wayne556517
Lieutenant General
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The 2014 Sydney to Hobart.
http://www.rolexsydneyhobart.com/
The Aussie MAXI and reigning champ.
Wild Oats XI secured her sixth line honours victory under the guidance of Mark Richards in last year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart, broke her own race record, which now stands at 1 day, 18 hours, 23 minutes 12 seconds and won the race overall. It was the second time the super maxi had achieved this historic treble and the only boat to do so twice in the race’s history.
As it does each year, Bob Oatley’s super maxi has undergone further modifications that include having a radical, retractable, hydrofoil-type wing fitted in a bid to make her even faster when sailing downwind. The modifications were put to the test for the first time under racing conditions at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week in August and the consensus is that it improved the yacht’s performance.
The modifications are aimed at keeping the eight-year-old Wild Oats XI competitive against more recent designs. They have led to Richards and the crew to affectionately refer to the yacht as the ‘Swiss Army Knife’, because of the number of appendages she now boasts: the new hydrofoil wing, a retractable forward rudder, two retractable daggerboards, canting keel, and the conventional rudder at the stern.
Wild Oats XI still holds the record for the most consecutive line honours wins – four – from 2005 to 2008, surpassing Morna’s record of three in a row achieved from 1946-1948. She also holds the race record for the CYCA’s Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race (22hrs, 3mins, 46secs, set in 2012) and the CYCA’s Cabbage Tree Island Race (12hrs, 15mins, 55secs, set in 2012). Richards and his crew will need to muster all their resources this year, with three other supremely competitive super maxis and their crews ready to take her on.
Competitor Details
Name Wild Oats XI
Owner Robert Oatley
Skipper M Richards (11)
Crew A Henderson (2), C Harmson (7), C Links (1), G Taylor (18), I Burns (2), I Murray (1), J Hildebrand (9), J Wilson (7), J Whittaker (4), M Richards (7), M Shillington (6), N Ellis (7), R Naismith (17), R Daniel (12), S Beavis (4), S Jarvin (25), S Quigley (1), S Bannatyne (3), T Wiseman (9), T Addis, T Tindill (8).
State NSW
Club RPAYC/HIYC/YCCS
Type RP100
Designer Reichel Pugh
Builder McConaghy
Construction Carbon/Nomex
LOA 30.48
Beam 5.1
Draft 5.9
The challenger to Wildoats crown Commanche.
This is possibly one of the most talked about entries for this 70th Anniversary Race. This new 100-foot supermaxi is designed by Verdier Yacht Design & Vplp to push the boundaries of technology with the ultimate goal of taking line honours this year. The boat is the culmination of a two-year project. Built at Hodgdon Yachts in Maine, Comanche was sailed for the first time on October 13 and will be spiced with Australian flavour partly because her co-owner is Kristy Hinze-Clark, a former supermodel from Australia married to Jim Clark. Her mainsail also reflects Comanche’s Australian connection, as does Aussie crew; boat captain Casey Smith, Ryan Godrey in the pit and Chris Maxted “floating”.
Other big names are Stan Honey (navigator) and New Zealand’s Kevin Halrap on tactics. Comanche is skippered by renowned US sailor Ken Read with 21 international crew. Jim Clark, an American entrepreneur and computer scientist, founded several prominent Silicon Valley technology companies, such as Silicon Graphics Inc. and Netscape Communications Corporation.
Competitor Details
Name Comanche
Owner Jim Clark & Kristy Hinze Clark
Skipper Ken Read
Sailing Master Casey Smith (10)
Navigator Stan Honey (2)
Crew K Harrap, W Fluery, T Mutter, M Trubovich, S Clarkson, R Godfrey (10), J Fanell, J Von Schwarz, K Keeley (1), L Sinclair, C Maxted (1), D Rolfe (1), R Clarke, K Worthington, G Gendell, A Taylor, E Caccia, J Spithill, J Cressant, J Clough
State USA
Club NAYC
Type 100 Supermaxi
Designer Verdier Yacht Design & VPLP
Builder Hodgdon Yachts USA
LOA 30.48
Beam 6.8
Draft 6.8
http://www.rolexsydneyhobart.com/
The Aussie MAXI and reigning champ.
