2009 Sydney-Hobart:WOXI vs Alfa and more

The two CBTF Maxi's and four other big maxi's will race stating in 8 days.
I'm for Wild Oats XI with a record of four previous wins-go WOXI!
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Wild Oats XI(from BYM News)

In her Rolex Sydney Hobart debut this state-of-the-art 30m maxi with canting ballast twin foil took line honours in record time and won the Tattersall’s Cup – the only boat to take the trifecta since Rani in the first race in 1945. Wild Oats XI achieved an historic fourth consecutive line honours win in last year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart and is vying for her fifth successive win. Wild Oats XI has undergone modifications to extend her maximum overall length (LOA) to the new rule of 30.48metres or 100ft.
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Alpha and WOXI raced around Sydney harbor last week and Alpha won-capitilizing on a mistake by WOXI. Just a fluke.....

Grant Wharingtons boat was dismasted a few days ago and is in a race
against time to get a new rig in the boat-with help from the Alfa team.
This should be an exciting ocean race....

http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/default.asp

great site for a rundown on the big boats-scroll down to the picture of Ichi Ban and the article by Lisa Ratcliff:
http://sailracewin.blogspot.com/
"The world's biggest and best assembly of maxi yachts in recent times will contest this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Seven of them will be on the start line, and five have a real chance of leading the fleet of 100 entries into Hobart in the 65th running of the Australian 628-nautical mile ocean-racing classic, which starts on Boxing Day, December 26."


Wharingtons boat before dismasting:
Alpha:

 

Loyal

This is a fairly big story: this boat is the former Maximus which is being chartered by Sean Langman for this race.
Maximus was involved in a long legal battle with the inventors of CBTF who claimed that she vilolated their patent. Maximus has a "normal" rudder and a daggerboard forward of the mast. This "daggerboard" with its flap was the crux of the legal battle. CBTF won their suit proving ,in the end, that Maximus had infringed the patent.
Loyal will try to do what Maximus couldn't: beat WOXI!
So this race, like the last four, will be another example of "Canting Ballast Twin Foil " vs everybody else except that this time THREE boats equiped with CBTF will compete! Cool!
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LOYAL(from BYM News)

Sean Langman has returned to big boat racing this year, chartering the 100 foot Greg Elliott design, LOYAL, formerly Maximus. Following its arrival from Auckland the boat underwent an extensive modification program, including lengthening from 98 to 100 feet, new 6.2m keel and new lighter weight and taller conventional mast to replace the wing mast.
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Loyal as Maximus:

 

Not a bad contender Doug.

Here is my pick :ALFA ROMEO.http://www.powerboat-world.com/Role...Romeo-spoil-the-party-for-Wild-Oats-XI?/64504


Name Alfa Romeo
Race name Alfa Romeo
Launch year 2005
Sail number NZL80
Owner Neville Crichton
Skipper Neville Crichton
Crew W Morgan, L Jenkins, J Morris, G McPherson, D Rolfe, N Drennan, C Satterthwaite, B Clark, A Hutchinson, P Merrington, S Bannatyne, M Coxon, M Spence, E Williams
Club New Zealand Yacht Squadron
Country NZ
Type Maxi
Designer Reichel/Pugh
Builder McConaghy Boats
Construction Carbon Fibre
LOA 30.48
Beam 5.1
Draft 5.1

 

HMMMm, rotating rigs and square top mains, where have I seen THAT before

 

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Good Luck, Elmo!

 

Sydney-Hobart 2009

The race start can be seen by computer by following the link below to the race website and then to Sydney's CH 7. They'll broadcast the race from 12:30 to 2pm AEST December 26th which is 8:30-10pm on the US east coast on the 25th.

http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/default.asp


GO WILD OATS XI!!!!
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From Scuttlebutt 12/22/09:
The Line Honours betting this afternoon was

Wild Oats XI 1.80
Alfa Romeo 2.25
ICAP Leopard 4.75
Etihad Stadium - formerly Skandia Wild Thing 11.00
Investec Loyal - formerly Maximus 13.00
Lahana 34.00
Rapture 34.00

 

From Scuttlebutt 12/22/09:

"Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Barry Hanstrum this morning delivered
the long range race forecast, suggesting some inconsistency in the models with
regards to the start at 1pm on Boxing Day, December 26, due to the path of
ex-tropical cyclone Laurence's inland track south east. Following morning
showers on Boxing Day, the 100-strong fleet is due to start in either the
remnants of the Christmas Day southerly, or they will be greeted at the two
start lines north of Shark Island by the beginnings of what is expected to
develop into a decent 20-30 knot sea breeze on Sunday - putting the race
record of 1 day 18 hours 40 minutes 10 seconds in jeopardy."

