Palm Beach Motor Yachts has taken its supermaxi sloop to new heights—quite literally. 

The Australian shipyard just announced that the 100-foot Palm Beach XI has flown across the water using radical new C-foils (curved foils). The yacht lifted cleanly off the water with nearly seven feet of bow rise, reaching 29 knots as it sailed around Sydney Harbour.

The foils are just one of several changes the Palm Beach team has made to the historic 20-year-old sailing yacht in a bid to make it even more competitive on the global racing scene. 

Originally known as Wild Oats XI, the sloop was built in New Zealand by McConaghy Boats and delivered in 2005. It has notched a record nine line honors victories in the Sydney Hobart race over the past two decades, making it the winningest yacht in the event’s history. It was snapped up by Palm Beach in June 2025 and underwent what the yard labeled a “rapid transformation.” Palm Beach founder and CEO Mark Richards, who has skippered the yacht for the past 20 years, spearheaded the work. The five-month refit was completed in December 2025, with the yacht christened Palm Beach XI. It then returned to competitive racing for the first time since 2022, partaking in the Sydney Hobart the same month. It finished in fifth overall.

“It was a huge effort just to make the start line of the 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart, and even then, we weren’t quite ready,” Richards said in a statement. “The main outcome of the race was that we confirmed Palm Beach XI’s structural integrity in tough conditions.”

The latest innovation will, hopefully, push Palm Beach XI to first place in her next race. The C-foils deploy when the yacht is traveling at speed, lifting it above the water and reducing the wetted surface area, thereby allowing it to transition from displacement to dynamic efficiency. The curved wings are engineered to generate dynamic lift, reduce drag, increase effective righting moment, and unlock enhanced reaching and downwind performance, according to Palm Beach. Yachts in the Sydney Hobart are increasingly implementing foiling technology, though it is not universal across the fleet like in the America’s Cup.

“Seeing Palm Beach XI foil this week with such control, ease, and stability validates the decision we’ve made to give this historic Supermaxi a new lease on life as we prepare for the Newport to Bermuda Yacht Race in June,” Richards adds.

The 636-mile ocean sailing race will start in Newport, Rhode Island, on June 19, with the prize-giving ceremony taking place in Bermuda on June 27.