Marine News
Nov 25,2009
Sydney To Hobart 2010 Gets Competative
Wild Oats XI is racing this year with a quarter of the crew less than in the past but added one of the most celebrated sailors for what skipper Mark Richards has described as the "most competitive" Sydney to Hobart race in history.
Eight maxis including five over 100ft length will contest the 65th event starting on Boxing Day from Sydney Habour.
Last year Wild Oats XI became the only boat in the event's history to win four years in a row, leaving it not to far behind Morna/Kurrewa IV which took line honors on seven occasions over a 12 year stint between 1946 and 1957.
Richards explained Wild Oats XI would have its crew reduced from 24 to 18, but landed the skills of New Zealander Mike Sanderson as a helmsman.
Sanderson, has winning experience with two Round the World wins, was part of the Admirals Cup winning campaign back in 1999 and by skippering ABN Amro One to victory in the 2005/06 Volvo ocean won the sailor of the year honours.
Richards said up to four of the bigger boats have genuine chances for line honours.
New Zealand’s boat Alfa Romeo, Britain’s entry ICAP Leopard, Victoria's Wild Thing and LOYAL, formerly named as Maximus, are the main dangers to Wild Oats this year.
Richards noted that a few of those boats, Alfa Romeo and ICAP Leopard were quicker than his boat in certain ocean conditions and earmarked LOYAL as the dark horse of the race.
He described Neville Crichton of Alfa Romeo as the toughest competitor in the sport.
Australian Grant Wharington is hoping a new keel design would help Wild Thing formerly known as Skandia, bridge the gap on Wild Oats XI from last years race.
Wharington is confident that the new keel could improve his boat's time by around five hours.
"It is an enormous amount, it's something like nine per cent. If anyone can give you a nine per cent performance increase in any kind of sport you'd be pulling all the stops out to get it," Wharington said.
Nearly all of the maxis in the race, including Wild Oats XI, have made modifications.
Approximately 112 yachts are expected on the two start lines, with boats coming from New Caledonia, the USA, Spain, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the UK.
Love & War, a three time winner, is among a hugely competitive fleet of mid-sized boats to fight it out for handicap honours.
source: news.smh.com.au
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