Wild Oats XI(CBTF) WINS 2008 Sydney Hobart(Well,I hope!)

Look out! Its a.....
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From Sail-World:
Wild Oats XI sails into Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race history books


Wild Oats XI has lived up to its pre-race expectations and at 0934, 14 secs AEST this morning sailed into the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race history books. Her elapsed time was 1 day 20 hours 34 minutes and 14 seconds.

In 15 knots of north nor’east breeze and with a sizeable spectator fleet escort, the mighty Sydney-based 30m maxi owned by Bob Oatley and skippered by Mark Richards achieved something no other boat has in the race’s 64 year history – four consecutive line honours wins in the 628 nautical mile ocean classic.

Wild Oats XI overcame a number of setbacks including a torn spinnaker soon after the 1pm start on Sydney Harbour on Friday, a too-close encounter with a shark last night that could have caused serious damage to their rudders and yesterday’s valiant fight back by Skandia to lead the high tech Wild Oats XI for most of the day.

The record for the most line honours wins in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is held by Morna/Kurrewa IV, the same boat which sailed to seven line honours victories under two different owners and two different names, the last time in 1960 as Kurrewa IV.

Last year Wild Oats XI equalled Morna’s record three-in-a-row, set in the 1940s, and this year she has taken her own slice of history with her fourth back to back win.

Wild Oats XI is also the current record holder with a time of 1 day 18 hours 40 minutes 10 seconds set in 2005 when she took her first line honours win having only been on the water a matter of weeks.

Wild Oats XI’s finish times

2005 (record) - 1:18:40:10
2006 - 2:08:52:33
2007 - 1:21:24:32
2008 - 1:20:34:14

More from Sail-World:

Sail-World.com News
2008 Rolex Sydney Hobart race

Sydney Hobart: Shark won line honours for Wild Oats XI
1:09 AM Sun 28 Dec 2008 GMT


The start of the 64th Rolex Sydney Hobart was not a good one for Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats XI. While she made the right tactical decisions off the start line, she was sailing like a dog.

As Skipper Mark Richards explained dockside in Hobart this morning ‘once we were out of the heads we realised she was sailing like a dog. There was vibration and she was just down speed. We looked and looked through the endoscopes at rudder and keel but we could not see anything.

‘We were just off the pace and at the same time the Skandia guys were sailing very well, make good tactical decisions.

‘’The boys rallied, we worked very hard, it was very tough race. We probably did 100 sail changes and somehow we managed to stay in contact with Skandia.

‘When we hit the shark, probably about an eight footer around 4pm yesterday, we had no choice but to do a complete back up.

‘When we cleared the shark away, we think we must have cleared whatever else it was, a rope or a bag on the rear rudder.

‘As soon as we started sailing again we realised we had the old Wild Oats XI back again; we have another knot or two and within an hour we were through Skandia and stretching away from her.

‘To win the fourth race in a row is an awesome feeling, we don’t care so much about the record... we own that anyway.’

[masalai]

A massive effort and a noteworthy record - well done....

[Meanz Beanz]

Originally Posted by ancient kayaker

Although I must admit I have a long term project to retrofit steam-driven paddle wheels to my kayak.

I want to see that!


Gobbles with politicians.

[masalai]

Yes please, solar powered? or coal fueled boilers?

[Joakim]

Originally Posted by Doug Lord

Wild Oats Wins! 5:45pm est Way to go!! Yee Ha!

In my view Wild Oats is the last (and Skandia is the second last) of the 13 boats currently finished and the winner is Quest. In NOR it is clearly said that the overall winner is determined according to IRC.

In IRC Wild Oats lost about 20 hours to Quest, which really tells you how badly they have sailed and/or how bad IRC is at handicapping in those conditions.

It really is a shame that good races are spoiled with far too much attention to line honours, which really is a stupid game and leaves the best sailors out.


Joakim

[masalai]

One answer is the stagger start according to handicap rating so all finish at the same time according to handicap rating..... that will take the money incentive out of the cudos for first home (line honours).... and encourage better sailing rather than technical complexity and money spent to win line honours....

and the Sydney - Hobart should allow a lay day or two then a race back on the same system (but with revised "corrected" handicap rating) so the spectacle of all arriving at the heads at the same time make for the spectacle missed on departure....

