Hamilton Island Wild Oats v Andoo Comanche

Partnered by Hamilton Island

Hamilton Island Wild Oats v Andoo Comanche

All eyes will be on these super maxis during the island’s prestigious race week, which starts this weekend.

Steve Meacham

Aug 18, 2022 – 7.35am

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This is a tale of two boats, one old and one newish, but both legendary – and due to figure prominently in race week.

If you’ve never heard of Hamilton Island Wild Oats, you’ll certainly know her under a former name. As Wild Oats XI she has won line honours in the Sydney to Hobart ocean classic a record nine times.

Wild Oats XI, now known as Hamilton Island Wild Oats, in action during the last Hamilton Island Race week, held in 2019.

Launched in 2005, she’s had a bit of cosmetic surgery despite her beam being youthfully narrow. In 2015, for example, her stern was shortened by two metres while her “forward sections” were streamlined to make her bow longer and sleeker.

Then there’s her younger rival, Andoo Comanche, another Sydney to Hobart line honours winner, which recently beat both fellow 100-footers Black Jack and Hamilton Island Wild Oats into second and third place in the 2022 Noakes Sydney to Gold Coast race.

Andoo Comanche has been chartered for two years by John Winning jnr, the daredevil adventurer and CEO of Winnings – the century-old white goods retailer.

Comanche, now known as Andoo Comanche, at the start of the 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. James Brickwood

Conditions didn’t suit Andoo Comanche in the 384-nautical mile race from Sydney harbour to the Gold Coast’s Southport Yacht Club, according to Winning.

Facing disadvantageous light winds, the broader-beamed Andoo Comanche (which excels at high speed) was languishing until the bold decision was made to take her further out to sea.

“I was taught to focus on your weakness, not your strength,” Winning told the yachting media at the finishing line. “Everyone likes doing what they’re good at, but it’s nailing the things you’re not good at that’s important.”

Of course, it helps any skipper if a hand-picked elite crew are aboard, including America’s Cup veteran Iain Murray and navigator Will Oxley.

For Winning and Andoo Comanche, the race north was valuable practice for the next big sprint south from Sydney to Hobart, on December 26. If you’ll pardon the pun, Winning made his mark not once but twice in beating Black Jack (skippered by Mark Bradford), and Hamilton Island Wild Oats (with Mark Richards at the helm).

John Winning Jnr, who has chartered Andoo Comanche and will be competing in this year’s HIRW. Nick Moir

This week, part of the fleet has also done the dash in the Brisbane to Hamilton Island race, organised by the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. A new addition to race week launched in 2019, it was not held in 2020 or last year for obvious reasons.

Once again, Hamilton Island will also be “the venue” for keel boat categories of the Australian Yachting Championships, with a similar focus on the multi-hull vessels.

No pressure, then.

Wild Oates Skipper Mark Richards and a crew member in 2015. James Alcock

“I’m sure Mark Richards and the Wild Oats team will have learnt from the race up from Sydney to Southport,” says racing commentator and author Rob Mundle. “They’ll have gone back to the drawing board.”

The conditions at Hamilton Island race week are very different, however. In races such as Sydney to the Gold Coast, you might select a course and have one set of sails for the entire race.

“Here at Hamilton the races are a lot shorter, so spinnakers will be up and down depending on the wind,” says Mundle.

“Race week is a true test of all-round yachting skills.”