Palm Beach Motor Yachts Takes the Helm of the Iconic Wild Oats XI

Wild Oats XI is reborn as Palm Beach XI © Palm Beach Motor Yachts

It's a great honour to announce that Palm Beach Motor Yachts has taken ownership of the legendary ocean-racing yacht Wild Oats XI, to be reborn as Palm Beach XI.

I've had the extreme privilege of not only skippering Wild Oats XI alongside the Oatley family over the past two decades, but I've also had their amazing friendship, trust and support — which has also led us to nine Rolex Sydney Hobart line honours victories, two overall handicap victories and 2 treble wins. I am very proud to carry this legacy forward along with the whole Palm Beach Motor Yachts team.

The late Robert Oatley and Mark Richards - photo © Palm Beach Motor Yachts

Our strategic business decision to bring Palm Beach XI into the Palm Beach Motor Yachts family is about more than yacht racing. Much like Formula 1 drives innovation across the automotive world, this Supermaxi will serve as a living platform for innovation—testing hydrodynamics, composite engineering, and design principles to help evolve every Palm Beach Motor Yacht built today. We haven’t just purchased the yacht, we are making massive upgrades that include a new deeper keel fin and bulb, advanced upwind daggerboards, and radical C-foils engineered to improve life, efficiency and increase righting moment. What we learn on the racecourse will directly enhance the performance, strength, and efficiency of our motor yacht range.

This announcement also comes at a meaningful milestone, our 30th anniversary as a company. When I founded Palm Beach Motor Yachts three decades ago, my goal was simple: to build motor yachts that combine timeless beauty with uncompromising performance and quality. Today, with a team of more than 1,200 talented people around the world, we continue to uphold those same values—maximizing strength, minimizing weight, and pursuing performance without compromise. Owning and racing Palm Beach XI is also an amazing marketing opportunity to elevate and strengthen Palm Beach Motor Yachts’ global presence, amplify its competitive position, and reinforce the brand’s reputation for engineering and performance leadership. Thank you for being part of our story. We will share more information in the weeks and months ahead as we prepare for the 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, December 26, 2025. The next exciting chapter begins now, watch this space.