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The Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Has a Boat-Size Absence

Wild Oats XI, a crowd favorite that is one of the most successful yachts in the event’s history, will not compete this year pending repairs and rethinking.

By Kimball Livingston

When the hundred-foot Maxi yachts hit the starting line for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, one absence will loom as a powerful presence.

There will be no Wild Oats XI, and Wild Oats XI is more than a boat.

Speculation is inevitable when a crowd favorite is missing. The report from the boat’s skipper, Mark Richards, is straightforward, but it won’t put an end to wondering. Of the boat and its owners, Richards said: “We had a structural failure in the bow and are having that addressed. The Oatley family are re-evaluating how to progress forward in our sport and they have just decided to have a break this year while they work it out.”

That resonates because in this race, Wild Oats XI has taken line honors (first boat to cross the finish line) nine times, set records three times and, beyond that, won the hearts of Australians.

“Kids 6, 7, 8 years old know the name,” Richards said.

No one dares use the past tense in speaking of Wild Oats XI, but questions arise when a boat that is synonymous with the Sydney Hobart, and that has been rush-repaired in the past to make a race, is absent.

Last year, the boat finished fourth at the Sydney Hobart after a sail ripped underway. It was in August of this year during a race in Australia’s Whitsunday Islands that the hull failure occurred.

In 2005, Bob Oatley commissioned the build of Wild Oats XI and set the standard — the boat swept all honors in its first Sydney Hobart race, only two weeks after launch. The boat would win line honors seven more times before Oatley’s death in 2016. His son Sandy, also passionate about sailing, carried on.

“I’d love to get one more crack,” Richards said. “I guess we’ll know more next year.”

Steve Quigley got his first crack as a crewman in 2012 and felt “daunted” joining the famously accomplished crew. Then, “We were first over the finish line, we set another course record, and we won our division on handicap,” he said. “I should have retired from racing then and there, but it wasn’t until I went walking around Hobart in my team shirt, with strangers asking for autographs, that I understood that Wild Oats XI had become the people’s boat.”

What next? Richards said, “The boat is still very capable.”

Quigley, a naval architect, was part of a team responsible for a bold 2015 redesign that bought the boat some time. In Quigley’s recollection, “I was the one in the meeting who had to tell Bob, ‘You may have the fastest Maxi in the world, but if you want to keep it that way, let’s chop it in half,’” he said.

Then they chopped it twice.

To respect the 100-foot maximum limit for the Sydney Hobart race, length was removed from the stern and added in a new bow section that accommodated bigger sails. Wild Oats XI.2 proved effective across the wind range, and success continued as the boat won line honors again in 2018.

Imagining a 2024 race, Quigley said, “Given the right combination of wind strength and direction, we could find a window to win, but the newer boats have a wider window.”

Design DNA in 2023 is different from 2005. Boats are now wider, yielding stability to carry taller masts and more sail. The maximum width of Wild Oats XI, 17 feet, is 45 percent less than LawConnect, winner of the most recent lead-up regatta series and yet not the newest or widest.

Sandy Oatley did not respond to a request for comment. More than one member of his crew spoke of the team as a “family,” so any decision is charged with emotion: Do you throw money at an unlikely Wild Oats XI.3, or would it satisfy if the boat slipped into the role of sentimental favorite and long shot?

The citizens of Hobart cheer for all, but it doesn’t hurt to arrive on Wild Oats XI. Andrew Henderson, part of the crew since 2005 and a 25-race veteran, said: “Anyone who can get a boat to Hobart deserves respect. The town offers the warmest reception in Australia. All of us understand how special that is.”

This year, however, after many years racing, he said, “I’m spending Christmas with the kids.”

• Meet the Team

WILD OATS XI – A RACE AGAINST TIME FOR THE START OF THE ROLEX SYDNEY-HOBART RACE

Wild Oats XI – clearing hurdles for Hobart

© 2024 Wild Oats XI | Striving To Achieve Excellence.

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WILD OATS XI

WILD OATS XI is a 30.48 m Sail Yacht, built in New Zealand by McConaghy Boats and delivered in 2005.

