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The Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Has a Boat-Size Absence

Wild Oats XI, a crowd favorite that is one of the most successful yachts in the event’s history, will not compete this year pending repairs and rethinking.

By Kimball Livingston

When the hundred-foot Maxi yachts hit the starting line for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, one absence will loom as a powerful presence.

There will be no Wild Oats XI, and Wild Oats XI is more than a boat.

Speculation is inevitable when a crowd favorite is missing. The report from the boat’s skipper, Mark Richards, is straightforward, but it won’t put an end to wondering. Of the boat and its owners, Richards said: “We had a structural failure in the bow and are having that addressed. The Oatley family are re-evaluating how to progress forward in our sport and they have just decided to have a break this year while they work it out.”

That resonates because in this race, Wild Oats XI has taken line honors (first boat to cross the finish line) nine times, set records three times and, beyond that, won the hearts of Australians.

“Kids 6, 7, 8 years old know the name,” Richards said.

No one dares use the past tense in speaking of Wild Oats XI, but questions arise when a boat that is synonymous with the Sydney Hobart, and that has been rush-repaired in the past to make a race, is absent.

Last year, the boat finished fourth at the Sydney Hobart after a sail ripped underway. It was in August of this year during a race in Australia’s Whitsunday Islands that the hull failure occurred.

In 2005, Bob Oatley commissioned the build of Wild Oats XI and set the standard — the boat swept all honors in its first Sydney Hobart race, only two weeks after launch. The boat would win line honors seven more times before Oatley’s death in 2016. His son Sandy, also passionate about sailing, carried on.

“I’d love to get one more crack,” Richards said. “I guess we’ll know more next year.”

Steve Quigley got his first crack as a crewman in 2012 and felt “daunted” joining the famously accomplished crew. Then, “We were first over the finish line, we set another course record, and we won our division on handicap,” he said. “I should have retired from racing then and there, but it wasn’t until I went walking around Hobart in my team shirt, with strangers asking for autographs, that I understood that Wild Oats XI had become the people’s boat.”

What next? Richards said, “The boat is still very capable.”

Quigley, a naval architect, was part of a team responsible for a bold 2015 redesign that bought the boat some time. In Quigley’s recollection, “I was the one in the meeting who had to tell Bob, ‘You may have the fastest Maxi in the world, but if you want to keep it that way, let’s chop it in half,’” he said.

Then they chopped it twice.

To respect the 100-foot maximum limit for the Sydney Hobart race, length was removed from the stern and added in a new bow section that accommodated bigger sails. Wild Oats XI.2 proved effective across the wind range, and success continued as the boat won line honors again in 2018.

Imagining a 2024 race, Quigley said, “Given the right combination of wind strength and direction, we could find a window to win, but the newer boats have a wider window.”

Design DNA in 2023 is different from 2005. Boats are now wider, yielding stability to carry taller masts and more sail. The maximum width of Wild Oats XI, 17 feet, is 45 percent less than LawConnect, winner of the most recent lead-up regatta series and yet not the newest or widest.

Sandy Oatley did not respond to a request for comment. More than one member of his crew spoke of the team as a “family,” so any decision is charged with emotion: Do you throw money at an unlikely Wild Oats XI.3, or would it satisfy if the boat slipped into the role of sentimental favorite and long shot?

The citizens of Hobart cheer for all, but it doesn’t hurt to arrive on Wild Oats XI. Andrew Henderson, part of the crew since 2005 and a 25-race veteran, said: “Anyone who can get a boat to Hobart deserves respect. The town offers the warmest reception in Australia. All of us understand how special that is.”

This year, however, after many years racing, he said, “I’m spending Christmas with the kids.”

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Defending champion Wild Oats XI out of Sydney to Hobart race

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SYDNEY (AP) — Defending champion Wild Oats XI was forced to retire from the Sydney to Hobart yacht race late Saturday due to sail damage while leading American super maxi Comanche also was damaged but remained in the race.

A team spokesman said Wild Oats XI’s mainsail was split in half by wind squalls of up to 44 knots (81 kph, 50 mph) off the New South Wales state south coast. All crew members were reported safe and the super maxi was returning to Sydney.

