The Australian crew of Wild Oats XI was waiting for this moment for four years. In 2015 the team out of the race due to a torn mainsail, in 2016, the problem arose with the hydraulic cylinder. Last year, the boat finished first, but received a one-hour penalty for the dangerous incident c Comanche at the start of the regatta and lost the title winners line honours and the title holders of the land speed record Rolex Sydney Hobart. And finally in 2018 after an intense race between all four participating in the regatta 30,5-metre boats to super-Maxi for 1 day, 19 hours, 7 minutes and 21 seconds Wild Oats XI is really the first.
this is the ninth victory in the team.
However, again not without issues from rivals. The owner and skipper of the boat Black Jack, which finished second in 28 minutes after Wild Oats XI, has complained to the ABC journalists that the winners at some point turned off the automatic identification system (AIS). According to the rules of the race she should run continuously.
“We didn’t know where they are, and they always know where we are. It gave them an advantage over us and Comanche. We are extremely disappointed. If you’re going to win the race you have to win it in accordance with the rules… It should be fair,” said Peter Harburg (Peter Harburg).
He wanted to contact the organizing Committee of the regatta with a request to conduct an investigation, but then changed his mind. “Protest is not our job,” added Harburg.
The team Wild Oats XI believes that rivals fanned out of molehills.
“[On continuously AIS] is not necessarily… We were so tightly that throughout the race were in sight of each other,” said ABC skipper mark Richards (Mark Richards).
The 12.3-metre Australian Chutzpah — the leader of the handicap — to finish is to have 108 of 628 nautical miles. Now the team is going so that Hobart will be the 28th. The Russian crew of 14.3-metre Sydney 46 Mahligai SeaVentus is in the Navy 49.