Wild Oats XI secured her sixth line honours victory under the guidance of Mark Richards in last year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart, broke her own race record, which now stands at 1 day, 18 hours, 23 minutes 12 seconds and won the race overall. It was the second time the super maxi had achieved this historic treble and the only boat to do so twice in the race’s history.
As it does each year, Bob Oatley’s super maxi has undergone further modifications that include having a radical, retractable, hydrofoil-type wing fitted in a bid to make her even faster when sailing downwind. The modifications were put to the test for the first time under racing conditions at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week in August and the consensus is that it improved the yacht’s performance.
The modifications are aimed at keeping the eight-year-old Wild Oats XI competitive against more recent designs. They have led to Richards and the crew to affectionately refer to the yacht as the ‘Swiss Army Knife’, because of the number of appendages she now boasts: the new hydrofoil wing, a retractable forward rudder, two retractable daggerboards, canting keel, and the conventional rudder at the stern.
Wild Oats XI still holds the record for the most consecutive line honours wins – four – from 2005 to 2008, surpassing Morna’s record of three in a row achieved from 1946-1948. She also holds the race record for the CYCA’s Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race (22hrs, 3mins, 46secs, set in 2012) and the CYCA’s Cabbage Tree Island Race (12hrs, 15mins, 55secs, set in 2012). Richards and his crew will need to muster all their resources this year, with three other supremely competitive super maxis and their crews ready to take her on.
Competitor Details
Name Wild Oats XI
Owner Robert Oatley
Skipper M Richards (11)
Crew A Henderson (2), C Harmson (7), C Links (1), G Taylor (18), I Burns (2), I Murray (1), J Hildebrand (9), J Wilson (7), J Whittaker (4), M Richards (7), M Shillington (6), N Ellis (7), R Naismith (17), R Daniel (12), S Beavis (4), S Jarvin (25), S Quigley (1), S Bannatyne (3), T Wiseman (9), T Addis, T Tindill (8).
State NSW
Club RPAYC/HIYC/YCCS
Type RP100
Designer Reichel Pugh
Builder McConaghy
Construction Carbon/Nomex
LOA 30.48
Beam 5.1
Draft 5.9
The challenger to Wildoats crown Commanche.
This is possibly one of the most talked about entries for this 70th Anniversary Race. This new 100-foot supermaxi is designed by Verdier Yacht Design & Vplp to push the boundaries of technology with the ultimate goal of taking line honours this year. The boat is the culmination of a two-year project. Built at Hodgdon Yachts in Maine, Comanche was sailed for the first time on October 13 and will be spiced with Australian flavour partly because her co-owner is Kristy Hinze-Clark, a former supermodel from Australia married to Jim Clark. Her mainsail also reflects Comanche’s Australian connection, as does Aussie crew; boat captain Casey Smith, Ryan Godrey in the pit and Chris Maxted “floating”.
Other big names are Stan Honey (navigator) and New Zealand’s Kevin Halrap on tactics. Comanche is skippered by renowned US sailor Ken Read with 21 international crew. Jim Clark, an American entrepreneur and computer scientist, founded several prominent Silicon Valley technology companies, such as Silicon Graphics Inc. and Netscape Communications Corporation.
Competitor Details
Name Comanche
Owner Jim Clark & Kristy Hinze Clark
Skipper Ken Read
Sailing Master Casey Smith (10)
Navigator Stan Honey (2)
Crew K Harrap, W Fluery, T Mutter, M Trubovich, S Clarkson, R Godfrey (10), J Fanell, J Von Schwarz, K Keeley (1), L Sinclair, C Maxted (1), D Rolfe (1), R Clarke, K Worthington, G Gendell, A Taylor, E Caccia, J Spithill, J Cressant, J Clough
State USA
Club NAYC
Type 100 Supermaxi
Designer Verdier Yacht Design & VPLP
Builder Hodgdon Yachts USA
LOA 30.48
Beam 6.8
Draft 6.8