The American maxi Lucky continues to dominate the Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race, rounding the top of New Zealand overnight and setting up for a dawn approach to Auckland. At 2.30am NZ time (12.30am AEDT), the 100-footer lay just 150 nautical miles from the finish, maintaining an impressive velocity made good (VMG) of 19.3 knots and a 24-hour distance run of 516 nautical miles.
Skippered by Bryon Ehrhart, Lucky is now expected to reach Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour around 10.15am NZDT (8.15am AEDT), completing the 1,250-nautical-mile trans-Tasman course in just under three days. It’s a performance that cements her status as one of the premier offshore racing yachts in the world, adding another strong result to her Transpac and Sydney–Hobart pedigree.
Behind her, the fleet is widely dispersed across the Tasman and Northland coasts. Antipodes, skippered by Geoff Hill, has moved into second on line honours, around 656 nautical miles from the finish, averaging 10.9 knots. Frantic sits close behind in third, 670 miles from Auckland, while Wings and Cooloola trail further south, both holding steady speeds near 8 knots.
Under IRC handicap, Lucky also leads, with Frantic and Antipodes in second and third respectively. In the PHS division, Lucky remains well ahead, with Wings, Frantic, and Antipodes fighting it out for corrected-time positions. The ORC division is a two-boat contest, led by Wings over Cooloola.
Conditions overnight were ideal for a fast run down the Northland coast, with steady westerlies giving way to moderate easterly breezes expected later today. After a rough Tasman crossing that saw squalls exceeding 40 knots, crews now face a tactical final stretch — choosing between a direct coastal line or a slightly offshore route to catch the best pressure into Auckland.
As dawn breaks, Lucky’s crew can almost smell home. For the rest of the fleet, the race remains far from over — but the toughest miles of this trans-Tasman challenge may already be behind them.
| Position | Yacht | Flag | Distance to finish (NM) | VMG (knots) | Est. finish (AEDT) | Division standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucky | 🇺🇸 | 150 | 19.3 | 14 Oct 08:17 | 1st Line Honours / 1st IRC / 1st PHS |
| 2 | Antipodes | 🇦🇺 | 656 | 10.9 | 16 Oct 12:23 | 2nd Line / 3rd IRC / 4th PHS |
| 3 | Frantic | 🇦🇺 | 670 | 10.6 | 16 Oct 15:05 | 2nd IRC / 3rd PHS |
| 4 | Wings | 🇦🇺 | 784 | 8.7 | 17 Oct 18:07 | 4th IRC / 2nd PHS / 1st ORC |
| 5 | Cooloola | 🇦🇺 | 823 | 8.0 | 18 Oct 06:29 | — / — / 2nd ORC |
| Provisional positions from YB Tracking. Times shown in AEDT; NZDT is two hours ahead. | ||||||
