Looking like a Swiss Army Knife

The Aussies won the 1983 America’s Cup with the wing keel, which spawned a collection of shoal drafted cruisers. In 1987, Tommy Blackaller had a 12 meter with a forward rudder, which led to Canting Ballast Twin Foil technology, developing the technology to swing the keel and control the dual foils.

And while canting keels are near normal now, with offshore designs married with dual daggerboards, it is hard to imagine that the next step is what Bob Oatley has done with his 100-foot Wild Oats XI, the 6-time elapsed winner of the Sydney to Hobart Race.

The R/P supermaxi, launched in 2005, is beginning to look like a Swiss Army Knife.

Wild Oats XI has been fitted with a radical, retractable, hydrofoil-type wing in a bid to improve the yacht’s ability to surf when sailing downwind in strong winds. The wing, licensed by Dynamic Stability Systems in England, will be put to the test for the first time under racing conditions at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, starting August 17.

“We considered many options while looking for a solution to the problem,” said Wild Oats XI’s co-owner, Bob Oatley’s son, Sandy. ‘After weeks of deliberation the hydrofoil wing became the logical answer.’

This has led to the fitting of a retractable aerofoil-shaped wing into a horizontal cassette that extends across the yacht at the waterline, between the mast and keel. The foil is extended and retracted using hydraulic motors.

The new carbon fibre wing, which was made in New Zealand, is 55cm wide, and when in use will extend 2.75 metres out from the hull on the leeward side.

The hull now boasts the new hydrofoil wing, a retractable forward rudder, two retractable daggerboards, the canting keel, and the conventional rudder at the stern.

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