Comanche, which led the yachts out of Sydney harbor, had also initially decided to retire with a broken rudder but the yacht’s crew later changed its mind and decided to continue the race while making repairs at sea.

Another American yacht, Rambler 88, took over the race lead with Comanche second and another super maxi, Ragamuffin 100, in third. Twelve hours into the race, Rambler led Comanche by two nautical miles.

The fourth super maxi in the fleet, Perpetual Loyal, also had a broken rudder and withdrew. Its crew, which included former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke and Australian rugby player Kurtley Beale, was also returning to Sydney, among 10 boats in the original 108-yacht fleet which had retired.

The 71st Sydney to Hobart race originally had featured a record 27 international challengers, including 12 yachts from the Clipper round the world race which are using the Hobart race as one of its competition legs.

“Early reports indicate that the sail tore in half when the yacht was hit by a 40-knot squall that accompanied a southerly change off the NSW south coast,” said the Wild Oats XI statement.

Wild Oats XI, skippered by Mark Richards, is the most prolific winner in the race’s history with eight line honors wins, and set the race’s fastest time in 2012 of 1 day, 18 hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds. It underwent extensive renovations this year.

Tasmanian boat Cougar II returned to Sydney after an incident with Lupa of London left her without an entire corner of her stern. No one was seriously hurt, although one sailor suffered facial cuts. English entry Lupa also later retired.

Chinese boat Ark323, on her Sydney to Hobart debut, came back with a crack in the deck after a collision with a rival yacht, while a forestay snapped off the top of the Perth-based M3’s rig.

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Watch: near collision and early retirement in sensational start to rolex sydney hobart yacht race.

Protests, twists and drama galore at start of Rolex Sydney Hobart

There’s been a dramatic start to the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race with a near collision, shouting, swearing and calls for a protest.

In spectacular and crazy scenes, two race favourites were forced into penalty turns in a wild opening to the 77th race.

WATCH IN THE VIDEO ABOVE: Protests, twists and drama galore at start of Rolex Sydney Hobart

The overwhelming race favourites were the big four supermaxis - LawConnect, Black Jack, Andoo Comanche, and Wild Oats - and they were all vying for the early lead as the boats headed up Sydney Harbour.

But Andoo Comanche was involved in a very close call with Wild Oats and both supermaxis did penalty turns amid shouts of ‘protest’.

Andoo Comanche did a penalty turn after bumping a turning mark while Wild Oats decided to do one after great confusion and debate.

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race begins

“Furl, furl, we are going to do a 720 (penalty turn),’’ Wild Oats skipper Mark Richards shouted.

‘“I honestly think we’re in trouble.”

During all the chaos, there was also an early retirement after Avalanche damaged its bowsprit and made the call to pull the pin.

Wild Oats XI has returned to the race this year and is looking for a ridiculous tenth line-honours title.

Earlier, Andoo Comanche’s skipper John Winning Jr had opened up on what what to expect and avoid based on his previous experiences.

Finishing the Sydney to Hobart is one challenge, but surviving the post-race celebrations involving alcohol-fuelled, sweaty and unwashed sailors can be another ordeal, according Willing Jr.

He didn’t hold back when fronting the media a few hours before the race’s start about what awaited those intrepid enough to venture into Hobart’s Customs House, the traditional post-race meeting place.

“Will McCarthy off Black Jack has already announced that he is in charge,” Winning said.

“Last time at Customs house when I was there, I think he got me into a headlock and brought me back into the bar and said ‘you’re not going anywhere whippersnapper’.

“He’s a veteran of Customs House and he says we’ve got to follow his lead and I’ll be doing my best to try and avoid him.

“It will celebrating, just be good spirits and having fun and hugging our loved ones and seeing the family and hopefully some sleep and praying for a shower.

“It stinks when you’re down in Customs House when you’re in there with all those sailors that are getting off straight off the boat.

“If you ever go down there to Customs House, if you are there, put some sort of nose plug on.

