Sydney to Hobart retiree Living Doll, owned by clothing manufacturer Michael Hiatt, will be repaired this week after drying out at Snug Cove for several weeks. Photograph by Scott Walton.
After sitting high and dry under a crane at Snug Cove for several weeks the iconic open ocean yacht, Living Doll, will finally be repaired in coming days.
Damaged during this year’s Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, the Farr 55 retired to Eden with a broken rudder after colliding with something 70 nautical miles into the Bass Strait.
Limping home under owner skipper Mike Hiatt, the yacht was sinking alongside the breakwater wharf when it was finally hoisted up by Nik’s Cranes.
Of its eight tonne of weight, six reside in the giant keel upon which it sits.
Mr Hiatt said crew arrived on Wednesday to begin repairing the crack in the carbon fibre hull.
“We had to get the formula to fix it from overseas and have a lot of grinding and cutting back to do,” he said from his Melbourne office on Tuesday.
“It’ll take about four days to fix.”
Mr Hiatt and his Living Doll have had stormy times together, balanced by strong performances in the Sydney to Hobart (second overall in 2011 and seventh in 2010) and wins at Airlie Beach, Geelong and Hamilton Island.