Drama surrounding Wild Oats’ Sydney to Hobart victory
The Sydney to Hobart protest over Wild Oats XI’s line honours is set to be heard as more details surrounding the issue have been released and the team insists they did not knowingly break the rules.
Other Sports
Don't miss out on the headlines from Other Sports. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Update: A protest lodged against Sydney to Hobart line honours winner Wild Oats XI will go before a five-person international jury on Saturday.
Runner-up Black Jack has claimed the Automatic Identification System (AIS) on nine-time winner Wild Oats XI was not switched-on during the race, giving the yacht an unfair advantage.
It is mandatory for all yachts in the race to have their AIS on during the event with crew representatives reminded of this at the compulsory race briefing prior to the start.
The event’s race committee late on Friday night lodged a protest against the supermaxi, with a hearing to be held by the CruisingYacht Club of Australia (CYCA) from 1pm in Hobart.
The race committee said it received a report from Black Jack saying the AIS had not transmitted “throughout the race”.
“Late last night the race committee lodged a protest against Wild Oats,” CYCA Commodore Paul Billingham said.
“We have done an internal review and decided there was a case to answer. We referred the case to an international jury.
“The issue surrounds use of an AIS - a transponder - a navigation and safety instrument. it’s a requirement that this is on and capable of receiving and transmitting signals.
“It’s hard to know (what the penalty could be) it could be no penalty or time added or otherwise.
“I wouldn’t want to speculate or even say if there is guilt in this.”
Speaking on behalf of the Wild Oats XI team, crew member Cameron Baillie said the news was disappointing to wake up to having enjoyed such a wonderful day of celebrations.
However, he insists the team - who have endured some disappointments in recent years - all believed the system was switched on.
“The protest has tainted the win,” Baillie told Fox Sports News.
“We all believed it was (turned on). It normally stays on, it should be on when power is up.
“I think everyone is going to wake up disappointed, we will do what we can to prepare for the protest.
“We will be a bit worried and do what we can so everyone knows we haven’t tried to cheat that’s not something we would do.
“We have had a few moments of disappointment the last few years - we thought we had put that behind us but nothing’s happened yet.”
CYCA Commodore Paul Billingham on protest lodged against Wild Oats XI: There’s a whole range of penalties, assuming it is upheld … There’s no obligation for any penalty at all.
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) December 28, 2018
MORE: https://t.co/cFHRtOi4bN #saturdayedition pic.twitter.com/JYbytnfRGM
Controversy erupted in the wake of the team’s ninth line honours win.
On Friday, rival Black Jack (which placed second) said Wild Oats XI’s AIS (Automatic Identification System) transponder was not on during the race - a requirement of boats competing.
About 10pm on Friday the Sydney to Hobart race committee launched a protest against Wild Oats XI.
“The Race Committee received a report from the owner of Black Jack advising that Wild Oats XI’s AIS had not transmitted throughout the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2018, “ part of a release from race organisers The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia read.
“On investigation, and based on its own evidence, the Race Committee considers there may have been a breach of S.I. 11.4 in respect of Special Regulation 4.09 (a).
“The CYCA Commodore, Paul Billingham explained: “The Race Committee is independent of the organising authority of the race to ensure objectivity is maintained and seen to be maintained in circumstances such as this.”
Wild Oats navigator Juan Vila told The Daily Telegraph that he had turned it on and believed the AIS system had been on for the entire race.
This could point to a malfunction.
Black Jack owner Peter Harburg and skipper Mark Bradford said it was not their intention to protest Wild Oats over the issue.
But they believe the Sydney to Hobart race committee should look into the situation.
The race committee has been approached for a comment.
“The rules say every boat must have the AIS on,’’ Harburg said.
“The AIS means there are no secrets. We know where everyone is, they know what speed we are doing, what direction we are going.’’
Harburg said he believed his boat, which finished second to Wild Oats on Friday, and others were disadvantaged by not having the information on Wild Oats while racing.
Earlier, Wild Oats skipper Mark Richards had dismissed the controversy over his AIS as a “storm in a tea cup”.
Twelve months ago, Wild Oats had a protest upheld against it over a close call soon after the start of the race.
The protest by Comanche resulted in Wild Oats being handed a time penalty that stripped her of victory. It relegated Wild Oats to second place in line honours, behind Comanche.
Wild Oats XI bolted away from her rivals in the final stretch of the 2018 Sydney to Hobart to claim a rousing ninth line honours win in the world famous ocean race.
Skippered by Mark Richards and a crew of 20, the yacht slipped away from her rivals in the final hours of the race to claim her fastest time win on the Derwent River.
The victory will help the crew wipe away the memory of winning last year but then losing the victory when handed a time penalty for an infringement soon after the start.
The experience of Richards and his team in the challenging Australian race showed through at the end as they romped home in a rare daylight finish surrounded by a large flotilla of cheering onlookers.
“This is the sweetest win, the sweetest one,’’ Richards said.
“It doesn’t get much better than this.”
The yacht was met by thousands of well wishers who crammed the dock to help celebrate the win.
As she tied up, Black Jack just pipped Comanche for second place in the race around 200m away off Battery Point.
Incredibly, less than 29 minutes separated the first three boats in this Sydney to Hobart.
InfoTrack finished fourth, less than 42 minutes after Wild Oats.
Iain Murray, who as been aboard everyone of Wild Oats’ wins, said the 2018 rated as one of the best
“The first one was special and so is this one,’’ he said of Wild Oats win in 2005 and again on Friday after three years of bad luck and controversy.
While her time was well outside record pace - one day, 19 hours, seven minutes, 21 seconds - the victory is one of the most memorable in race history.
Never before have four maxis - Wild Oats, Black Jack, Comanche and InfoTrack - raced in such close quarters.
Until the final hour or so the race was still there for the taking but it was Richards and his team who held heir nerve to claim the win.
Spanish round the world navigator Juan Villa was the man of the day after plotting Wild Oats’ winning course.
The Spaniard opted for a more easterly course overnight which paid dividends this morning.
Richards revealed to The Daily Telegraph prior to the race a new sail had been built especially for this year’s Sydney to Hobart.
What a win... We’ve done it! #wildoatsxi #RolexSydneyHobart pic.twitter.com/HOeBmPoyg2
— Wild Oats XI (@WildOatsXI) December 27, 2018
The crew also worked overtime to prepare both themselves and the yacht for the race.
“The crew have been amazing,” Richards said during the race.
Wild Oats continues to defy her age with her ninth victory proof she is one of the worlds leading supermaxis despite being 13 years old.
In her stellar career she has claimed nine fastest time victories, two overall wins and two race records.
The winners arrival @rshyr pic.twitter.com/DuvZ72OsOv
— amanda lulham (@amandalulham) December 27, 2018
We’ve done it! ðŸðŸ†ðŸ #wildoatsxi @sunriseon7 pic.twitter.com/uoPnGjhpkS
— Wild Oats XI (@WildOatsXI) December 27, 2018
Big crowd waiting for the arrival of #WildOats at the end of the 74th @rshyr pic.twitter.com/BvJ3TnHHRq
— amanda lulham (@amandalulham) December 27, 2018
Here’s #WildOats winning the #SydneyHobart yacht race pic.twitter.com/FdolIg1fYK
— Professor Jason Byrne (@CityByrne) December 27, 2018