Maxi hoists hi-tech sail

WILD Oats X1 skipper Mark Richards is hoping a speciallydesigned sail with five years of technology in it will provide his team with the winning edge in what is looming as one of the closest and most enthralling Sydney to Hobart yacht races in history.

With the Hong Kong supermaxi Scallywag an early casualty just hours after the spectacular start, Wild Oats, defending champion Comanche, InfoTrack and Black Jack were all plotting courses to Hobart last night with intent.

All four, well ahead of the race record as they raced down the NSW coast, knew their high-speed jaunt the first afternoon and night of the race would end as they approached Bass Strait early today.

Unassumingly white, Wild Oats’ special sail is made out of exotic Cuban fibre and has been built especially for the skinny-hulled Wild Oats.

Richards estimates it will improve the boat’s speed by a significant 10 per cent downwind.

“We have a very new, specially designed big shoot with five years of technology in it,” Richards said.

“It’s been specially designed for this boat. All of our others have been designed in the past for wide boats which we have adjusted.

“It has made a huge difference. It’s the fastest spinnaker we have ever had.

“It has a lot more twist profile (helps the wind flow round the sail with low drag) than ever before which helps our skinny boat. And we can use it between 15 and 25 knots which is a big advantage.

“We haven’t used this A2 before in a race. Just tested it.”

Sailors have described this year’s Sydney to Hobart as a giant dot-to-dot puzzle and potentially one of the most complex races in history.

From the outside looking in the forecast looks relatively benign but for navigators and tacticians it could be a game of snakes and ladders.

“The real issue is linking all the bits of wind up, and there will be light spots and sports where there is not much wind,’’ said Wild Oats tactician Iain Murray of the erratic winds and parking lots expected to challenge the front runners in Bass Strait on Thursday.

“I think the boat that keeps continuously moving fast will benefit,” Murray said.

“The difference between going fast is going five knots, or 10 knots, or 12 knots, and if you do that for a couple of hours, it is a big difference.”

Last night, the David Witt skippered Scallywag was limping back to Sydney with her bowsprit broken off.

Also heading home was the Sydney 52-footer Zen, which retired with rigging damage, reducing the fleet to just 83.

On Wednesday, Wild Oats X1 won the start, but it was Queensland entry Black Jack leading the fleet out into open waters less than 15 minutes after the 1pm starting canon had fired.