“Skipper Mark Richards and his Hamilton Island Wild Oats team of 21, … took one day 13 hours and 38 minutes to complete the 628 nautical mile passage in fast downwind conditions” writes Lisa Ratcliff from the Whitsunday News. Read the full article for more.

In any other sport, a scoresheet listing nine line honours wins and a combined 238 Rolex Sydney Hobarts among the crew of 21 would suggest that team is the pre-race favourite. The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, however, is a sporting contest like no other; while nothing is left to chance in terms of preparation, luck is as much a factor as previous success. Hamilton Island Wild Oats’ long-time skipper Mark Richards says “this year’s super maxi competition is red hot – Andoo Comanche, Black Jack and LawConnect. All have amazing teams with people flying in from all over the world to sail these incredible boats.” Onboard the Oatley family’s Hamilton Island Wild Oats are three newcomers: key internationals Murray…

The gear-busting, boat breaking reputation of the Rolex Sydney Hobart yacht race could be far from reality when the 628-nautical mile classic starts on Boxing Day, according to Mark Richards, the skipper of the 30-metre long supermaxi, Wild Oats XI. The three most reliable weather forecasts for the race all agree there will be a southerly change exiting Bass Strait and moving up the NSW south coast as the fleet heads towards Hobart. But, how strong it will be and from what precise direction remains unknown. “At this stage it appears the race will be more like a game of chess than a hard slog south,” Richards said today. “It will be a very tricky, tactical challenge in relatively light…