“There’s a lot of sweaty sailors that have been at sea with no deodorant and no showers for days and it just gets worse and worse

“We grow with the smell from here to there so it doesn’t really matter to us too much. But I remember one day when I was on Loyal I went away and had a shower and came back in clean clothes and ‘phooor, what is that?’ it was like walking into a pig farm.”

Winning said it seemed less likely that his boat’s 2017 race record of one day nine hours 15 minutes 24 seconds would be broken.

“The conditions are just a bit lighter than it was yesterday and we’re going to be early to the transition down the bottom, which is going to hurt us a little bit, we might not see as much wind the whole way down as we thought,” Winning said.

Shane Warne's brother Jason on their first Christmas without the cricket great and MCG tribute plans

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Sailing-Wild Oats among victims as high winds hit Sydney-Hobart

SYDNEY, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Defending line honours champion Wild Oats XI was the biggest casualty among 10 vessels forced to retire overnight as heavy winds decimated a Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race fleet being led by U.S. entry Rambler 88 early on Sunday. As the field headed into the Bass Strait, early leader Comanche was in second place behind George David's boat with Syd Fischer's Ragamuffin 100 making up the top three places. Race organisers said Comanche had initially retired after suffering a broken rudder but the American yacht was continuing after carrying out repairs at sea. Australia's Wild Oats XI, which was hoping to break its own record for a ninth line honours victory, was forced to retire with a torn mainsail after falling victim to a sudden change of winds. A southerly wind shift late on Saturday brought winds of up to 40 knots. Other boats suffered hull, mast, steering and deck damage but all crews are reported safe and all retired yachts except one are heading back to Sydney. Among the other boats forced out was Perpetual Loyal, whose crew included former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke. Organisers said one yacht emerging as a potential dark horse in the race was Maserati, which was well out to sea and appeared to be gambling on skirting the treacherous southerly course. (Reporting by Chris McCall; Editing by John O'Brien)

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Treacherous conditions meets Sydney to Hobart start, knocks out favoured Wild Oats XI

The 2015 sydney to hobart yacht race began on saturday, amid stormy conditions that saw 10 boats retire..

Supermaxi yacht Wild Oats XI competes in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race in Sydney on Saturday. Stefano Gattini / AFP / Rolex / December 26, 2015

Eight-time line honours winner Wild Oats XI pulled out of the Sydney to Hobart Saturday while American super-yacht Comanche was attempting repairs after fierce winds hit off Australia’s east coast, officials said.

A 108-strong fleet set sail from Sydney Harbour earlier Saturday, but by late evening 10 boats had retired, including one with a broken mast, the organising Cruising Yacht Club of Australia said.

“Wild Oats XI has retired from the race after reporting a torn mainsail,” the club confirmed in a statement.

It said the Mark Richards skippered crew was returning to Sydney but no further details were available.

Early reports indicated the sail “tore in half when the yacht was hit by a 40 knot squall”, the Wild Oats XI twitter feed stated.

Organisers said the crew of the Comanche, which had been leading the race after bolting out of Sydney Harbour, “will try to effect repairs to a rudder and continue racing”.

The front half of the fleet in the gruelling 628 nautical mile (1,163 kilometre) race was enduring the brunt of the punishing weather as they sailed into “southerly buster” gale force winds, the CYCA added.

The navigator on one of the leading yachts, Ichi Ban’s Will Oxley, had reported gusts of up to 43 knots while another boat, CEX Dolce, was returning to Sydney with a broken mast, it said.

Officials had warned of thunderstorms and gales late Saturday as the fleet travelled down the east coast of Australia.

Storms are not unknown to the race, with six people dying, five boats sinking and 55 sailors rescued on a fatal night in 1998 when a deep depression exploded over the fleet in the treacherous Bass Strait.

It was an eventful beginning to the race, with three yachts retiring early after collisions just after the start, and another a short time later.

Among them was Ark323, one of two Chinese entries and one of 27 foreign boats in the race which draws spectators on land and in boats in Sydney on Boxing Day.

“Ark323, one of two Chinese entries, retired following a collision 300 metres after the start. All on board were safe,” race organisers said in a statement.

