New Zealand yacht Vixen is the second entry overall, the first international entry, and the first female-skippered entry in the 2026 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race after registrations opened last week.
The entry comes off the back of a Tasman crossing that was anything but straightforward. Two lows were forecast for the passage, with gusts potentially reaching 50 knots ahead of rain squalls. Skiper, Sharon Ferris-Choat, said positioning relative to the pressure systems would be critical, with a longer northern route, adding miles but reducing exposure, a serious option.
After arriving in Southport (Sharon is soloing from New Zealand), the crew will wait for a weather window and sail south to Sydney. A scholarship berth on that coastal passage is on offer for one New Zealand and one Australian youth sailor. A Kiwi candidate has already put her hand up.
In Sydney, the campaign builds through the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore, starting with the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, a 384-nautical-mile season opener heading north to the Gold Coast. From there, Vixen will join the GCCM Gold Coast Mackay Yacht Race, a 520-nautical-mile run up the tropical Queensland coast to the Whitsundays, arriving in time for Hamilton Island Race Week. The crew will then work their way back to Sydney through the remaining Blue Water Pointscore events, with the 172-nautical-mile Cabbage Tree Island Race the target qualifier for the Rolex Sydney Hobart.
Cat 1 certification will be completed in Sydney ahead of the December 26 start. The skipper does not plan to return to New Zealand between August and the start.
The aim is an all-female crew of up to eight. Four are confirmed, three more are on a waitlist through the Vixen Racing Academy, and sponsorship is being sought to close the roster.
Sharon Ferris-Choat to become seventh woman to contest Solo Trans-Tasman
