Eight Bells for Wild Oats Patron

The international sailing community has lost one of its best-loved father figures. On Sunday Australian billionaire Bob Oatley, 87, succumbed to a longtime illness.

Although Australia is a bit off our usual beat, Oatley’s contribution to yacht racing cannot be ignored. Seemingly a universally well-liked sportsman, Oatley has campaigned his 100-ft supermaxi Wild Oats XI for more than a decade, taking line honors in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race eight times. In 2005 and 2012 Wild Oats XI pulled off ‘trifectas’ in that contest, taking line honors, correcting out to win, and setting new course records — the only boat ever to do so. Her 2012 record still stands at 1d, 18h, 23m.

Oatley’s 32-year run in the wine business earned him a fortune, and dramatically elevated the reputation of Australian wines internationally. When he sold his brand, Rosemount Estates, in 2001, he bought Queensland’s Hamilton Island for $200 million and elevated its reputation to top-tier status through improvements that reportedly cost $350 mil — Condé Nast Traveler once dubbed it the "best resort in the world." Oatley’s magic also extended to the long-established Hamilton Island Race Week, which flourished under his guidance. The gentleman yachtsman is also renowned as a generous philanthropist, having made significant contributions to medical research and the arts.

In addition to all that, he will be remembered as a kind and accessible man. We’re told that despite his accomplishments in the business world, he cherished his yacht racing victories above all else.