 

News from SA

"Wild Oats XI undergoing keel repairsDecember 23, 2009 - 10:39AM .
AAP

Sydney to Hobart race record-holder Wild Oats XI has been lifted from the water for hurried keel repairs ahead of the Boxing Day race start.

An underwater inspection of the supermaxi's hull on Tuesday revealed the keel was damaged when it hooked onto a buoy and line attached to a fish trap off Sydney Heads on Monday.

While the damage was not structural, the keel's leading edge was serrated, a problem serious enough to cause speed-sapping turbulence.

Repairs were being done on Wednesday after Wild Oats XI was taken from the water overnight.

"We had to lift the yacht out of the water at midnight because that was when the tide was most favourable," skipper Mark Richards said.

"The damage is only superficial, but we need absolutely everything going for us in this year's Hobart race, so it was imperative that we fixed it."

The yacht was expected to be relaunched later on Wednesday."
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She's back in the water -repairs complete.....

 

More from Scuttlebutt:

Record Tipped To Fall In Perfect Conditions
The fastest yachts in this year's Sydney-Hobart race should shatter the race record and be sailing up the Derwent River just one day and 14 hours after the Boxing Day start.

The senior forecaster for the Bureau of Meteorology, Barry Hanstrum, said yesterday the 100-strong fleet should experience strong northeasterly winds down the NSW coast after the start and westerly winds across Bass Strait, giving them almost perfect conditions.

The commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Matt Allen, said computer modelling of those conditions showed Bob Oatley's Wild Oats XI could finish more than four hours under the record she set in the 2005 race -- the first of four consecutive line-honours wins.

Allen said modifications to Wild Oats XI had made her significantly faster than she was in 2005.
"We are leaning toward northeasterly winds for the start, building up to 20 to 30 knots on Sunday afternoon," Mr Hanstrum said during a weather briefing at the CYCA. -- D.D. McNicoll in The Australian, www.theaustralian.com.au

 

America "cruising maxi" in Sydney-Hobart

From the race website:

Cruising in the fast lane
Among the eight maxis jostling on the start line this Saturday, look for a US boat called Rapture. On board will be 40 year old owner Brook Lenfest. Rapture is competing in the Rolex Sydney Hobart as part of a series of races and cruises that will take her around the world.

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Looks like Grant Wharringtons boat will make it afterall after being dismasted. They borrowed a mast form Alfa and had it flown to Australia. Had to change all the chainplate locations among other things:

The crew of the Grant Wharington’s Supermaxi have gathered at Sydney City Marine late tonight, and are quietly confident about what tomorrow will bring for them in the 2009 Rolex Sydney Hobart.

The 98 footer will be lining up with the other big boats and the rest of the fleet for what will be skipper Grant Wharington’s 24th race.

“We’re really pleased with where we are at “he said.

“Whilst it’s not been a text book preparation and certainly not one we’d like to repeat, we’ve really achieved quite an amazing feat, and I am incredibly proud the great group of people who have contributed so much over the last 2 weeks and sacrificed so much in the last 5 days” he said.

“We’re looking forward to being off the dock early tomorrow morning and seeing everyone on the Harbour, and then of course, on the start line”

Sydney based crew had ticked off a number of things this afternoon and when the Melbourne contingent arrived, a crew meeting was held – with a couple of logistics to sort out, and an ever dwindling job list to check over.

Everyone had a midnight curfew for bedtime, and will be back at the boat at sunrise.

 

Wild Oats XI

Wild Oats has won the start.....and then Alfa passed her-some trouble on Wild Oats -dropped spin early.. Alfa first to first mark..Alfa leads at second mark..

 

Watch here: http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/yaunzpop/popup/?rn=240897&ch=&cl=11132736&src=y7sports Updates 2,4,6,8,10pm AEST.

Wild Oats has almost caught Alfa... ICAP Leopard is Line Honors leader as of 10:19 EST
---More news here: http://www.sail-world.com/USA/Rolex-Sydney-Hobart-Start-report/64770

Grant Wharrington retired with rig issues after being dismasted last week, borrowing a rig Alfa had in Europe, having it flown in and trying like hell to make it-what guts the whole team had to keep trying to the very last minute! http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/news.asp?key=4570

 

not a bad track site
watched the start live for 2 hours
was kinda lumpy once on the wind, and Alpha seemed to have more speed uphill than Oats
http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/breaking_news.asp?key=523

 

Other monohull classes tried them many years ago; Int Canoes, for example.

They were later adopted into some cat classes.

Oh, and the rotating mast has been taken off Loyal; there are no rotating masts in the race.

 

wella t mo Oats is getting done, this updates all the time
go Leopard
http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/standings_ext.asp?key=524