Wild Oats won the Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race Wednesday in record time,
beating the previous mark by more than an hour.

Wild Oats covered the 723 miles in 1 day, 18 hours, 40 minutes and 26
seconds. The super maxi had a lead of more than 18 miles over Alfa Romeo,
which could also finish under the old record set by Nokia.

Light winds overnight Monday slowed the 85-boat fleet and dampened the
possibility of a record. But strong winds overnight Tuesday in Bass Strait
helped the bigger yachts speed down the Tasmanian coast.

About 400,000 people watched from Sydney's harbor as Wild Oats led Alfa
Romeo out of The Heads on Monday. Thousands more watched in Hobart as Wild
Oats sailed up the Derwent River and reached the finish just before 8 a.m.