Australian skipper Robert Ian "Bob" Oatley has passed away. Best known for owning the eight-time Sydney-Hobart-winning yacht Wild Oats XI, Oatley passed away on 10 January 2016 aged 87. He was married with three children.
The Australian pioneered winemaking in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia and later ventured in to tourism when he bought Hamilton Island in 2003.
An avid yachtsman, Oatley cherished his record eight Sydney-Hobart wins, and in 2012 his yacht Wild Oats XI broke its own record set seven years earlier for the fastest race win at one day, 18 hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds.
Oatley was also appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2014 for his service to the Australian wine and tourism industry, services to the sport of yacht racing and his support of the medical research industry and visual arts