Her power comes from a diesel engine. She has a 5.1 m beam.

She was designed by Reichel-Pugh Yacht Design , who also completed the naval architecture. Reichel-Pugh Yacht Design has designed 14 yachts and created the naval architecture for 23 yachts for yachts above 24 metres.

WILD OATS XI is one of 390 sailing yachts in the 30-35m size range.

WILD OATS XI is registered under the Australia flag (along with a total of other 171 yachts)

Specifications

• Name: WILD OATS XI
• Yacht Type: Sail Yacht
• Builder: McConaghy Boats
• Naval Architect: Reichel-Pugh Yacht Design
• Exterior Designer: Reichel-Pugh Yacht Design
• Refits: 2015

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Published on December 16th, 2015 | by Editor

Wild Oats XI: Not Ready To Collect Her Pension

Published on December 16th, 2015 by Editor -->

Robert Oatley’s 100-foot Wild Oats XI is a special boat. In her first season, the maxi won the ‘treble’ in the 2005 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, winning both line honors and overall handicap as well as setting a new race record. In her 10 year span, Wild Oats XI has been first to Hobart in 8 of 10 races, winning the treble again in 2012.

After overcoming the challenge by Jim & Kristy Clark’s newly launched 100-foot Comanche in the 2014 Sydney Hobart, passing them in a light air section of the race, the 10 year old Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design saw a need to boost her ability in breeze or risk losing the reign as the supreme super maxi.

Wild Oats XI had been updated over the years, but nothing like her latest modification. As she prepares for the 2015 Sydney Hobart on December 26, Scuttlebutt editor Craig Leweck checked in with Jim Pugh for the details…

What got done to the hull? The boat was 100-feet long, which is the maximum length for the Sydney Hobart Race as well as many others races. So the task was to make changes but return her to this length. Approximately 2 meters was cut off the stern, which allowed us to lengthen the bow ahead of the mast. We had 11.5m cut off the bow, and a new bow was designed and built that was now 2m longer.

What did this achieve? We effectively slid the hull forward on the rig and appendages by 2m. The new bow has more volume, which we achieved by fairing in the longer bow section. The boat should be significantly faster particularly reaching and running with more volume in the bow. They should be able to push the boat harder off the wind. The boat had always been extremely fast in the lighter conditions and these modifications upgrade the performance in stronger winds. Additionally, now they can set larger sails off the stem and new extended sprit. One of several sails will be a new free flying non- overlapping Jib off the stem.

Has this changed the sail plan? The rig is still the same and is pretty new. They still have the old headstay and position, but can set a larger jib free flying off the stem. These changes had as much to do with the rig as the hull. It allowed them to update their sail inventory to a more modern offshore inventory while improving on the practicalities and speed of changings sails offshore. They have some great sail design and handling guys on board so I am sure they made some nice tweaks to get them down the course and through changing conditions quicker.

Any tradeoffs to the hull modification? The stern will be a little draggier in the light but it will be worth trading away for the up-range performance. This would be the biggest trade off, but the boat had light air speed to burn.

How radical is it to do this kind of hull modification? This is not as difficult as it sounds, it is amazing what you can do with these composite hulls. In the Nineties we designed the 70-foot maxi Windquest. At the time 70 feet was the max size allowed, but the rule was later changed to 80 feet. When Windquest was sold and became Alexia, we designed a new significantly longer bow (built by McConaghy) for the boat, and when combined with a short stern scoop, extended the boat to 79 feet overall. The boat continued to excel, going on to win quite a few championships.

Wild Oats XI is now ten years old. Are their ‘old age’ benefits when it comes to the rating rule? There are old age benefits but they are not ready to collect their pension. They want the challenge of beating the new boats to Hobart.

Photos taken 12 months apart.

Tags: Comanche , Jim Pugh , Reichel Pugh , Wild Oats

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WILD OATS XI yacht NOT for charter*

30.48m  /  100' | mcconaghy boats | 2005 / 2015.

• Previous Yacht

The 30.48m/100' sail yacht 'Wild Oats XI' was built by McConaghy Boats in Australia. This luxury vessel's exterior design is the work of Reichel-Pugh and she was last refitted in 2015.

