very skinny boat in the Maxi world – she and almost-sistership at the time of launch, Alfa Romeo II both had a max beam of a little over 5m.

Wild Oats XI remains a potent race boat and particularly for races like the Sydney Hobart, her relatively narrow beam gives her an edge in light winds, VMG running and beating, all of which mean she is still very hard to beat over a race with mixed conditions – if ultimately working against her should she ever look to set oceanic records.

Leopard 3 ( ICAP Leopard as she was launched) hit the water in 2007 for serial Maxi owner, Mike Slade. The Farr design had a number of unique features at the time of launch, which made her one of the most impressive superyachts on the circuit.

ICAP Round Britain and Ireland Race 2010

Leopard ’s mast was a towering 154ft and she could set a total downwind sail area of 17,265 sq ft. At the time this was a vast amount of sail – though Skorpios ’ 21,108 sq ft is something of a stark comparison.

Leopard is capable of speeds of over 35 knots. But her similarities to Skorpios actually centre around the plans the British boat had from the start to enable cruising and racing in a little more comfort.

Leopard featured a luxurious removable interior, which could be removed for racing and refitted for cruising or for charter – for which she had also been specifically designed and built.

Although Skorpios does not go quite as far as a fully removable interior, there is, at least, a nod to comfort in her design when compared to the out and out racer that is Comanche .

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Treacherous conditions meets Sydney to Hobart start, knocks out favoured Wild Oats XI

The 2015 sydney to hobart yacht race began on saturday, amid stormy conditions that saw 10 boats retire..

Supermaxi yacht Wild Oats XI competes in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race in Sydney on Saturday. Stefano Gattini / AFP / Rolex / December 26, 2015

Eight-time line honours winner Wild Oats XI pulled out of the Sydney to Hobart Saturday while American super-yacht Comanche was attempting repairs after fierce winds hit off Australia’s east coast, officials said.

A 108-strong fleet set sail from Sydney Harbour earlier Saturday, but by late evening 10 boats had retired, including one with a broken mast, the organising Cruising Yacht Club of Australia said.

“Wild Oats XI has retired from the race after reporting a torn mainsail,” the club confirmed in a statement.

It said the Mark Richards skippered crew was returning to Sydney but no further details were available.

Early reports indicated the sail “tore in half when the yacht was hit by a 40 knot squall”, the Wild Oats XI twitter feed stated.

Organisers said the crew of the Comanche, which had been leading the race after bolting out of Sydney Harbour, “will try to effect repairs to a rudder and continue racing”.

The front half of the fleet in the gruelling 628 nautical mile (1,163 kilometre) race was enduring the brunt of the punishing weather as they sailed into “southerly buster” gale force winds, the CYCA added.

The navigator on one of the leading yachts, Ichi Ban’s Will Oxley, had reported gusts of up to 43 knots while another boat, CEX Dolce, was returning to Sydney with a broken mast, it said.

Officials had warned of thunderstorms and gales late Saturday as the fleet travelled down the east coast of Australia.

Storms are not unknown to the race, with six people dying, five boats sinking and 55 sailors rescued on a fatal night in 1998 when a deep depression exploded over the fleet in the treacherous Bass Strait.

It was an eventful beginning to the race, with three yachts retiring early after collisions just after the start, and another a short time later.

Among them was Ark323, one of two Chinese entries and one of 27 foreign boats in the race which draws spectators on land and in boats in Sydney on Boxing Day.

“Ark323, one of two Chinese entries, retired following a collision 300 metres after the start. All on board were safe,” race organisers said in a statement.

Australian boat Cougar II retired at about the same time with damage to her starboard quarter while the British entry Lupa of London also pulled out with a damaged bow after a collision.

Another boat, M3, withdrew after shattering its forestay, her crew deciding that the harsh weather forecast ruled out a possible repair and rejoining of the race.

Line honours contender supermaxi Perpetual Loyal and St Jude were later retirements, both understood to have sustained rudder damage from the rough weather in the evening, while Koa withdrew with steering damage.

Last year’s line honours winner Wild Oats XI had initially led in the moments after the starter’s horn blew, but was overtaken by Perpetual Loyal before Comanche took the lead after unfurling her big spinnaker.

Wild Oats holds the race record of one day, 18 hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds set in 2012 and her retirement and Comanche’s rudder damage open up the race for line honours.

Rambler was in the lead late Saturday, ahead of Comanche, Ragamuffin 100 and Maserati.

A brief update from Ragamuffin reported conditions as “wet and windy” as the leaders tracked down the New South Wales coast.

The winds are expected to ease on Sunday, and will be light off the coast of Tasmania as the boats head to Hobart’s Constitution Dock, with the first boats not expected to cross the finish line until Monday.

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