( CNN ) -- Wild Oats XI crossed the line first in the 66th Rolex Sydney to Hobart yacht race on Tuesday , but the Australian super maxi 's fifth victory in the annual event is in doubt due to an official protest . Wild Oats and British entry Ran were both reported by the race committee a few hours earlier after breaking safety rules by failing to make radio contact , and a hearing will be held on Wednesday . `` Both have reported only by telephone , which does not comply , so the protests were lodged at 5.05 p.m. today , '' committee chairman Tim Cox said . The rules are in place after six people died when severe weather conditions hit the 1998 race , sinking five yachts and forcing a record 66 to retire . Official race website . `` This is a fundamental safety issue , '' Cox said . `` Should a situation occur , we can not organize search and rescue operations via telephones . I consider this a serious breach . '' The 100-foot Wild Oats , skippered by Australian Mark Richards , sailed into the Tasmanian capital two days , seven hours , 37 minutes and 20 seconds after leaving Sydney Harbor , having led most of the way . `` A few people got their facts mixed up , '' Richards said . `` We 've got some of the most accredited yachtsmen and women on this boat . We 've won numerous world championships . We 've dealt with juries all our lives and we 're very confident we did everything by the book . `` It is disappointing . There is no way that as skipper I would have left Green Cape [ on the south coast of New South Wales ] without knowing we were 100 % compliant with the rules . '' Weather batters Sydney-Hobart race fleet . Wild Oats finished second last year , breaking a run of four successive victories . But this time Richards and crew safely negotiated gale-force conditions which led to 16 boats retiring to finish well ahead of their rivals , completing their journey up the Derwent River at 8:37 p.m. local time ( 0937 GMT . ) Second-placed Investec Royal finished almost four hours later , having been becalmed in sight of the docks . Its skipper Sean Langman reported that his boat -- crewed by sports stars including former cricketer Matthew Hayden , rugby players Phil Kearns and Phil Waugh plus surfing world champion Layne Beachley and swimmer Geoff Huegill -- had experienced several problems . `` The damage we sustained was to the reef lines earlier and some tack lines on the headsail which , running without a headsail , put us an hour back . Also , a fuel tank broke lose . These tanks carry so much fuel that you 've got a quarter of a ton to manhandle , which is difficult , '' he said on Tuesday . `` We did n't realize that we had a substantial leak in the bow and carried on with a ton and a half of water , which we only detected this morning . We have a watertight bulkhead up there and when we opened it , water came pouring out . '' Peter Millard 's Lahana crossed the line in third , an improvement on last year 's eighth placing . Ran , skippered by Niklas Zennstrom and one of the pre-race favorites for line honors , had yet to finish .
Wild Oats XI faces protest hearing on Wednesday after allegedly breaking rules . It was the first yacht home in Rolex Sydney to Hobart race for fifth time in six years . Race committee alleges that 100-foot super maxi did not make required radio contact . Skipper Mark Richards rejects the accusation , which was also leveled at British entry Ran .