Guest Accommodation

She is also capable of carrying up to 29 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.

Range & Performance

Wild Oats XI is built with a composite hull and composite superstructure, with composite decks.

*Charter Wild Oats XI Sail Yacht

Sail yacht Wild Oats XI is currently not believed to be available for private Charter. To view similar yachts for charter , or contact your Yacht Charter Broker for information about renting a luxury charter yacht.

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'Yacht Charter Fleet' is a free information service, if your yacht is available for charter please contact us with details and photos and we will update our records.

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Wild Oats: Coming of Age

• By Rob Mundle
• Updated: December 12, 2016

In the spectacular world of international ocean yacht racing, there are three ultimate challenges: the Fastnet race out of England; America’s Newport Bermuda race; and the event most see as the greatest contest of all — the 628 nautical mile Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Across its 71-year history the Hobart race has been laden to the gunwales with drama and excitement. Everything about it is unique. It is the only major offshore racing event in the world that starts on a harbour and finishes in a river. And no other similar event attracts so much media interest, or number of spectators: it is estimated that at the start alone some 300,000 people watch the spectacle when either afloat on Sydney Harbour, or on the shore of what is a magnificent natural amphitheatre. The television coverage of the start takes that number into the millions.

As fate would have it, it was the timing of the inaugural event that set the Hobart race on a course towards becoming the stuff of Australian sporting legend. It was 1945 and a war-weary nation was desperate for a diversion away from the brutalities of World War II, which had ended only months earlier. The Sydney Hobart race would be a much-needed panacea. On Boxing Day 1945 the crews of nine small yachts were seen to be putting their lives on the line in the name of sport by racing to Hobart. Most importantly, the media of the day thrived on the story, especially when the fleet was hammered by a ferocious southerly gale and there were no sightings by the Royal Australian Air Force of one yacht in particular, the highly fancied 35ft long, Rani . Then, on January 2, 1946, The Sydney Morning Herald reported: “DRAMATIC END TO YACHT RACE — Missing Rani Reappears And Wins Easily.”

Rani’s name went into the history books as having been first to finish (line honours), the fastest time for the course (six days/14 hours/22 minutes), and being the winner on handicap (corrected time).

In the 71 years since that first race, 5,827 yachts and more than 50,000 men and women from across the world have contested the annual Sydney Hobart race, and today one yacht stands out as the most remarkable of all; the silver-hulled, 30-metre long supermaxi, Wild Oats XI , campaigned by the Oatley family. On Boxing Day this year this amazing yacht will be going for an unprecedented ninth line honours, and, given the right conditions, she could well claim the treble for the third time – line and handicap honours and a race record. In 2005 – the year she was launched – Wild Oats XI became the first yacht since Rani to achieve that remarkable result.

The story of Wild Oats XI’ s origins, and her wonderful owner, the late Bob Oatley AO, BEM, is as fascinating and engaging as her performance when racing on the high seas.

Bob, or “Popeye” as he was known to family and close friends, had an uncanny ability to inspire people into going beyond preconceived limits and achieving remarkable goals. Such was the case with Wild Oats XI . Never had such a sophisticated racer been created in such a short time frame – just 10 months – and never had a yacht had such an impact on the sailing scene and public arena within four weeks of being launched.

Wild Oats XI was built in Sydney by John McConaghy, an artisan acclaimed internationally as being among the very best when it comes to constructing racing yachts using space-age composite materials.

McConaghy is not sure how many boats he has built over the decades, but he is sure of one thing: “My No.1 project of all was Wild Oats XI ,” he said without hesitation.

“It’s the best build I’ve ever been involved with, and making that even better was the fact that she has been so successful. Most importantly though, this was the project where we loved the owner; a project that was as good as it got.

Wild Oats XI , like her two smaller predecessors built by Bob Oatley, had a design feature that he, with the enthusiastic support of his skipper, Mark Richards, had introduced to offshore racing about five years earlier. It was a canting keel, one that swung from side to side so less ballast was needed to keep the yacht upright. World champion and America’s Cup yachtsman Iain Murray, who today sails as tactician aboard Wild Oats XI , describes the concept this way: “The canting keel has probably been the largest single design element that has increased the speed of yachts ever. It’s like sticking a giant V8 engine in a Toyota Corolla.

