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Wild Oats X set to take line honours

Home 2007 Wild Oats X set to take line honours

Wild Oats X, skippered by America’s Cup sailor and world champion match racer Mark Richards, has tonight edged in front of Steven David’s Wild Joe but the smaller Reichel/Pugh 60 is still dogging the bigger boat.

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Wild Oats X, skippered by America’s Cup sailor and world champion match racer Mark Richards, has tonight edged in front of Steven David’s Wild Joe but the smaller Reichel/Pugh 60 is still dogging the bigger boat.

If they can protect their position from Wild Joe, which is just a mile astern, Wild Oats X is set to take line honours in the Audi Sydney Gold Coast around 11pm this evening. Wild Oats X took line honours in this race in 2005.

Matt Allen’s Ichi Ban is now in third place, some nine nautical miles behind the race leader, and practically becalmed south of Fingal Head.

It’s been a frustrating day for Allen and tactician Michael Coxon who went offshore in search of breeze after being passed by the two Reichel/Pughs.

“We were caught out offshore which cost us a bit,” said Allen at 2125hrs tonight. This evening Allen reported the early than anticipated arrival of the westerly land breeze which has subsequently petered out.

It will be a lonely night finish for the first three over the line and given the outgoing tide, it is expected they will have to stand off until daylight and the morning high tide before attempting to enter the Gold Coast seaway.