The shark factor enters the Rolex Sydney Hobart equation
Rolex Sydney Hobart - News Update
21:00 AEDT December 27, 2008
21:00 AEDT December 27, 2008
Article By Bruce Montgomery - Rolex
Sydney Hobart Media Team
December
27, 2008.
| Wild Oats XI has confirmed that it hit a two-metre long shark at 6.40 pm tonight, while sailing at about 20 knots east of Schouten Island on Tasmania’s east coast. At the time, they where engaged in a tense match race with the other maxi in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race fleet, Grant Wharington’s Skandia. | ||
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| The impact was so great that the shark bounced off Wild Oats Xl’s forward rudder and wrapped itself around the aft rudder. The boat has two rudders to improve steering and loss of leeway caused by the canting keel on the boat. Co-navigator Ian ‘Fresh’ Burns said the crew had to stop the boat, adjust the sails so that the maxi sailed backwards. The shark was then able to shake itself free and swam away. After reconfiguring its sails, Wild Oats XI resumed hostilities with Skandia. A short time ago, Skandia had resumed the lead in their duel and was 1.7 nautical miles ahead as they closed in on Tasman Island, the next turning point of the race about 90 miles ahead of them. |
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| Although they are both on race record time, the forecast at Tasman Island is for a light easterly tonight with a north-westerly, not expected to fill in before 4 am. That makes the 7.40 am local time race record tantalising. Up until the shark incident according to Burns, Wild Oats XI had been making solid gains in fresh reaching conditions. "We have at stages reached up to 28-29 knots and have passed Skandia. This has pepped the crew up, but it is still likely to be a long night," said Burns. Wild Oats Xl is going for a record fourth successive line honours win in the 628 nm race. Official race website: www.rolexsydneyhobart.com |
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