A race against time
When Lucky crossed the start line off Watsons Bay at 1 pm Sydney time, her crew had barely had time to breathe. The 27-metre Juan K maxi had only arrived from Opua the previous afternoon, and owner Bryon Ehrhart admits the dash to make the start was “closer than I’d like.”
“WE HAD AN ENGINE ISSUE ON THE WAY OUT OF NEW ZEALAND AND HAD TO TURN BACK TO OPUA. ONCE IT WAS SORTED, WE PUSHED HARD FOR SYDNEY. I THINK THE BOAT AND I BOTH NEEDED A REST BEFORE WE EVEN STARTED,” HE LAUGHS.
Yet once the bow pointed east, Lucky lived up to her name. In the opening hours, she leapt ahead of the fleet — Antipodes, Frantic, Wings, and Cooloola — setting a blistering pace across a Tasman Sea that, for once, played nice.
Lucky at a glance
- Design: Juan K 88 (ex-Rambler 88)
- Builder: New England Boatworks, USA
- Launched: 2015
- Owner: Bryon Ehrhart – New York Yacht Club (USA)
- Tactician: Brad Butterworth (OBE)
- Construction: Full carbon fibre with canting keel and twin daggerboards
- Length overall: 27 metres / 88 feet
- Crew: 18 (Professional + Youth Development mix)
- Top speed recorded (Tasman crossing): 26.5 knots
- Average VMG during race: 18 knots
- Race record: Line-honours leader – Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race 2025
- Upcoming events: PIC Coastal Classic 2025 (Auckland–Russell), Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race 2025, St Barts to Newport Yacht Race 2026
“A forgiving mistress”
Ehrhart describes this Tasman crossing — his first — as “a very forgiving mistress.” He’d studied the patterns for weeks before departure, expecting squalls and chaos. Instead, the wind filled gently from the northwest and stayed with them all the way.
“WE WERE LUCKY WITH THE WINDOW. THE TASMAN GAVE US JUST ENOUGH — 20S AND HIGH-20S MOST OF THE TIME, A FEW BURSTS ABOVE 26 KNOTS. IT WAS PERFECT OFFSHORE SAILING.”
While Lucky stretched away, others were less fortunate. Antipodes and Frantic reported squalls in the 40s, their crews soaked and grinning in equal measure.
“THEY HAD 42 KNOTS ACROSS THE DECK AT ONE POINT,” EHRHART SAYS. “I DON’T KNOW IF THE SAIL CAME DOWN IN ONE PIECE — BUT THAT’S OFFSHORE RACING.”
By Monday night the tracker told the story: Lucky more than 300 nautical miles clear of the next boat, holding an average VMG of 18 knots and on course for a sub-three-day finish.
The tactician and the team
While Ehrhart owns the campaign, he’s quick to credit the rest of the team including tactician Brad Butterworth, who he calls “the CEO of the programme.”
“BRAD’S MORE THAN JUST A TACTICIAN — HE’S A CALMING INFLUENCE. HE KEEPS EVERYONE FOCUSED, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE BOAT’S HUMMING. OFFSHORE RACING CAN BE AN EMOTIONAL ENVIRONMENT, AND BRAD’S THE REASON WE STAY COMPOSED.”
The Lucky crew mixes seasoned ocean-racers with younger sailors who have joined through the team’s mentoring pathway. That blend, Ehrhart says, keeps the boat sharp and the atmosphere balanced.
“IT’S A BIG, PHYSICAL BOAT, BUT IT’S ALSO A CLASSROOM. THE YOUNG ONES BRING ENERGY; THE OLD HANDS BRING DISCIPLINE. THAT’S WHAT MAKES THE MILES GO BY.”
From Etchells to 88 feet
Ehrhart’s sailing journey began long before Lucky. After two decades racing Etchells and other one-designs, he stepped into offshore campaigns in 2006 with a TP52 — also named Lucky. Since then, the name has followed him through a 63-footer, a 72-footer that lost its rudder mid-Transpac, and now the 27-metre ex-Rambler 88.
“YOU DON’T OWN A BOAT LIKE THIS — YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH IT,” HE SAYS. “EACH ONE TEACHES YOU SOMETHING NEW.”
The current Lucky — all carbon, canting-keel and daggerboards — represents what he calls the “logical extreme” of that evolution. She’s a pure offshore racer but still elegant, a reminder of how technology and seamanship coexist when both are done well.
Philosophy of preparation
Ehrhart’s day job is in reinsurance and investment banking, an industry where risk management is everything. That mindset carries straight into his sailing.
“TO WIN, YOU HAVE TO FINISH. TO FINISH, THE BOAT HAS TO BE PERFECTLY PREPARED. OFFSHORE RACING ISN’T ABOUT BEING RECKLESS — IT’S ABOUT BEING READY.”
That pragmatism shapes every Lucky campaign. From weather modelling to equipment redundancy, nothing is left to chance.
“WE TREAT THE SEA WITH RESPECT. WHEN YOU PREPARE PROPERLY, IT’S NOT DANGEROUS — IT’S BEAUTIFUL.”
Arrival and what’s next
As Lucky closed in on the Hauraki Gulf, the forecast still favoured a fast run, and Ehrhart couldn’t hide his excitement at sailing into Auckland for the first time.
“YOU FEEL THE CULTURE OF SAILING HERE EVEN BEFORE YOU ARRIVE. EVERYONE YOU MEET IN NEW ZEALAND HAS A STORY ABOUT THE SEA.”
The team plans to stay on for the PIC Coastal Classic 2025, before heading west again to the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, and then back to the Caribbean for a new St Barts–Newport Race next year.
“IT’S A FULL CALENDAR, BUT LUCKY HAS PLENTY OF LIFE LEFT IN HER. SHE’S AN EXTRAORDINARY BOAT, AND THIS WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY CROSSING.”
A humble finish
Reflecting on a race that could easily have gone the other way, Ehrhart circles back to his favourite word.
“WE GOT LUCKY,” HE SAYS WITH A GRIN. “THAT’S REALLY WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO.”
And with that, Lucky — the boat that almost didn’t make the start — became the undisputed star of the Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race 2025.
