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Wild Oats tactician Iain Murray has declared the celebrated supermaxi is in best-ever shape as she chases her sixth Sydney to Hobart line honours victory.
While Wild Oats is now into her seventh year of top-class racing, Murray was bullish about her prospects after modifications sanctioned and financed by owner Bob Oatley.
“Wild Oats XI has never been in better shape in her history,” Murray told reporters.
“She’s had quite a planned progression of improvements over the last 18 months and we’ve seen some of those implemented.
“We saw a new bulb put on the boat for the last Hobart race, we saw furling systems centre boards come in for Hamilton Island Race Week.
“Now we have a new keel, a bunch of new sails, a new electronics package to make sure our radio works properly and she is as close to as good as she is ever going to be.”
He predicted Wild Oats XI would complete the 628 nautical mile course a little quicker than the two days, seven hours, 37 minutes and 20 seconds it took her to achieve line honours last year.
“We’re thinking our time is going to be around two days four or five hours,” Murray said
The forecast is for northerlies at the start giving way to southerlies within six to 12 hours.
Breezes in that direction could whip up to 30 knots on the first night before possibly giving way to much lighter breezes, making for a testing run home to Hobart.
Murray, one of eight crew members to have featured in all five of his boat’s line honours wins, split the race into two distinct halves.
“It is looking like the second half of the race looks pretty tricky, the first half is pretty laid out for us,” Murray said.
Murray and Michael Bellingham, the navigator aboard handicap fancy Loki, both believed the forecast favoured the mid-sized 40 to 60 foot boats in the battle for overall honours.
“It’s a very tactical Hobart. There’s no doubt that from halfway across Bass Strait to the finish will be the most interesting part of the race,” Bellingham said.
A fleet of 88 split into two lines is scheduled to start the race on Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day.
New Zealand’s only representative Outrageous Fortune made an unwanted discovery on Saturday when a crack was detected in her second spreader.
Following some repairs, skipper Quintin Fowler was adamant his boat’s long journey would not be wasted and that it would start on Monday.