Skipper's post race report
âThe leadership group has debriefed and overall, we were very satisfied with our performance given the conditions.
Day one of the race saw us hit the front and open up a 17 mile lead over the rest of the fleet in conditions that still really didnât suit our boat. It was light air reaching during that period and the boat was really flying, mixed with some great navigational work from our top man, Stan Honey. We were looking pretty good heading into day two when the wind dropped to record low levels, which suited the guysâ boats behind us much more than Perpetual Loyal. Bass Straight was literally âglassed outâ so the thinner and lighter boats were able to make big gains on us here.
We finally hit some wind in the back end of the race â conditions which our boat is designed to excel in â and hit speeds of 36 knots ( almost 70 kph). While we closed in on the leading boat, the wind came too late and there wasnât enough race run way to get back in front.
In summary, we are ecstatic about how the boat performed, not so much in the traditional Hobart winds at the back end of the race (as we already we knew we were quick in those conditions), but in the light conditions on the first day of the race where the boat hit the front and opened up a sizable lead.
Congratulations to Wild Oats on their victory. Our boat and racing team is already working on our 2014 campaign and we canât wait to line up again.â