Wild Oats X I would represent the ultimate application of this technology.

In 2003 Bob led the Australian team to victory in the prestigious Admiral’s Cup international team event in Cowes, England. He entered the original Wild Oats XI and had Mark Richards as skipper. That yacht’s speed was enough for him to commission the build of Wild Oats XI , the intention being that she would lead the defence team in the Admiral’s Cup, but due to circumstances beyond his control, that series never eventuated.

Then, in early 2005, Bob and his eldest son, Sandy, went to McConaghy’s boat-building facility on Sydney’s northern beaches and saw a 30-metre long canting-keel racing yacht being built for Kiwi yachtsman, Neville Crichton, and to be named A lfa Romeo . Its target was line honours in the Sydney Hobart race at the end of the year.

Bob was so excited by what he saw that he would have bought that yacht there and then had it been offered for sale – but it wasn’t. Mark Richards recalls: “Having seen Alfa Romeo , Bob said to me ‘I think I’m going to buy one of those’ and I said, ‘Are you serious?’. He simply said ‘Yep’, and he did! I actually tried to talk him out of it, but he was already on a roll.”

The Hobart race start was 11 months away, which meant that the new yacht would need to be launched within 10 months – and no racing yacht that size and so complex had ever been built in that time anywhere in the world. But that didn’t deter Bob Oatley.

He put the entire project together in one weekend. John McConaghy confirmed that if everything fell into place he could build the yacht in the desired time. Then, after the designers, mast and sailmakers and all equipment suppliers had all confirmed they could meet the deadline, Bob pressed the go button on the Monday morning.

Read the full story here.

• More: Rolex Sydney Hobart , rolex sydney hobart 2016 , Sailboats , Wild Oats XI
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Fastest yacht: The giant record breakers

• Toby Heppell
• October 29, 2021

Skorpios is the latest in a long list of giant monohulls designed with a view to becoming the fastest yacht on the planet. We take a look at some of her predecessors

Every so often the yacht racing world sees an ambitious owner with pockets deep enough to want to step things up a gear and produce a new record-smashing fastest yacht.

The latest of these to hit the water is the jaw-dropping ClubSwan 125 Skorpios built for its Russian owner, Dmitry Rybolovlev. Almost everything about this new monster yacht is bigger, stronger, faster and higher tech than any boat which came before it.

Pretty much any metric you care to look at on Skorpios is mind-boggling. The five-spreader Southern Spars mast stands at 175 feet tall, and she can carry 11,324 square feet of sail upwind, and 21,108 square feet downwind.

Enough sail? Skorpios off the Dorset coast. The ClubSwan 125 is named after owner Rybolovlev’s famous Greek island, where Jackie Kennedy married Aristotle Onassis. Photo: Mark Lloyd / Lloyd Images

Skorpios has been built with the express brief to break offshore records as the world’s fastest yacht. Her recent win in the 2021 Fastnet Race – only weeks after hitting the water for the first time – shows she certainly has what it takes to take line honours in big races.

And the numbers Skorpios has shown while racing initially seem to indicate that it is really only a matter of time until she starts claiming some of the biggest records on offer in the sailing world.

But Skorpios is only the latest in a long line of new yachts built with the express purpose of winning line honours and taking records, each bigger, faster and more technologically advanced than that which came before.

The current transatlantic record holder, Comanche , is probably the yacht that most readily springs to mind when we’re looking at the development path for Skorpios .

Before Skorpios , Comanche was the most recent, highly ambitious racing yacht on the planet. She was built with one thing in mind and one thing only, to break ocean records and win line honours in some of the world’s most famous races.

Comanche showing off her considerable beam. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

“The design office were told specifically by me that if this boat wasn’t the worst rated boat in history they have failed,” stated the owner Jim Clark on Maxi, Comanche ’s launch, reaffirming the aim of the boat to break records and win line honours without any consideration for handicap wins.

