Bob Oatley's Wild Oats XI Andrea Francolini

Bob Oatley’s 100 foot Wild Oats XI will line up for the start of the Audi Sydney Offshore Newcastle Yacht Race on Friday 19 March at 12 noon, with twenty other yachts who have already confirmed their participation in the third edition of the race. With entries closing tomorrow, Friday 5 March at 1700hrs, the organising authority, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, anticipates a fleet of thirty will head north.

Supermaxi Wild Oats XI finished second across the line to Alfa Romeo in last year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart, and is poised to make it another record-breaking year for the Audi Sydney Offshore Newcastle Yacht Race. Given the right conditions, Wild Oats XI could easily break the record set by Stephen Ainsworth’s RP63 Loki in last year’s race of 15 hrs, 57 mins and 53 seconds.

Joining Wild Oats XI in the fleet will be her stable-mate the 66 foot Reichel Pugh designed Wild Oats X, the defending race record holder Loki and Peter Millard and John Honan’s 98 foot Lahana, completing her first offshore season under her new owners.

“We’ve entered both boats to gain more racing time,” said Troy Tindall, boat manager for boat Wild Oats X & XI. “For Wild Oats XI, it’s all about getting the line honours results and maximizing her performance at the boat’s relatively new length of 100ft.

“We want to win line honours again in the Rolex Sydney Hobart and get our names back on the Illingworth Trophy. To do that, we will campaign the boat in the next Blue Water Pointscore and at Hamilton Island Race Week,” added Tindall

“Wild Oats X performs better under IRC than Wild Oats XI, and our aim is to be as competitive as we possibly can with the boat’s current IRC rating,” Tindall concluded.

The battle for the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Blue Water Pointscore will conclude with this race. Only four points separate the top five yachts which include the TP52s Ragamuffin (Syd Fischer) and Quest (Bob Steel), Ed Psalits & Bob Thomas’ modified Farr 40 AFR Midnight Rambler, Geoff Ross’ RP55 Yendys and Loki, all sailing under the CYCA burgee.

Rear Commodore Garry Linacre, Chairman of the Sailing Committee said “The Audi Sydney Offshore Newcastle Yacht Race is a great race to close the Blue Water Pointscore and the CYCA summer sailing calendar. From its relatively short history, the boats achieve good speed heading up the coast to the rounding mark and then continue to set the pace on the run to the finish line – creating records in the process.”

So far, a fleet of 21 yachts have entered the 213 nautical mile Category 2 race that starts in Sydney Harbour at 12 noon on Friday 19 March and takes the fleet to a laid mark around 20 nautical miles east of Crowdy Head before the yachts head for Newcastle and the finish in the Hunter River.

Entries close at 1700hrs, Friday 5 March 2010 and it is anticipated that a fleet of 30 yachts will take part in the third edition of the Audi Sydney Offshore Newcastle Yacht Race.  The Notice of Race and entry forms are available on the official race website http://sydneynewcastle.cyca.com.au.

	Bob Oatley's Wild Oats X on the move during Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta Crosbie Lorimer