Wild Oats XI ready to sail on an extra wing and a prayer Hydrofoil in the hull: Wild Oats XI Photo: Nick Moir The crew of defending Sydney to Hobart line honours champion, Wild Oats XI believe they may have found the answer to recording a record-equalling run of seven victories this year. The reason for their optimism in the 628-nautical mile race that starts on Boxing Day was on full display on Monday when the 30-metre super-maxi owned by Australian winemaker Bob Oatley was lifted from the water in Woolwich to reveal its secret weapon. Its latest addition is a radical, carbon fibre, wing-like hydrofoil in the hull that has been designed to provide eight to 10 tonnes of lift at the forward part of the yacht which, when fully extended, will reduce drag and increase boat speed. Wild Oats XI, which last year won line honours in a record time of one day, 18 hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds and the race on handicap, has three other retractable foils below the waterline. They are two daggerboards and a shallow centreboard at the bow for upwind sailing in light conditions and a canting keel. She also has a permanent rudder at the stern. However, this latest wing, designed by English company Dynamic Stability Systems, should make a big difference in speed, says Wild Oats XI skipper Mark Richards after testing it over the past 10 days when the ideal wind conditions needed finally prevailed. Richards said on Monday that he predicts this year's Sydney to Hobart to be "the most keenly contested in recent times, for both line and handicap honours." And because of that Richards said it was felt that it was imperative they "do something" to the eight-year-old yacht "to give the old girl a new lease of life. I think this wing will do it, especially if we get fast downwind conditions during the race. Wild Oats XI will need to reach a boat speed of 18 knots for the new wing to work effectively, but when it does the wing will extend from inside the hull to more than two metres out to the leeward side. "The trial results were quite remarkable," Richards said. There was an impressive increase in speed. ... From what we have seen, if we get the right conditions in the Hobart race the wing might make the difference.