Wild Joe, the 2003 Admiral’s Cup champion yacht, will make its offshore racing debut tonight under its new ownership in the lead-up to the 60th anniversary Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
Skippering the 60-footer will be America’s Cup yachtsman and international designer Iain Murray in what will be the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s final long ocean race before the Rolex Sydney Hobart.
The first offshore racing yacht built with designer Reichel/Pugh’s new CBTF (canting ballast, twin foil) concept, Wild Oats became the fastest offshore racing 60-footer in the world under the ownership of prominent Australian winemaker Bob Oatley.
She outsailed the maxis and super maxis at the 2002 Hamilton Island Race Week, shattered the record for the 2003 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Race and then, in August 2003 was topscoring boat at the Admiral’s Cup at Cowes, joined by Aftershock in a winning team from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in Sydney.
Wild Joe has been modified to meet the limitation on canting keels of 10 degrees of static heel to be eligible for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, but new owner Steven David is confident the 60-footer will be a strong contender for IRC time correction honours in the 628 nautical mile race.
“The boat has a new keel bulb, a fixed bowsprit and has been optimised for the IRC rule which now decides the Overall Winner of the Rolex Sydney Hobart, “ David explained.
In addition to Iain Murray, Wild Joe’s crew tonight will include prominent yachtsman Iain Smith, Chris Links and Peter Messenger.
Olympic Laser dinghy sailor Michael Blackburn will join the crew of Martin and Lisa Hill’s Sydney 38, Estate Master, for tonight’s race and also for the Rolex Sydney Hobart.
Shaping up for its fourth successive offshore IRC handicap win since being launched is the Beneteau 44.7, First National Real Estate, skippered by Michael Spies who skippered the Overall winner of last year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, a Beneteau 40.7 of the same name.
Thirty yachts nominated for the 60th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race have been entered for the Flinders Islet Race, which starts from Sydney Harbour at 8pm, with a forecast of south to south-easterly winds freshening to 25-30 knots tonight, but easing tomorrow.
This will give the fleet, headed by George Snow’s 79-footer, Brindabella, a hard beat to windward down the NSW coast to Flinders Islet, off Wollongong, following by a fast spinnaker run back to Sydney.