[ancient kayaker]

Originally Posted by masalai

Yes please, solar powered? or coal fueled boilers?

That's the easy part, Propane! The hard part is the very low speed high torgue engine, not readily available, probably have to build it myself. Don't have the skills or tools yet so that's what's making it a long term project.

Am I off topic yet?

Just had a thought: how about a new rule to resolve the controversy over engines in sailboats; perhaps one objection is it seems to make it too easy. So what if we force them to use steam engines for sail control instead?

[Chris Ostlind]

So, Doug... Do you still want to argue that crap in the water is not a problem?

Irony at its best

Wild Oats still won-thats what's important.

[Chris Ostlind]

Really, winning is all that matters?

Well, here's my win, Doug.

You've continued to refute the argument over the last two and one half years. Now, after posting your own chosen report of the S/H race, you simply have to agree that the crap in the water issue is a very strong point and that you've gotten it wrong all along.

The human sadness of the reality is that you are not of the type of person who can publicly say you were wrong. Interestingly, on both these pages and those of the Sailing Anarchy Forums, you've boldly indicated that if proven wrong, you would gladly apologize in public.

Go ahead, Doug, I'd really like to read your allocution right here on the pages of Boatdesign.net

On the truly funny side of things, there is the fact that you are not the dunce that some folks think. So, you just had to know that this day was coming and that eventually, the phony house of cards you have been propping-up with all your disclaimers and near violent refutations, would fall.. and it would fall ignominiously. You've run-out the string, Doug.

The day when you would be caught and had to fess-up has arrived.

[ancient kayaker]

Great stuff Doug, and an enjoyable read.

Chris: he's ignoring you! I probably should too. After the number that you did on me elsewhere (somewhat justified I admit) perhaps you should consider living up to your own standards of forum behavior. I've seen you do a lot better and I look forward to it.

[Chris Ostlind]

Meanz Beanz... hmmm?

Nope, no connection to that name at all.

The Jillian site is interesting, but I do not recall having interacted with anyone who said they were from that particular website in the past.

Fishing, huh? Is this you below with the spectacular samples that your customers might be able to catch? Nice stuff, that.

If you want to write me offlist and tell me who you really might be, then here's my email address:

Chris@Wedgesail.com

Best wishes MB and happy new year.

One more thing about the victory of Wild Oats in the Sydney Hobart: she uses the revolutionary CBTF technology which she has proven in tough and not so tough conditions year after year. The fact that she hit a shark with one of her high aspect foils and has dealt with the same level of ocean trash as any other ocean racer year after year proves beyond a shadow of a doubt the viability of this extraordinary technology. Note that in the past the primary criticism aimed at CBTF was directed at the twin high aspect foils. The canting keel on this boat(thanks to Reichel-Pugh)and many other boats is well proven technology as well.
When CBTF was first introduced many panned the high aspect ratio dual rudders as a disaster waiting to happen. Well,congratulations to CBTFco and Reichel-Pugh for ,once again, proving the naysayers to be completely uninformed and unreasonably cynical.
And ,once again-way to go Team Wild Oats XI!

click on image:

[Meanz Beanz]

Originally Posted by Chris Ostlind

Meanz Beanz... hmmm?

Nope, no connection to that name at all.

The Jillian site is interesting, but I do not recall having interacted with anyone who said they were from that particular website in the past.

Fishing, huh? Is this you below with the spectacular samples that your customers might be able to catch? Nice stuff, that.

If you want to write me offlist and tell me who you really might be, then here's my email address:

Chris@Wedgesail.com

Best wishes MB and happy new year.

No Chris "The Jillian" is nothing to do with me directly.... just a friend that could do with as many links to their site as they can get. They do family bay fishing with ankle biters... no pissing up the wall to impress, just good clean family fun...

I already had your email... thanks.

Anyway... I deleted the post, why pick a fight... lets go do something constructive.