Wild Oats stripped of win, record

UPDATED: COMANCHE’S owner Jim Cooney shudders to think what might have happened had America’s Cup star Jimmy Spithill not been at the wheel of his supermaxi when it narrowly missed crashing into Wild Oats XI.

COMANCHE’S owner Jim Cooney shudders to think what might have happened had America’s Cup star Jimmy Spithill not been at the wheel of his supermaxi when it narrowly missed crashing into Wild Oats XI in this year’s Sydney to Hobart.

Cooney, of Sydney, has owned the 100-foot supermaxi for only two weeks and is now the proud owner of the Sydney-Hobart line honours title and the race record, having won the race in the protest room last night.

FALL OF THE WILD WILD Oats XI is the third yacht in Sydney-to-Hobart history to be stripped of line honours by a protest but skipper Mark Richards says the crew is determined to return to the fray next year. It was ecstasy to agony for the 22-man crew of the Sydney-Hobart’s most successful yacht, claiming its ninth line honours title in the River Derwent on Tuesday night, only to be stripped of the title — and the race record — last night. Second boat home Comanche has gone into the history books as winner of the 628-nautical-mile race after an international jury found Wild Oats XI had tacked dangerously close to its rival nine minutes after the race start in Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day. Richards, who has steered Wild Oats to a record eight line honours and two race records, was disappointed, but not bitter: “It’s a yacht race — has anyone been run over or told you’ve got cancer or something like that? No. “It’s a fantastic yacht race, the two boats had a fantastic time competing against each other and it will be a fantastic memory of ours forever.”

The 57-year-old said his co-skipper Spithill averted a disaster when Comanche almost tangled with Wild Oats XI, which was slapped with a one-hour penalty for its illegal tack, costing it the race.

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“Jimmy Spithill is a match racer. He knows what it’s like to be in close quarters with other boats, and I think it was because of him ... that there wasn’t a serious incident,” Cooney said.

“We were a lot closer than it looks on the TV footage. We were overlapping and if Jimmy wasn’t fast enough to take evasive action then our bowsprit would have been somewhere in the back of Wild Oats.”

For the third time in the 73-year history of the race, a line honours winner had the title stripped by a protest .

In 1983 Nirvana lost the title for running Apollo aground in the Derwent, and in 1989 Rothmans lost the title for flying an illegal spinnaker, and this year, Wild Oats XI joined the list for tacking in front of Comanche soon after the start.

A jury of five — two New Zealanders, two Australians and one German — found Wild Oats had tacked in the path of Comanche and almost caused a collision. It whacked the eight-time champion with a one-hour penalty.

Comanche is now the official winner in a race record time of 1 day 9 hours 15 minutes 24 seconds. Wild Oats was relegated to second.

“It was enormous relief to get the decision and that we did deserve the win,” Cooney said.

“I wouldn’t say it has taken the gloss of the win.”

Wild Oats XI skipper Mark Richards was left stunned.

“It’s not every day you smash a Sydney-Hobart race record and have it taken away from you,” he said.

“It’s happened to us and we’re very disappointed, but we are also good sports and we have to take it on the chin and get on with it.”

Wild Oats XI skipper Mark Richards with owner Sandy Oately after being informed the supermaxi had been stripped of line honours in this year’s Sydney to Hobart. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

The decision not to do a 720-degree turn, which would have immediately exonerated Wild Oats, will haunt Richards.

“Everyone’s a genius in hindsight,” he said.

“We spoke about it and the heat of the battle and at the time you think it was different to what it really was.

“Afterward you look at the footage and think, mmm, maybe that was a little bit too close.”

Comanche's owner Jim Cooney addressing the media at the Royal Yacht Club, Sandy Bay Tasmania after the protest hearing. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

Wild Oats XI owner Sandy Oatley, left, and skipper Mark Richards, at the Royal Yacht Club in Sandy Bay after the hearing of Comanche's protest. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL