Supermaxi Wild Oats sows early Sydney-Hobart lead

Australian supermaxi Wild Oats flew out of Sydney Harbour yesterday to lead the Sydney-Hobart, as officials said forecast running weather could see a hi-tech supermaxi set a race record and win line and handicap honours. Michael Perry reports...

It has been 60 years since Australian yacht Rani took out the treble honours in the first Sydney-Hobart, a tough 628 nautical mile race which often sees storms batter the fleet and light winds rob the big boats of a race record in the final stages.

The race record of one day 19 hours 48 minutes and two seconds was set by Danish downwind flyer Nokia in 1999.

The recently-launched Wild Oats, a hi-tech carbon fibre yacht with canting or swinging keel, won the start of the 61st race and never looked back as it sliced its way through Sydney Harbour.

Wild Oats quickly increased its lead to some three boat lengths over race favourite Australian Alfa Romeo, another canting keel 30- metre (98-foot) supermaxi, which has used carbon fibre in construction of its hull, mast, boom and working sails.

As the two supermaxis left Sydney Harbour they had opened up a huge lead on the rest of the fleet.

But as they sped south past the famous Bondi Beach, Australian supermaxi Skandia had pulled the two leaders back and was easily within reach in third.

Skandia, an older style supermaxi which won line honours in 2003, was completely rebuilt after a 2004 mishap saw it capsize in Bass Strait, losing its canting keel, rigging and sails.

Before the race, meteorologists forecast running northerly winds for the next 36 hours - plenty of time for the supermaxis to cross the notoriously dangerous Bass Strait and reach the river port of Hobart on the southern island state of Tasmania in record time.

Race spokesman Jim Gale said it was possible one of the five supermaxis or maxis could claim both line and handicap honours, in addition to the race record.

"You could easily see the first treble since the very first race. You could easily see a record, first across the line and also winning on handicap," Gale told local radio yesterday.

Under a major rule change for the 2005 race there will be no upper speed limit, enabling boats unrestricted use of sail area, water ballast, canting or swinging keels and mast heights.

In the past, an upper speed limit was imposed for safety reasons but with improvements in yacht design, race officials have dropped restrictions on the use of new technology.

Under the new rules, boats with canting keels will no longer be restricted in the degree of cant, allowing them to swing their keels to design limits from the vertical.

But before the race start, the crews of the fancied Wild Oats and Alfa Romeo both played down the chances of an historic treble victory.

"We want to beat the rest of the field, that is our primary concern," Alfa Romeo navigator Murray Spence said.

While Mark Richards, sail master on Wild Oats, added:

"I'm not sure how the other boats are going to go, but I am sure the two (supermaxis) are going to be stuck like glue for most of the race."

A total of 85 yachts started the Sydney-Hobart, one of the toughest bluewater classics.

In the 1998 race, six sailors died and dozens were rescued after a terrifying storm slammed into the fleet.