Comanche was something of a revelation when she was first launched. Over the years boats had been carrying more beam (width) towards the transom to create more power – at the expense of outright light weather, upwind and VMG running performance.

Comanche took this line of thought to the extreme with what seemed an impossibly wide stern, which led to the boat being nicknamed the aircraft carrier.

Although Skorpios is technically beamier than Comanche (8.75m vs 7.85m) the ClubSwan’s hull shape has a more modest beam-to-length ratio, and far greater internal volume and higher freeboard, all products of the project starting out with some focus on cruising in addition to outright performance.

But despite a slightly less powerful hull shape compared to Comanche , when you look at the rig, you see that this will likely be overcome by sheer grunt in terms of sail area. Skorpios ’ mainsail alone is 7,093 square feet, compared to Comanche ’s 4,413 square feet.

Comanche was, indeed is, a yacht that pushed technology to the absolute limit and when she was launched her extreme design caused quite a stir.

She is still considered one of the fastest yachts on the face of the earth and, in addition to her transatlantic record, Comanche also holds the monohull 24 hour sailing record at an impressive 618.01nm (averaging 25.75 knots) in a 24 hour period.

These two records will almost certainly be two of the key prize scalps Skorpios will be hoping to take.

Mari Cha IV

Although for many Comanche is the most obvious boat to which Skorpios can be compared, arguably a closer comparison could be that of Mari Cha IV , particularly when you consider length and ambition to break oceanic records.

The 140ft Mari Cha IV was launched in 2003, at this size both Mari Cha IV and (140ft) Skorpios face a similar problem, there are several top races that have an upper LOA limit of 100ft – neither could take part in the Sydney Hobart race for example.

Mari-Cha IV held the Atlantic record for 12 years. Photo: Thierry Martinez

In 2003, Mari-Cha IV set a new west-east transatlantic record with a total time of 6 days, 17 hours. During the run, she also set a new 24 hour monohull distance record of 525.5 nautical miles . This record stood until Comanche snatched the crown in 2016.

Due to her size and the sail area needed to power the giant, Mari Cha IV was built as a two-masted schooner. This meant that each mast could be smaller – within the bounds of the technology available at the time.

The twin rig on Mari Cha IV also meant each of the sails could be smaller than would be needed on a single masted yacht, reducing loads and enabling the boat to be sailed without resorting to powered winches.

That Skorpios is a single masted 140 footer demonstrates two things. The ClubSwan 125 shows the advances in technology with a single 175ft mast now being much more easily managed and understood – thanks, in no small part to advancements in load sensing technology which have filtered down from the America’s Cup and high tech offshore yachts such as the Ultime trimaran and IMOCA 60 fleets.

However, sail handling for sails of the size needed on Skorpios is still an issue and the ClubSwan 125 still needs powered winches, which will put her out of contention for a number of records that require exclusively human power.

In 2008, Speedboat was launched . The Juan Kouyoumdjian -designed 100ft Maxi was a yacht designed to produce blistering speeds and was built with the express purpose of ocean record breaking.

Speedboat , Newport Bermuda Race 2010

The yacht was built by Mick Cookson at Cookson Boats in New Zealand and her radical underwater features, including an incredibly flat run aft were all features that would later be included in the design of Comanche – features that demonstrate a yacht built for record breaking as they offer serious compromises in lighter winds.

In many respects Speedboat was the first to take the wide flat hull concept and transplant it wholesale into a 100ft Maxi.

Speedboat was also the first Maxi to have a deck-stepped rig, which was produced by Southern Spars, and she has plenty of other radical features.

To an extent Speedboat was built as a scaled up version of the Volvo 70 ’s which had been impressing in the Volvo Ocean Race . As such it is hardly a surprise the boat was the product of Kouyoumdjian’s design house, as he had created several of the fastest Volvo 70s then racing.

Unfortunately Speedboat arrived at the very start of the financial crisis and she only sailed in a number of events before she was mothballed and eventually sold.

She went through a couple of incarnations before being purchased by George David and was sailed as Rambler 100 during which time she dramatically lost her keel and capsized while competing in the Fastnet Race .

