A miserable overnight training session for Wild Oats XI as she is prepared for the Rolex Sydney Hobart race

Wild Oats XI leads the way up
Sydney Harbour during this week’s
SOLAS Big Boat Challenge.

With rain pouring down, and a cold, blustery south-easterly wind blowing, Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race line honours contender, Wild Oats XI, was put through her paces 30 nautical miles offshore from Sydney last night.

When the 30-metre long supermaxi returned to the harbour and headed for her dock in the early hours of this morning, skipper Mark Richards declared the yacht and crew were very close to being race-ready.

“Conditions were miserable, but no different to what we can expect to see during the Hobart race,” Richards said, “so we treated the outing as a total test in pitch darkness. We did every conceivable manoeuvre: set jibs and spinnakers, tacked and gybe, reefed and un-reefed.”

Wild Oats XI was forced to retire from last year’s 628 nautical mile Hobart classic when an “operator error” during a hurried reefing manoeuvre caused irreparable damage to the trailing edge of the mainsail.

“We were our own worst enemies last year,” Richards said, “The rush to get the yacht ready for the race after the major hull modifications put us under enormous pressure. We’re in a much better state of mind this year.”

There have been only two modifications made to the yacht in preparation for this year’s race, which starts on Boxing Day. The hydrofoil wing, which had been fitted three years earlier to provide increased lift to the hull when sailing downwind, has been removed, and the attachment point for the forestay at the bow has been moved forward 1.8 metres.

The latter modification has been made to save seconds each time the yacht tacks when sailing upwind with the largest jib set. Previously this J1 jib had to be roller-furled as if it was a Holland blind during a tack, but now, with the forestay further forward, the sail will simply blow through from one side to the other. This change will also allow for the shape of the sail to be improved via the addition of battens to its trailing edge.

A new J1 sail will be delivered to the yacht on Monday. Meanwhile, Wild Oats XI will be on Sydney Harbour tomorrow testing a new heavy weather spinnaker.

Owned by the Oatley family, the 30-metre long Wild Oats XI will this year be racing for an unprecedented ninth line honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. Since being launched in 2005 she has also set a record time for the course on two occasions, and twice won the race on handicap.