WILD THING RETURNS AS BIGGEST MAXI IN 2000 TELSTRA SYDNEY TO HOBART FLEET

by Peter Campbell on 1 Dec 2000 Owner/skipper Grant Wharington from Mornington Yacht Club has extended Wild Thing's carbon fibre hull by almost four metres to give her an overall length (LOA) of 25.2 metres - just short of 83 feet.

'We will be the biggest rated boat in the fleet, bigger than the Sydney-based New Zealand maxi Shockwave and Nicorette from Sweden - and hopefully faster,' Wharington said today.

'We have added nine feet to the bow and five feet to the stern and while the working sail area (mainsail and jib) is the same, but we will be able to carry much larger spinnakers.

'We went for our first sail on the bay on Thursday and she really feels fast; on Saturday we will have our first race in the Victorian Yachting Council's Range Series being run by Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron.'

Explaining his reasons for lengthening the boat, Wharington said that while Wild Thing had beaten arch rival, Sydney maxi Brindabella, in ocean races this year, the new 80-footer Shockwave 'had absolutely killed us' at Hamilton Island Race Week.

In addition to being longer, with a very fine bow, the new lookWild Thing has a new hull colour - bright citronella green.

The yacht will set sail from Melbourne for Sydney on Saturday week, arriving in time for a couple of the final races of the Telstra Cup but definitely contesting the Canon Big Boat Challenge on Sydney Harbour.

Further information:

Peter Campbell
Media Director - 2000 Telstra Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
0419 385 028 or 02 9327 1139