Wild Oats gets the double

BOB OATLEY and his brilliant crew aboard Wild Oats XI never gave their rivals a chance.
As if racing the fastest yacht in the 62-year history of the blue-water classic wasn't enough of an advantage, the Wild Oats XI team ensured its place in history by executing the perfect Sydney-Hobart campaign.
Wild Oats XI crossed the finish line on the Derwent River at 9.52 last night to become the first yacht since Astor in 1964 to claim line honours in consecutive years in 2days8hr52min33sec.

It was well outside its own race record of 1day18hr40min10sec set last year, but that was hardly likely to concern owner Bob Oatley.

The pre-race favourite lived up to its billing, although it didn't quite dominate the race as comprehensively as it did last year.