For his part David would go on to commission Kouyoumdjian to draw Rambler 88 , an impressive bit of kit in its own right and aimed at winning line honours and races outright in an 88ft package.

Wild Oats XI

No list of record breakers and record holders would be complete without a mention of Wild Oats XI , the 100 ft Maxi belonging to the Oatley family, which has won the Sydney Hobart no less than seven times.

Wild Oats XI ( WOXI for short) was actually launched back in 2005 and is a prime example of what can be done to a yacht to keep her on pace with current trends and developments.

In 2009 she was lengthened at bow and stern from 98ft to 100ft. In 2011 her forward balanced spade canard was removed and twin daggerboards were added amidships. In 2012 she received a bow centreboard as well as caudal fin winglets on her torpedo bulb.

Wild Oats XI . Photo: Kurt Arigo / Rolex

In 2013 she was equipped with a Dynamic Stability System (DSS) foil, which is a retractable horizontal foil deployed on the leeward side of the boat.

In 2015 her stern was shortened by 2m and her 12m forward sections were replaced by a 14m longer, sleeker bow, keeping her midship sections unmodified and in effect moving her entire existing sailplan aft by 2m, a trend which had been seen in many of the newer maxis to be produced since.

The various appendages which have been added and removed over the years have lent the yacht the affectionate nickname the ‘Swiss army knife’.

By today’s standards WOXI remains a very skinny boat in the Maxi world – she and almost-sistership at the time of launch, Alfa Romeo II both had a max beam of a little over 5m.

Wild Oats XI remains a potent race boat and particularly for races like the Sydney Hobart, her relatively narrow beam gives her an edge in light winds, VMG running and beating, all of which mean she is still very hard to beat over a race with mixed conditions – if ultimately working against her should she ever look to set oceanic records.

Leopard 3 ( ICAP Leopard as she was launched) hit the water in 2007 for serial Maxi owner, Mike Slade. The Farr design had a number of unique features at the time of launch, which made her one of the most impressive superyachts on the circuit.

ICAP Round Britain and Ireland Race 2010

Leopard ’s mast was a towering 154ft and she could set a total downwind sail area of 17,265 sq ft. At the time this was a vast amount of sail – though Skorpios ’ 21,108 sq ft is something of a stark comparison.

Leopard is capable of speeds of over 35 knots. But her similarities to Skorpios actually centre around the plans the British boat had from the start to enable cruising and racing in a little more comfort.

Leopard featured a luxurious removable interior, which could be removed for racing and refitted for cruising or for charter – for which she had also been specifically designed and built.

Although Skorpios does not go quite as far as a fully removable interior, there is, at least, a nod to comfort in her design when compared to the out and out racer that is Comanche .

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Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2024

Brett Eagle bought Wild Rose in 2020 and reverted to her original name Wild Oats . With partners, Gordon Smith and Marc Skjellerup, the Farr 43 placed 26 th in the 2021 Rolex Sydney Hobart. When owned by Roger Hickman, she won the 2014 Rolex Sydney Hobart, with division wins the previous three years. With partners Bruce Foye and Lance Peckman, the Farr 43 won the tough 1993 race in conjunction with IMS winner, Cookoos Nest .

Hickman was a forerunner in bringing women into ocean racing before his untimely death, so the Wild Rose Series Pointscore in the CYCA’s Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore has been named in his honour to promote women in sailing. Wild Oats is competing in the pointscore. The boat was originally owned by Bob Oatley, hence her name.

Competitor Details

OFFICIAL ROLEX SYDNEY HOBART MERCHANDISE

Shop the official clothing range of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in person at the Club in New South Head Road, Darling Point or online below.  

From casual to technical clothing, there is something for all occasions. Be quick as stock is limited!

5th International exhibition of boats and yachts Moscow Boat Show a Huge Success

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Written by Zuzana Bednarova

The first pavilion of Crocus Expo IEC hosted an extraordinary exposition of the 5th International exhibition of yachts and boats Moscow Boat Show. The show had been incredibly famous for five years already not only thanks to the specialists of the market segment as well as professional sportsmen but also thanks to those who consider sailing sport to be their hobby and well cherished dream.

