Sydney-Hobart 2012

you do know woxi on a trip back to sydney on a previous year did it way faster than the record with a delivery crew....
shhh secret

 

Yes I agree, how do you classify pumping the huge kite whilst I am sitting on the rail with the remote and one guy tailing...using a 200hp hydraulic pump with a huge motor on the winch?
Lets have the un assited record and the powered record.

 

This is how the record books work

For the Hobart, Simply award a separate trophy to power assisted boats and reserve first to finish status, course record for sailing boats


"ISAF/World Sailing Speed Record Rules for individually attempted Passage Records or Performances Offshore."

"Powered sailing systems. In addition, any of these record categories can also apply to a vessel using powered sailing systems (see 21c.) provided a claim exceeds any corresponding World Record.
These Powered Records are listed separately and can never be regarded as the 'outright record' for a course."

 

yes, it might have come across a bit harsh - there was considerable 'tongue in cheek' going on in my mind as I was writing it, but it obviously wouldnt translate in print.

If I hurt anyones feelings, I apologize.

I hope Bob Oatley has a lot more important things to do than be upset at some silly internet comments.

 

Bobs throwing money at a rule for a certain race
F1 teams no longer have the owners driving either

 

Great comparison - F1 is no fun either, all open wallets, smarmy announcers and TV commentators and the ubiquitous sexy women with pasted smiles to make it seem like something fun.

My main philosophy is that I don't see the point of paying other people to have fun on my behalf. Its a good business principle , but I don't call it 'sport'.

 

I guess if your old enough and rich enough you can still say you won
explains ownership of sporting teams
PS F1 made Ecclestone a billionare and all (most)the owners very rich

 

Very few yacht owners can actualy drive the boat on a race course.

Normally a yachts owner assembles a team and his team works the boat around the coarse.

Nothing wrong with that.

races and classes can refine this and have owner steer rules.

 

I won't lose any sleep over it. I still think they are great boats to watch and they show what a well designed motor sailer can do.

 

Wild Oats XI

A small portion of a story from The Daily Sail: ( read the whole story here: http://www.thedailysail.com/offshore/12/63628/0/wild-oats-scores-the-rolex-sydney-hobart-triple )

Wild Oats XI’s impressive list of achievements now includes:

- First yacht to win line, handicap and race record honours twice
- First yacht to win line and handicap honours twice
- First yacht to break her own race record (she lowered her 2005 mark by 17 minutes to one day, 18 hours, 23 minutes, and 12 seconds
- A record six line honours in eight starts
- A record four consecutive line honours
- A record run from the start line to the first turning mark on Sydney Harbour

Richards is now setting his sights on equaling the record of seven wins. “You get close to something like that and it becomes a real goal for us,” he said. “I’m sure there’ll be bigger and better boats out next year, so we’ll just see what happens.”

Bob Oatley has already declared the yacht will be back for next year’s race. He said that it was an exceptional effort by his crew, a perfect preparation for the race, modifications made to the hull and keel, and the inclusion of a huge Code Zero headsail in the yacht’s sail inventory, which brought this year’s grand result in the big race.

 

he wont be beating any non powered records though.

 

You mean the motivation of the first over the line mentality regardless of cost ?

Walking around the waterfront talking to the crews I know, they don't actually think that much of the 'Super' maxi's grand achievement.

A very common subject is the engine, and many people participating don't think it's fair that the boat can't be raced without those engines running.

There are still plenty of people in the S-H who sail for fun and for nothing more than the challenge of the course, and the camaraderie.

 

I'm sure the crew on the maxi's have the same motivation.

Further, I would be very surprised if the keel cannot be manually locked into position in the case of hydraulic failure. That would be sensible if not compulsory I would have thought.
I do see the whole canting thing as being just a desperate bid by mono's to stay mono's though, any modern racing trimaran over 45' or so would kick it's arse.

 

Do we know for sure which systems are powered on Wild Oats and her ilk?
I'm all for fast mono hull sail boats but when the propulsion systems (foils, ballast, sails, mast, etc.) are mechanically assisted it's time for their own class.
It's no more or less fair than the multis having their own classes.
Let the technology develop fairly.

 

All her systems are powerd, winches, keel dagger boards. And with top sailors aboard who can spend their time watching the sails and the opposition rather than operating the winches

All calls of unfairness aside, she is an incredible machine.

For those interested in her hullform and foils there's a good video of her being hauled out here:

http://www.blur.se/2012/12/18/wild-oats-xi-senaste-modifieringarna/