Australian boat Cougar II retired at about the same time with damage to her starboard quarter while the British entry Lupa of London also pulled out with a damaged bow after a collision.

Another boat, M3, withdrew after shattering its forestay, her crew deciding that the harsh weather forecast ruled out a possible repair and rejoining of the race.

Line honours contender supermaxi Perpetual Loyal and St Jude were later retirements, both understood to have sustained rudder damage from the rough weather in the evening, while Koa withdrew with steering damage.

Last year’s line honours winner Wild Oats XI had initially led in the moments after the starter’s horn blew, but was overtaken by Perpetual Loyal before Comanche took the lead after unfurling her big spinnaker.

Wild Oats holds the race record of one day, 18 hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds set in 2012 and her retirement and Comanche’s rudder damage open up the race for line honours.

Rambler was in the lead late Saturday, ahead of Comanche, Ragamuffin 100 and Maserati.

A brief update from Ragamuffin reported conditions as “wet and windy” as the leaders tracked down the New South Wales coast.

The winds are expected to ease on Sunday, and will be light off the coast of Tasmania as the boats head to Hobart’s Constitution Dock, with the first boats not expected to cross the finish line until Monday.

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Sydney to Hobart a 'thriller in slow motion' as four do battle for line honours

Line honours in this year's Sydney to Hobart yacht race is shaping as one of the closest battles in the history of the event, with a group of four in the leading pack slowly moving down Tasmania's east coast.

The grudge match between Comanche and Wild Oats XI has been playing out on day two but two other super maxis — Black Jack and InfoTrack — are making it a four-way tussle which could go all the way to Storm Bay.

Key points:

• Four super maxis are in the battle for lead, with Comanche slightly ahead
• Winds eased as the leaders powered into Tasmanian waters
• Finish time could be as late as midday Friday AEDT

The lead has been changing throughout day two with just 5 nautical miles separating the four yachts as they crossed Bass Strait.

Wild Oats XI is keeping pace with the leaders' pack, after earlier taking a more eastward track but at 7:00pm AEDT, Comanche was holding the lead travelling at just over 15 knots.

By 1am, winds had picked up dramatically with the first yacht projected to arrive at 6:15am.

Comanche maintained the lead, travelling at 13 knots and followed by Black Jack in second and Wild Oats XI in third.

The Moody 54DS Calypso retired from the race late on Thursday night, bringing the fleet to 80 yachts.

'Thriller in slow motion'

Any chance of a race record vanished on day two but race media director Di Pearson said it was one of the event's closest-ever races.

"It's a thriller in slow motion," she said.

"The breeze has dropped out somewhat and Comanche has just a very, very small lead over Black Jack from Queensland," she said.

"Black Jack loves lighter weather so she's right on Comanche's hammer."

Eight-times line honours winner Wild Oats XI is this year aiming to reverse its recent fortunes, after being penalised an hour by race officials for failing to keep clear while tacking during 2017's event, with Comanche sensationally awarded line honours in a record time of one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds.

Skipper Mark Richards told yacht race media he could not see foresee a way to get the jump on the others in the leaders pack.

"I think it will go all the way to the finish line," he said.

"It is going to be a very tight race. But we lost about 8 miles [earlier when they were caught on the wrong side of a high pressure ridge] very, very quickly. So that is how quickly it can change."

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) commodore Paul Billingham said it was anyone's race and the four crews were trying to find an edge.

"Three or four miles have separated the entire fleet, one boat gets a mile ahead, then the rest come back," he said.

"I think they are all trying to find that particular advantage, trying to sail to their own particular advantage," he said.

Wild Oats crew member Chris Links said it was "the closest race we've been in", with Black Jack and InfoTrack adding to the drama.

"We've been in close races with Comanche before, but never been in such a close race with four of us."

Black Jack hoping for a 'shutdown'

Black Jack navigator Tom Addis rated his yacht's chances in the River Derwent finish as "quite good".

"We're really strong in about 8 knots," he said.

"If it is more than 10-12 knots, the more powerful boats go faster but if it's lighter we can go a lot faster than them.

"We're hoping for a shut - down."

