While this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart has been given the go-ahead after lengthy consultation, at least two big names won’t be joining the 100-strong fleet next month.
Sailing Anarchy reports that the legendary 100-footer Wild Oats XI will remain in storage for the start on 26 December — the first time in 16 years that the Reichel-Pugh won’t compete in the annual blue water classic.
And Wild Oats’s arch rival Scallywag has withdrawn from the race, reportedly because owner Sen Huang Lee and a number of crew were unwilling to meet the mandatory two-week quarantine for all racers entering Australia from abroad.
With these two giants of the race now out of the picture — leaving only two 100-footers, Black Jack and InfoTrack in contention — could this spell the end of the dominance of the supermaxis? Sailing Anarchy has more on the story HERE.