35 footer v Wild Oats

Boats battle it out at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week

With all eyes on the main prize of an Audi Q7 SUV, the battle has heated up at the final event of the Audi IRC Championship, Audi Hamilton Island Race Week today, as one of the smallest yachts in the competition slogs it out with the biggest.

Rod Jones’ Archambault 35 Alegria from Mooloolaba is the current leader, but hot on her heels is Island owner Bob Oatley’s canting keeled Reichel/Pugh 66 Wild Oats X.

Jones and his keen crew came to Hamilton Island with a handy lead in the Championship pointscore and one thing on their minds - to win the Championship and the Q7. However Wild Oats X, with Mark Richards at the helm, has scored two wins and a third place to dominate at Race Week so far.

Alegria came out fighting, producing a fifth place in Race 1 on Saturday, but her ninth and tenth places in yesterday’s two windward/leeward races have dropped her down the scoreboard a little and brought Wild Oats X into close contention. Looking at the pointscore, Jones and co. on Alegria must finish in better than ninth place at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week to drive the car away, but if Wild Oats X continues on as she started, Jones will have a big job on his hands.

Originally in the mix for the prize, Hardys Secret Mens Business, owned by Adelaide businessman Geoff Boettcher, has not been lucky this week. Following a start line collision, Boettcher has had to withdraw the Reichel/Pugh 46 from the series due to the extensive nature of the damage. “We love coming to Hamilton Island and we really thought we had a serious chance of winning the series and the car," Boettcher said today. "Audi’s generosity in providing a car as the prize has certainly made us all sit up and try harder. We’ll just have to try again next year,”

There are five days of racing remaining at Hamilton Island; today’s is the 60 nautical mile Club Marine Classic Edward Island Race. The start was a thrilling and nail-biting downwind one in Dent Passage, as the fleet jockeyed for position, the start signal was made and the IRC Racing division was away in a cool freshening 15-20 knot sou-easterly wind under spinnaker.

All held their breaths as the yachts gybed to port and starboard as they wound their way down the course, with several near-incidents in the narrow Passage. The crew of You’re Hired, the Sydney-based Davidson 60, took their lives in their hands, managing to narrowly avoid collisions at high speed.



As the fleet turned the corner, dropping spinnakers and hardening up, Sydney’s Wild Oats X was already distancing herself from her counterparts. The Hong Kong entry Beau Geste (Karl Kwok) driven by America’s Cup sailor Mark Bradford and Geoff Ross’ Yendys from Sydney, steered by Sean Kirkjian, got away well and Bob Steel’s newly purchased TP52 Quest outstripped Sydney sistership Wot Yot.

The lead yachts are expected at the finish early this afternoon, and at 12.30pm, Wild Oats X was leading and approximately one hour inside the current race record.

Tomorrow is a layday for all classes, with racing resuming on Wednesday.