Great day sail expo Pittwater last weekend.
Tours of Wild Oats , auxiliary motor was used to show how effective the canting keel can be , canting position
was set so boat would list to 45 degrees at wharf .
Very sparse inside.
Canting keel is great if it doesn't fail.
I read in the current Afloat that some racing people are a bit miffed at the mega yachts using stored energy for canting keels, water ballast pumping etc. Not in the spirit of man against the elements. They called it cheating.
I have no problem if the energy used is derived from the wind or man (maybe solar?), but the yachts that can only "sail" with a diesel generator running 100% of the time are not what I consider a sailing yacht. They do have amazing performance though.
Yes. Instead of 100 feet (sn 10001) is 'only' 65 feet (sn 7001).
Both are Raichel-Pugh designed built by McConaghy.
I am pretty sure I read somewhere that X was built as Bob Oatly's private boat but proved so quick it became a race boat.
A racing boat by mistake not by default?
I didn't hear of that, Ross, but it is an interesting thought.
I passed it every week for years as our boat is housed next to it.
Remember Bob Oatley in a wheelchair being lifted onto the boat few months before he died.