Oats In

This
morning in Sydney the 98-foot triple Rolex Sydney Hobart line honours
winner Wild Oats XI was taken out of moth balls at Bankstown Airport,
the first step in the crew’s quest for a record fourth consecutive
line honours win in the Boxing Day classic that is attracting huge international
interest.

Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats XI has been undergoing modifications behind
closed doors. Today it came out, but skipper Mark Richards is tight
lipped about the makeover. “They are fairly major changes but
they are top secret.” said Richards. “We are endeavouring
to make the boat bullet proof. We are just trying to anticipate the
worst conditions possible and make sure we can withstand them.”
Who the hell is going to beat these guys? Pic is by Andrea Francolini.