Wild Oats XI one step closer to the Rolex Sydney Hobart start line

• NEWS
• 06 Dec, 2007 09:30:00 PM

Wild Oats XI one step closer to the Rolex Sydney Hobart start line

The towering black carbon fibre mast, reaching almost 45 metres in height and weighing 1,100 kilograms, was today lifted by crane, shaken to remove any debris then carefully manoeuvred by some of the Wild Oats crew before being lowered into the awaiting 30-metre maxi.

Bob Oatley’s two-time Rolex Sydney Hobart line honours winner and record breaker, Wild Oats XI, has moved one step closer to this year’s start line with the successful installation of the yacht’s new mast this afternoon at Woolwich Dock.

The towering black carbon fibre mast, reaching almost 45 metres in height and weighing 1,100 kilograms, was today lifted by crane, shaken to remove any debris then carefully manoeuvred by some of the Wild Oats crew before being lowered into the awaiting 30-metre maxi.

It is expected that once the rig is adjusted, Wild Oats XI will head out for her first test sail on Sydney Harbour this Saturday, less than three weeks out from the 1pm Boxing Day start.

“Today was a big step forward in our preparation and we now we are looking forward to going sailing,” Mark Richards, skipper of Wild Oats XI said today.

“We are really pleased today went smoothly, the mast seems much sturdier than the previous one.

“We still have a lot of work ahead of us in the next few weeks however regardless of the preparation we or any other crew puts in place for this race, at the end of the day you still have to get to Hobart to win it,” said Richards.

While Wild Oats XI’s mast being installed captivated the crowd at the dock this afternoon, some of the City Index Leopard crew looked on with interest. The UK maxi, which slipped quietly into Sydney Harbour last Sunday, is also berthed at Woolwich Dock which means they and Wild Oats XI can keep a close eye on each other’s race preparation.

Grant Wharington’s Melbourne maxi Skandia is due into Sydney prior to next Tuesday’s SOLAS Big Boat Challenge while New Zealand maxi Maximus, the fourth 30m maxi contesting this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart, is due to leave Auckland on 12 December and arrive into Sydney on Monday 17 December. Maximus will be sailing across the Tasman Sea in six days time with clear intent - they are on their way to settle unfinished business. Maximus was dramatically dismasted in the early hours of the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart fleet’s first morning at sea and is returning to avenge her early exit, and have a tilt at line honours.

Wild Oats XI is aiming for a third consecutive line honours win, a feat only achieved once before in the 1946, 1947 and 1948 Sydney Hobarts. The yacht was dismasted during racing at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup off the coast of Porto Cervo, Italy in September and has spent almost two months out of the water undergoing repairs.

Tomorrow Wild Oats XI’s rig will be tuned before they take to the water on Saturday morning in preparation for next week’s SOLAS Big Boat Challenge (11 December) and the Rolex Trophy Rating Series (13-16 December).