http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/24/sports/ken-read-first-rolex-sydney-hobart-yacht-race.html 2014-12-24 04:25:03 Looking to Make a Fast, Big Splash The skipper Ken Read talks about the new 100-foot supermaxi Comanche, which was designed and built not only to win ocean races but to break records. === After waiting 53 years to take part in his first Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Ken Read has had to scramble to get ready. The veteran American yachtsman — one of the most experienced at the elite end of the sport — is the skipper of the new 100-foot supermaxi Comanche, which was launched in late September. Backed by a billionaire owner, Jim Clark, Comanche was designed and built not only to win ocean races but to break records. Read and his high-profile crew, which includes the America’s Cup winner Jimmy Spithill, have had to race the clock to prepare the cutting-edge yacht for its first big test. Read, 53, a former America’s Cup helmsman and Volvo Ocean race skipper who is also president of North Sails, spoke with Christopher Clarey of The International New York Times from Sydney last week. Q. So how did this project come together? A. Q. It definitely looks different. What’s the thinking behind it? A. Q. You chose a French design team, VPLP-Verdier. A. Q. How does it feel like a multihull? A. Q. You’re used to tight deadlines. How does this rank as a challenge? A. Q. You’ve been through some hairy stuff, including a dismasting in the Volvo Race. How confident are you in the safety here? The Hobart might be relatively short, but it has a history. A. Q. You have a late arrival named Spithill on board — the helmsman who has twice won the America’s Cup. A. Q. How has the recent terrorist attack in Sydney affected the country’s mood? A.