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Palm Beach Motor Yachts Unveils Impressive Upgrades to Palm Beach XI Ahead of 2025 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race
Fort Lauderdale, FL – October 29, 2025 — Just days after announcing its custodianship of the iconic Wild Oats XI, now reborn as Palm Beach XI, Palm Beach Motor Yachts today unveiled the details of the race yacht’s ambitious transformation at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.
World-Class Collaboration
Palm Beach XI’s transformation is led by Palm Beach Motor Yachts Founder and CEO Mark Richards, building on decades of ocean-racing experience and 40 years of yacht-building innovation. Supporting his vision is a world-class team of collaborators: Juan Kouyoumdjian (Juan K Naval Architects), renowned for his America’s Cup involvement and Volvo Ocean Race-winning designs; McConaghy Boats, one of the world’s foremost composite race-yacht specialists; North Sails, supplying a state-of-the-art sail package and many other high-tech component manufacturing partners. Richards, working closely with Palm Beach XI’s Yacht Manager Paul Magee and the shore crew and sailing team, will be delivering a rebuild that will redefine what’s possible for a 20-year-old Supermaxi on the world stage.
Passion for Performance
Mark Richards, who has skippered this race yacht for the last 20 years including nine Rolex Sydney Hobart victories, emphasized how the project reflects the collective strength of everyone involved:
“Palm Beach XI is the ultimate team effort; we have worked collaboratively to bring this vision to life in a very short time frame. This project embodies everything Palm Beach Motor Yacht stands for—our relentless passion for innovation, powered by a team culture that thrives on discipline, precision, and shared purpose. Every lesson we learn here flows directly into our motor yacht range, ensuring our owners benefit from technology proven at the cutting edge of the sport and our industry.”
A Next-Generation Appendage Package
The upgraded appendage package represents the most significant transformation in Palm Beach XI’s two-decade career. Highlights include:
• New Deeper Keel Fin and Bulb – designed to reduce drag and maximize righting moment.
• Advanced Upwind Daggerboards – delivering sharper pointing ability and reduced drag and leeway in all conditions.
• Radical C-Foils – engineered to optimize lift, minimize drag, and provide enhanced righting moment for reaching and downwind sailing angles.
Collectively, these innovations are designed not only to return Palm Beach XI to the front of the Rolex Sydney Hobart fleet, but also to serve as a living technology platform where learnings will flow into the Palm Beach Motor Yachts’ luxury motor yacht range.