Many evolutions of a maxi yacht

Palm Beach XI owner Mark Richards continues to explore the edges of maxi yacht performance, deploying new concepts on a proven 20-year-old hull. Story by Herb McCormick for Sailing World:

In 2005, the wealthy Australian yachtsman and businessman Bob Oatley commissioned Reichel/Pugh to design a 98-footer called Wild Oats XI with one clear intention in mind: Take names and kick butt on the annual 635-mile Aussie offshore fracas known as the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. Sixteen Hobart contests later—with nine line-honors victories—the results confirmed that the original mission had been accomplished.

Oatley’s right-hand man for the entire run was Mark Richards, an accomplished pro sailor who’d spent years match racing with Peter Gilmour; competed for the America’s Cup; and founded his own boatbuilding company, Palm Beach Motor Yachts, named after the beach north of Sydney where he’d grown up. Last winter, Richards sailed the 20-year-old yacht on its 17th dash to Hobart, but this time under a new name: Palm Beach XI. – Full report