Wild Oats XI crew not thinking about record

• NEWS
• 27 Dec, 2012 06:30:00 PM

Wild Oats XI crew not thinking about record

Rolex Sydney Hobart race leader Wild Oats XI may well be fast closing in on her own 2005 race record, but tactician Iain Murray insists it is too soon for the crew to even think about it.

Rolex Sydney Hobart race leaderWild Oats XImay well be fast closing in on her own 2005 race record, but tactician Iain Murray insists it is too soon for the crew to even think about it.

As she speeds towards the Tasmanian coast this afternoon, almost 50 miles in front of her nearest rival, Ragamuffin-Loyal,Murray estimates that the 100-foot super maxi should reach Tasman Island around midnight, giving her more than seven hours to get to Constitution Dock in time to break the record.

Murray says that the Derwent River is always tricky and it is true that traditionally later than midnight is not a great time to negotiate a waterway that notoriously goes to sleep at night, but Murray believes that "There should be a good south-west breeze, so we'll have a quick trip up the Derwent."

If he is right, the 2005 record in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's annual ocean classic truly will be history.

However, Murray says that the record is far from the crew's minds at the moment.

"Everyone is tired and the boat is going very fast: 23 to 24 knots. We have to be very careful on this boat because things can go badly very quickly.

"Everyone's got to watch each other and look after their buddies. We'll just try to keep it simple," he said.

"We have to try to get there (to Hobart) in one piece. Our concentration needs to be on getting to Tasman Island right now."

At 5 pmWild Oats XIwas about 60 miles east of Eddystone Point, 200 miles from the finish line, broad reaching in a 25-knot northerly.

"We'll hit the coast in around five hours," Murray confirmed. "Somewhere between Maria Island and Tasman Island, and we expect the breeze to go west."

Wild Oats XIhas led the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's race ever since she stormed out of Sydney Harbour so spectacularly yesterday.

Apart from some slight damage to one of her daggerboards when it hit an underwater object, the trip south this year has been a great improvement on the often fluky, light wind race last year that leftWild Oats XIlicking her wounds behind a rampant

Investec-Loyal(nowRagamuffin- Loyal).

"It's been a nice race," is how the phlegmatic Murray sees it.

"We've had good breeze the whole way; it only got down to 6 knots for a little time last night, the race has gone pretty well as we thought it would before we set out because of the weather. The crew has been great as they always are. The boat's been great."

Wild Oats XIalso leads the fleet on handicap at this stage.

Could we see a reprise of 2005, when she scored the treble: the record, line honours and first overall? Let's not talk about that yet.

By Jim Gale, Rolex Sydney Hobart media team