Wild Oats XI owner Sandy Oatley has confirmed the supermaxi will contest the Sydney to Hobart in 2017 after being forced out of this year's race by a mechanical failure.
The eight-time line honours winner is in port at the NSW far south coast town of Eden undergoing assessment for a hydraulics problem, while the crew has arrived back in Sydney after a lengthy overnight bus trip.
"The yacht will sail back to Sydney in a favourable weather pattern sometime over the next few days," spokesman for the racing team, Rob Mundle, told AAP.
"Sandy has confirmed the yacht will compete in the Hobart race next year."
Oatley's commitment will please skipper Mark Richards, who didn't want the boat's lengthy history with the blue water classic to end on a sour note.
Trouble struck on Tuesday morning when Wild Oats XI was leading the race pack, more than four hours ahead of the record time she set in 2012.
"The keel ram head just snapped off the keel ram which controls the whole counter-keel mechanism and that was it, in an instant, all over," Richards told the Seven Network.
"The boat has been through a lot worse conditions than that. Often what happens with fatigued metal, it doesn't necessarily go in the worst of conditions.
"It's out of your control really."
Mundle said the cause of the problem will be carefully analysed.
"There is no rush to complete repairs as WOXI is not expected to race again until mid-year - Sydney-Southport race then Audi Hamilton Island Race Week."
Wild Oats XI was ahead of Perpatual LOYAL when problems began, the latter boat going on to take line honours and smash the race record by almost five hours.
"The guys were doing a fantastic job, we were in a fantastic position in the race, the boat certainly had the legs to continue in that position, we just had a failure," Richards said.
The boat turned back for Eden and made it back about midnight.