InfoTrack, sailing as Perpetual Loyal, won line honours in 2016 and was fourth in 2017 before a penalty relegated it to 24th.

'A cat and mouse game'

Paul Billingham said his "best estimate" would see the super maxis in the River Derwent by lunchtime on Friday.

Once the leaders round the Iron Pot and head into the Derwent, the wind can drop off, leaving crews agonisingly close to the finish line with nothing in the sails.

The race for handicap honours is also close, with Midnight Rambler in the lead.

He said the handicap lead was "changing every five minutes" and described the race between the line honours leaders as a "cat and mouse game".

Tribute to 1998 victims

The light winds in this year's race are a stark contrast to the conditions 20 years ago when six people lost their lives.

A tribute to the sailors was broadcast to participants in this year's event, with words from the 1998 memorial read out during their 5:00pm radio update.

Mike Bannister, John Dean, Jim Lawler, Glyn Charles, Bruce Guy, Phil Skeggs. May the everlasting voyage you have now embarked on be blessed with calm seas and gentle breezes. May you never have to reef or change a headsail at night. May your bunk be always warm and dry.

Four yachts have been forced to retire so far, taking the fleet of the 628-nautical-mile race down to 81.

Patriot retired at sea with a broken rudder, M3 Team Hungary could not continue after being "dismasted", while Zen's race was ended due to "rig damage".

On its Facebook page, the crew of Scallywag posted they had to pull out "due to the bowsprit breaking off".

"Fortunately, no-one onboard were injured and the team are currently making their way back to shore … the team is deeply saddened," Scallywag's crew wrote.

ABC Hobart will be broadcasting the race finish live on Facebook .

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Wild Oats XI damaged by lightning strike

One of the sydney hobart race favourites, wild oats xi, is being repaired after lightning struck the top of its carbon fibre mast..

Sydney Hobart favourite Wild Oats XI is in the middle of repairs, after being struck by lightning. (AAP)

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Wild Oats XI – how mods can keep a nine-year-old racer up to speed

• April 24, 2015

Crosbie Lorimer takes a close look at Bob Oatley's Wild Oats XI, a nine-year-old that is still taking line honours around the world

Wild Oats in the Rolex Sydney-Hobart 2014. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi/Rolex

Two themes recurred consistently in interviews with the skippers of the five super-maxis that raced the 2014 Rolex Sydney Hobart: good management and the right people. In both regards the core of the Wild Oats XI team has remained remarkably consistent over the decade since she was launched and the contribution that made to her record-breaking eighth win in 2014 should not be underestimated.

Apart from her crew of highly experienced and professional crew, who have raced aboard her for many years, Wild Oats is notable for the number of tweaks and reconfigurations she has had. A year earlier she had made the news after being nicknamed the Swiss Army Knife, following the addition of multiple foils. This year the mods were fewer, but no less significant. But the fact remains that for a nine-year-old boat to beat the brand new, no-holds-barred, master blaster Comanche was no mean feat.

But no amount of experience and expertise can make good a shortfall in boat speed. So what have been the major modifications necessary to keep Wild Oats XI on the pace?

Refinements have kept Wild Oats up to speed. Photo: Daniel Forster/Rolex

Regular crewmember naval architect Steve Quigley cites five changes that have contributed most to Wild Oats XI ’s winning ways over her nine-year lifespan.

The first was the removal of the forward rudder and the installation of the daggerboards, which made the boat more efficient downwind, but just as importantly improved lateral lift and VMG upwind. The daggerboards came with their own issues, however, the most problematic of which was the substantial shift in the centre of lateral resistance (CLR) which didn’t necessarily match the centre of effort (COE) under different sail configurations.

Small variations could be expected, but when changing from a jib to a Code 0 the COE on Wild Oats XI was moving forward by metres, producing lee helm in light airs.

To resolve this issue a forward centreboard was added – the second major modification – supplementing the twin daggerboards and stabilising the balance of the boat in the low wind ranges up to the point where boat speed matches wind speed, where the daggerboards take over again

The third refinement was the addition of a lateral foil (not a DSS, they say). Off the breeze in a seaway and strong winds Wild Oats XI had a tendency to bury the bow. The lateral foil provides lift and reduces that tendency, resulting in a more even downwind speed profile. A longer lateral foil was recently tested and shows further promise.

