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Skandia in sight of line honours win

Skandia in sight of line honours win
Grant Wharington's Skandia going South soon after turning at the sea mark off Sydney Heads

Skandia in sight of line honours win

Grant Wharington's Skandia is causing quite an upset in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008, surprising everyone by leading arch rival Wild Oats XI in the quest for line honours victory.

Grant Wharington's Skandia is causing quite an upset in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008, surprising everyone by leading arch rival Wild Oats XI in the quest for line honours victory.  Bob Oatley's record winning supermaxi has had a rather different view than the one they are used to - the stern of Skandia in the Bass Strait.

Wharington's supermaxi is designed by Don Jones and was launched in October 2003.  At that time Skandia was the first one of her kind - a carbon fibre 30 metre canting keel rocket ship.  Wharington and his crew became the first Victorians to win line honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart in 2003.

Five years later, Wharington has seen it all - capsized in 2004 and damaged in 2005, 2006 and 2007 -  he and his loyal crew of Victorians had been all but discounted from attaining their Holy Grail for the second time.

But Ms Skandia has kicked up her heels and showed us all that she is far from past it - leading the fleet as she powers along despite carrying her delivery spectra mainsail which Wharington chose to sail with to improve her handicap, leaving her carbon fibre, power square topped main at home.  She is giving the high budget, professionally crewed, younger Wild Oats XI quite a show.

But it's far from over yet, as Wharington knows well, and to his cost, anything can happen in the "great race".

"Skandia is going really well, and our Navigator GT (Graeme Taylor, Wharington's best friend and business partner) has made some awesome calls on current and wind shifts.  So far we have just had a fantastic run, with no breakdowns and the crew working together brilliantly as always.

"We still have a long way to go though so we will keep on keeping on and hopefully everything will work well for us.  Richo from Wild Oats and his crew are a great bunch of sailors, one of the best in the world, and the battle up the Derwent is yet to come -  If you see Lady Luck - please put in a good word for Skandia,"concluded Wharington.