Australian supermaxi Investec Loyal's victory in the Sydney-Hobart was upheld Thursday when a protest claiming its crew asked a media helicopter pilot to spy on a rival was dismissed. A relieved Investec Loyal skipper Anthony Bell said a three-hour international yacht racing committee hearing had cleared his boat of any wrongdoing. Investec Loyal's win Wednesday was the closest in 28 years, crossing the line in the 680 nautical mile race only minutes ahead of supermaxi Wild Oats XI. “The full committee has dismissed the protest and announced us the win,” Bell told reporters in Hobart after the hearing. “It's an against-the-odds victory for us. We felt when we left the dock on Boxing Day that we were going to do good this year.” The protest claimed that an Investec Loyal crew member asked the helicopter pilot whether Wild Oats XI was using a tri-sail as the two boats sailed down the Australian east coast Tuesday morning. Under yacht racing rules such a request could be viewed as outside assistance. The committee ruled that the crewman's question was not aimed at gaining a racing advantage but was linked to his business as he had sold the sail to Wild Oats XI. Wild Oats XI had led the race from the start Monday, with Investec Loyal only gaining the lead in fickle winds in the later stages. The two boats engaged in a nail-biting tacking duel to the finish line in Hobart.