The fourth refinement was a new mast, 250kg lighter than its predecessor and substantially stiffer, with significant improvements in upwind speeds, especially in lighter airs. The stiffer mast gave the sail trimmers more options.

The final modification was the reshaping of the bow and rebuild of the bowsprit. The whole bow section was refaired to a narrower profile up to two metres abaft the stem and the bowsprit constructed to a more aerodynamic shape – the bobstay stem fitting was also lifted 500mm.

The result had additional benefits beyond streamlining. “The bow team . . . couldn’t believe how dry the boat now was,” says skipper Mark Richards.

As Wild Oats XI berthed in Hobart having achieved a record eight line honours wins in ten years, her owner Bob Oatley vowed to bring his boat back again next year. It is hard to know what further modifications can be effected. When quizzed on the subject after the race, helmsman Stuart Bannatyne smiled wryly, but was giving little away: “We’ve still got a few tricks up our sleeves!”

BOW The refairing of the bow section, remodelling of the bowsprit and lifting of the bobstay attachment to the stem have streamlined the forward end of the boat and made it drier for the bow team. Photographers are the only losers

LATERAL FOIL The lateral foil adds lift downwind, reducing any tendency to bury the bow into waves and thus improving the downwind speed profile. The foil is deployed to the windward side in upwind mode to minimise drag

FOILS From left to right: starboard daggerboard, rudder, keel, forward centreboard, port daggerboard. The aperture for the lateral foil can just be seen on the starboard side of the hull. Note original position of the bobstay

WITH COMANCHE Given that Wild Oats X I’s stern can fit twice into Comanche ’s it’s hard to believe that the two boats were so evenly matched. But when Comanche heels at 25° she has the same wetted surface as Wild Oats . The latter’s narrower cross section allows her to gain mileage from VMG running

Specifications

LOA 30.48m/100ft 0in

Beam 5.10m/16ft 9in

Draught 5.91m/19ft 5in

Displacement 32,000kg/70,550lb

Ballast 14,000kg/30,864lb

Sail area: mainsai l 382m 2 /4,112ft 2

Jib 228m 2 /2,454ft 2

Genoa 535m 2 /5,759ft 2

Spinnaker 880m 2 /9,472ft 2

IRC Rating 1.974

Designed by Reichel/Pugh

Built by McConaghy, launched December 2005

Hull type carbon/Nomex monohull

This is an extract from a feature in Yachting World March 2015 issue

• NSW & ACT

Wild Oats XI, Comanche vie for lead in Sydney to Hobart yacht race

WILD Oats XI’s quest for a record eighth Sydney to Hobart line honours title is back on track.

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UPDATE: 5PM

WILD Oats XI’s quest for a record eighth Sydney to Hobart line honours title is back on track.

The Australian supermaxi trailed USA 100-footer Comanche early this morning, and for much of day two they were locked in a close battle.

However, Wild Oats made a break late in the afternoon, clearing out to a potentially race-winning 14 nautical mile lead as they edge their way across Bass Strait.

Australian supermaxi Rio 100 was third, about 30nm behind Comanche, while Tasmanian 66-footer Alive, owned by Phil Turner, was in a neck and neck race for fourth with Ichi Ban and Ragamuffin 100.

Early leader Perpetual Loyal was on her way back to Sydney after suffering hull damage in heavy southerly winds opening night.

She retired at about 8am with a delaminated hull, damage that occurred when she either fell off a wave or hit something, according to crewman Tom Slingsby.

“We’re not exactly sure what happened,” Slingsby said.

“We were coming off some big waves, but we also could have hit something during the night when we were falling off those waves.”

Loyal is expected back in Sydney tomorrow morning.

At her current speed, Wild Oats is expected to reach the finish in the early hours of Monday morning.

UPDATE: 2PM

REIGNING champion Wild Oats XI and US hot-shot Comanche are locked in a Bass Strait match race on day two of the 70th Sydney-Hobart yacht race.