Moscow Boat Show 2012

The organizer of the project was the Crocus Expo International Exhibition Centre. The show was supported by Aston Martin Moscow, Burevestnik Group logistics department and the Yachting specialized magazine.

The exposition space increased up to 30 000 sq m and was accommodated in all 4 exhibition halls of the fairgrounds! 280 Russian (Arkhangelsk, Vyborg, Kazan, Kaluga, Republic of Karelia, Moscow and Moscow region, Nizhny Novgorod, Novorossiysk, Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, St. Petersburg, Sverdlovsk region, Sochi, Chelyabinsk, Tyumen and Yaroslavl region) and foreign ( Denmark , Germany , Holland , Greece , Spain , Italy , Cyprus , China , Latvia , Poland , USA , Turkey , Ukraine, Finland , France , Montenegro and Croatia ) companies participate in the show.

Moscow Boat Show provided the perfect platform from which to preview new products, evaluate market trends, and establish long-lasting and commercially profitable partnerships. Despite the dynamic changes taking place in Russia and the rapid growth of the yachting sector, the show continued to complement and reflect the industry’s demand and is a promotional opportunity not to be missed!

Unique exhibits were presented at the show for the first time: exposition of private submarines from U-Boat Russia company, Marquis Yachts 420 SB motor yacht from Sport Bridge S. Marine series, SAGA-415 yacht from Saga Boats Norwegian shipyard, Jetlev-Flyer from MS Watersports.

Moscow Boat Show a Great Success

More than 400 yachts were displayed within the frames of the event including the largest boats ever exhibited in Russia – the 19-meter giant motor yacht Princess 54 as well as the Princess 50 yacht from Nord Marine and Baja speed boat from Burevestnik.

Domfinland OY unveiled a luxury project from Finnish real estate: a seaside premium class hotel in Hanko named consonant with the location Merihanko.

The trade fair was traditionally opened by a Gala Opening Ceremony. Arcady Zlotnikov, First Deputy Director Crocus Expo IEC, was the first to take the floor at the official opening ceremony. He greeted warmly exhibitors, guests and visitors of Moscow Boat Show. Nikolay Krjuchek, Deputy Chief of the State Inspection on Small size Vessels (GIMS) of the Ministry for Emergency Situations of Russia, Georguiy Shaiduko, Acting President of the Russian Yachting Federation (VFPS), Olympic champion in Atlanta and Ekaterina Grishechkina, Director of exhibition Moscow Boat Show also spoke at the ceremony.

The high-ranking guests noted dynamic development of the branch which well reasoned the intensive growth of the exposition and appearance of rather unique “gems”.

A number of business meetings and negotiations were held within the frames of the project: the exhibition was visited by a large delegation of Greek businessmen for the purpose of establishment of mutually beneficial cooperation with the Russian colleagues.

More than 400 yachts on display at the Show

Russian Yachting Federation (VFPS) celebrated its 100 anniversary within the frames of Moscow Boat Show and arranged an exposition of future sailing sport museum (rare awards, gifts, articles from private collections, pictures and etc.) which had been collected since 1912.

Due to carefully chosen running dates the show was visited by more than 26 000 people. The majority of the visitors were of targeted audience – vessel owners and specialists of the branch.

The work at the next edition of the show is under way! The show will be held in March 2013. The overall exhibit space will comprise 40 000 sq m. The exhibition will impress with exclusive exhibits and the latest technological achievements.

Moscow Boat Show was not only an entertaining but at the same time a business promotional event. Participation in the trade fair was a unique opportunity to present a company and products to a distinctly selected targeted audience of industry specialists. They were well prepared to discuss business in the Russian market and even to close a deal on-site.

The show helped representatives of yachting business to get acquainted with their Russian colleagues and gradually improved national yachting market to a new level. It is obvious that for 5 years of its running the project has turned to a status event of the international exhibitions calendar.

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "5th International exhibition of boats and yachts Moscow Boat Show a Huge Success ".

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