A year after undergoing dramatic structural surgery, where one-third of her hull was cut off at the bow and replaced with a new and improved section, famous supermaxi Wild Oats XI is to undergo another modification on the eve of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
In what was a remarkable display of high speed offshore sailing, the Oatley family’s supercharged supermaxi, Wild Oats XI, has demolished the course record time she set in the Brisbane to Keppel race in 2011. After covering the 348 nautical mile course at an average speed of 21 knots, the 30-metre long, recently reconfigured yacht confirmed she is still a benchmark in offshore sailing. Propelled by a solid south-easterly wind over the entire course, she covered the distance in less than 17 hours; a performance that saw her carve almost 7hrs 30mins off her previous record time. The Keppel race was the first chance Wild Oats XI’s skipper Mark Richards and his 19-man crew have had to test the yacht…
The Oatley family’s champion supermaxi, Wild Oats XI, was on record-breaking pace in the 348 nautical mile Brisbane to Keppel race late today. The silver-hulled, 30-metre long racer was surfing north past Noosa, on the Sunshine Coast, at up to 27 knots and heading for the northern tip of Fraser Island. Should the existing conditions continue then Wild Oats XI is likely to finish at around 6am, more than nine hours inside the course record time she set in 2011. Bowman Tim Wiseman, who has sent back videos and images from on-board, said conditions were ideal for the yacht. “Once we cleared Moreton Bay and sailed into the open ocean we took off,” he said. “We’re enjoying a 25-30 knot…