At the early afternoon sked Wild Oats had edged out to almost a three nautical mile lead over Comanche in the light east to north-easterly conditions that followed an opening night blast from a punishing southerly.

WATCH THE YACHT TRACKER

The hammering caused the retirement of eight yachts, including early leader and line honours contender Perpetual Loyal (hull damage).

Out front, Comanche’s early morning lead evaporated with the loss of breeze, and Wild Oats took over at the front at about 9am.

As the two yachts tack and change sails almost simultaneously — Wild Oats to try to break away and Comanche to ensure they maintain close contact — Oats skipper Mark Richards said his supermaxi and Comanche were only a few boat lengths apart for quite a while this morning.

Wild Oats now has a clear lead but Comanche is well in sight and ready to pounce if the breeze intensifies. And Tasmanian yacht Alive has jumped into third spot in the race for line honours and is fighting with Ragamuffin 100 and Rio 100 for a place on the podium.

TASSIE YACHTS HOLD THEIR OWN

“Whoever gets their favoured conditions for the longest period of time is going to win the race,” Richards said.

Based on Wild Oats’ current average speed of 9.5 knots, she is expected to reach Hobart around 6am on Monday. And based on her current average speed of 8.9 knots, Comanche would finish at about 11am on Monday.

After the first 24 hours, NSW trio Celestial, Pretty Fly III and Yeah Baby were dicing for the outright lead on handicap with Tasmanian yacht Cougar II in seventh.

11AM UPDATE —

WILD Oats XI has taken the lead in the 70th Sydney-Hobart yacht race and skipper Mark Richards is amazed at that this year’s race is so close.

The seven-times race champion and its USA rival Comanche are sailing within shouting distance at the front of the fleet as they creep across Bass Strait in light conditions.

Heavy southerly winds on the opening afternoon and last night caused the retirement of nine yachts from the starting fleet of 117, including line honours contender Perpetual Loyal (hull damage) at 8am. Loyal’s hull was damaged when it struck “something”, causing the delamination today.

While Loyal turned north to head home to Sydney, sailing back through the fleet, Wild Oats found its way past Comanche up front - but only just.

“We are very close right now and it’s pretty cool,” Richards said.

“We’ve never had a race this close yet in the 10 Hobarts we’ve done.

“It’s an unbelievable race to have two boats neck and neck like this.

“We are totally different to each other and we’re both going at virtually the same speed.

“It’s exciting but those guys have got the edge when the breeze comes in and it’s forecast to come back in so we’ll see how we go.”

Richards was sad to hear of the demise of one of his close rivals.

“By the sounds it she’s just had some hull failure, some hull delamination,” he said.

“It was pretty rough last night, a lot of slamming, and the common issue with boats, especially big, wider boats, they can actually suffer those situations where the hull and the hull cores delaminate.

“Comanche doesn’t have a hull core, she’s actually monolithic -a solid shelled hull - so she doesn’t have the same issue as Perpetual Loyal.

“So it’s a shame for those guys.”

The Rolex Sydney-Hobart yacht tracker has Wild Oats and Comanche finishing within minutes of each other around 6pm tomorrow.

“It just comes down to the conditions,” Richards said.

“Whoever gets their favoured conditions from here on in is going to win the race, it’s as simple as that.

“Both boats are going well, we’re both doing sail changes almost simultaneously, which is pretty cool, and both crews are doing a great job.

“It’s going to be a long couple of days and very exciting.”

The race to win on handicap is a moving feast, but the contenders early on day two are Pretty Fly III (NSW), Celestial (NSW), Merlin (NSW), Yeah Baby (NSW), Terra Firma (Vic) and Tasmanian yachts Obsession, skippered by David Creese, and Martela, skippered by Tony Williams.

EARLIER —

LINE honours contender Perpetual Loyal is out of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race with hull damage.

At 6am Loyal was locked in a neck and neck race with Ragamuffin 100 about eight nautical miles behind leaders Comanche and Wild Oats XI, and at 8am reported its bow was delaminating so badly it was forced to retire.

Wild Oats crewman Chris Links heard Loyal’s radio call. Loyal is heading back to Sydney.

“We heard over the radio sked at 8am they had delaminated the bow section on that boat through the night and were withdrawing,” Links said.

“They were coming up to Green Cape, we’ve entered it, where we have to let the race committee know that we are in good shape to enter Bass Strait.

“I would say they’re not in good enough shape to do that and they’ve withdrawn from the race.”

Late last night US supermaxi Comanche was in the lead and edging away from her Australian rivals. But today she is experiencing the fight that won Wild Oats and her crew seven line honours titles.

“We had to put the foot down to stay ahead of Loyal and Ragamuffin and it was fairly rough at times for sure,” Links said.

“The racing with Comanche is incredible right now.

“We are three or four boat lengths behind them, and about four boats lengths to leeward.

“We’ve been coming at them since the early hours of this morning.

“They’re such a big boat. They create such a big wind shadow. We’re trying to get up over the top of them at the moment and waiting for an opportunity to get around them.

“It’s quite light upwind, and we’re both got our big upwind Code Zeros on.

“Mark [skipper Mark Richards] is driving at the moment and we’re just trying to find a way around them.”

On overall handicap, Roger Hickman had his 29-year-old Farr 43 Wild Rose in the lead. Ariel, Ron Forster’s Beneteau 40 was in second place, Imagination, Robin and Annette Hawthorn’s Beneteau 47.7 was third and three-time overall winner, Love & War, the S&S47 owned by Simon Kurts was in fourth place.

Originally published as Wild Oats XI, Comanche vie for lead in Sydney to Hobart yacht race

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Strange Glow Over Moscow Skies Triggers Panic as Explosions Reported

B right flashes lit up the night sky in southern Moscow in the early hours of Thursday morning, new footage appears to show, following reports of an explosion at an electrical substation on the outskirts of the city.

Video snippets circulating on Russian-language Telegram channels show a series of flashes on the horizon of a cloudy night sky, momentarily turning the sky a number of different colors. In a clip shared by Russian outlet MSK1.ru, smoke can be seen rising from a building during the flashes lighting up the scene.

Newsweek was unable to independently verify the details of the video clips, including when and where it was filmed. The Russian Ministry of Emergency situations has been contacted via email.

Several Russian Telegram accounts said early on Thursday that residents of southern Moscow reported an explosion and a fire breaking out at an electrical substation in the Leninsky district, southeast of central Moscow.

Local authorities in the Leninsky district told Russian outlet RBC that the explosion had happened in the village of Molokovo. "All vital facilities are operating as normal," Leninsky district officials told the outlet.

The incident at the substation in Molokovo took place just before 2 a.m. local time, MSK1.ru reported.

Messages published by the ASTRA Telegram account, run by independent Russian journalists, appear to show residents close to the substation panicking as they question the bright flashes in the sky. One local resident describes seeing the bright light before losing access to electricity, with another calling the incident a "nightmare."

More than 10 villages and towns in the southeast of Moscow lost access to electricity, the ASTRA Telegram account also reported. The town of Lytkarino to the southeast of Moscow, lost electricity, wrote the eastern European-based independent outlet, Meduza.

Outages were reported in the southern Domodedovo area of the city, according to another Russian outlet, as well as power failures in western Moscow. Electricity was then restored to the areas, the Strana.ua outlet reported.

The cause of the reported explosion is not known. A Telegram account aggregating news for the Lytkarino area described the incident as "an ordinary accident at a substation."

The MSK1.ru outlet quoted a local resident who speculated that a drone may have been responsible for the explosion, but no other Russian source reported this as a possible cause.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Moscow with long-range aerial drones in recent months, including a dramatic wave of strikes in late May.

On Sunday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the region's air defense systems had intercepted an aerial drone over the city of Elektrostal, to the east of Moscow. No damage or casualties were reported, he said.

The previous day, Russian air defenses detected and shot down another drone flying over the Bogorodsky district, northeast of central Moscow, Sobyanin said.

There is currently no evidence that an aerial drone was responsible for the reported overnight explosion at the electrical substation in southern Moscow.

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