SAT 30 MAY 2026: Day 1Five hours in
At this point in the race, the tracker is little more than a speed snapshot. Conditions, routing decisions, and whatever the Tasman throws at the fleet over the next week will render today’s positions irrelevant.
But for now, Oceans Tribute leads on distance to finish, having covered 54 nautical miles at 10.4 knots, the fastest VMG in the fleet. Vixen Racing and Pretty Boy Floyd sit second and third on corrected elapsed, separated by just two hours.
On PHRF handicap, Sarau leads after five hours, her 0.798 rating doing the heavy lifting despite sitting fourth on the water. Vixen Racing and Pretty Boy Floyd round out the top three on corrected time.
SAT 30 MAY 2026: Day 1Start of the race
Challenge day starts
The Boating New Zealand team had been keeping a close eye on the weather in the days leading up to the start of the Challenge.
At 8am yesterday, conditions were nothing short of spectacular. After several cooler, cloudier days, the Bay of Islands turned on one of its best mornings, with clear skies, sunshine and relatively light winds.
This morning told a slightly different story.
While conditions remained favourable, there was noticeably more cloud overhead and a little more breeze filtering through the harbour. It wasn’t enough to dampen the atmosphere on the waterfront, but it was a reminder that the fleet was heading into an ocean race.
The Boating New Zealand team arrived at Opua just after 10am to find the waterfront already packed with spectators. The atmosphere was electric, with friends, family and sailing enthusiasts jostling for the best vantage points overlooking the start line.
Was it safe enough to start the Challenge?
There had been plenty of discussion since Thursday’s Safety and Weather Briefing about the conditions awaiting the fleet. Was it safe to send the boats across the Tasman, or was the forecast pushing the limits?
One person who put the question into perspective was Sharon Ferris-Choat. Speaking with Boating New Zealand yesterday, she offered a characteristically measured assessment of the situation.
“I always have a saying as a mother. If what I’m about to do has a potential to create motherless children, and if that’s even entering my head, we need to have a serious look at the responsibility of what we’re about to do. We’re not there. We’re not in that situation.”
Ferris-Choat backed those words with action. When the start horn sounded at midday, Vixen crossed the line with the rest of the fleet.
For us, that says plenty. These are experienced sailors making informed decisions based on the information available to them. The Tasman will undoubtedly deliver its challenges, but the consensus among those heading offshore was clear: the race could be sailed safely.
Sharon Ferris-Choat: two lows, a routing call, and no regrets about leaving
The Opua Cruising Club, a great location
The course start was positioned directly off the side of the Opua Cruising Club. One end of the line was marked by an orange buoy sitting just beneath the club’s side-deck eaves, while the second was a yellow marker attached to the nearby jetty. Draw an imaginary line between the two and you had the start-line trajectory to the Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge.
It was an ideal setup for spectators, who had a clear view as competitors departed the quarantine berth and made their way into the pre-start holding area. Launches and dinghies were all out on the water for the start of the Challenge. The spectator conditions were near-perfect.
Leading up to the start
The morning’s final hurdle for skippers was clearing Customs. Once officials had completed their inspection of a yacht, the skipper was effectively sealed aboard. No crew, supporters or visitors were permitted on board, and the skipper could not return ashore.
Among the early arrivals in the gathering area were Sharon Ferris-Choat aboard Vixen, Malcolm Dickson on Sarau, Peter Bourke’s Diablo, and the fleet’s two multihulls — James Foster’s Electron and Guy Chester’s Ocean’s Tribute. Other competitors were also making their way onto the water, although distance made identification difficult from shore.
As the morning progressed, more yachts emerged from the quarantine pier following their Customs clearance. With around 30 minutes remaining before the start, the entire fleet was finally assembled on the water and ready for the challenge ahead.
Boating New Zealand was fortunate to secure a prime position for the start, courtesy of a beautifully maintained retro trailer boat, more a trailer launch, powered by twin 90hp outboards. Also on board was race umpire David McIntyre, whose presence meant our vessel served as the outer start-line mark. It proved to be the perfect platform, providing an uninterrupted view across the line and a front-row seat to the opening moments of the race.
In the hour or so before the start, the fleet split into two distinct groups. Some boats gathered below the start line, closer to shore, while others positioned themselves above it in more open water where there was room to stretch out and build speed.
As midday and the start approached, the fleet gradually converged behind the line.
The Challenge begins
The multihulls were first away, enjoying a five-minute head start on the monohulls. Guy Chester aboard Ocean’s Tribute approached from above the line with purpose, carrying good speed, but having to turn before the start to head north. By contrast, James Foster on Electron adopted a more relaxed approach, slowly working his way forward from behind the line.
When the start horn sounded, Chester was gone. Ocean’s Tribute accelerated quickly and immediately opened a gap on Electron. Within minutes both multihulls had disappeared down the course and out of sight.
Solo Trans-Tasman 2026: fleet away on schedule, Guy Chester first over the line
Attention then turned to the monohull fleet.
The boats were spread behind the start line, each skipper carefully managing position and timing. The final minute before a race start is a delicate balancing act. Approach too early and you are forced to slow, stall or turn away. (Ahem, ETNZ in the final of the AC40 regatta just held in Sardinia.) Ideally, a yacht arrives at the line at full pace, charging through the start on a rolling run rather than trying to accelerate from a standstill.
Malcolm Dickson aboard Sarau and Sharon Ferris-Choat on Vixen appeared to execute that strategy particularly well. Both used the available space to briefly pause before building speed and charging towards the line.
Not everyone judged it perfectly. Several boats found themselves a little too close to the line before the gun and were forced to ease off and wait.
When the monohull start horn finally sounded, however, the fleet was cleanly away. Every yacht remained on the correct side of the line, with the closest still around 20 metres short at the signal.
Sarau was first across, Dickson timing his run to perfection. Vixen in pink followed in second, while Bill Kidman’s distinctive red-hulled Pretty Boy Floyd crossed third as the fleet began its long journey across the Tasman.
Australian Peter Elkington on Pacman and finally Kiwi Peter Nobbs with Smoko brought up the rear.
Solo Trans-Tasman underway! Monohulls away at 12:06, Malcolm Dickson first over the line at 79
BNZ Photos from the start line
Photos from Insight Media
Our good friend Jacob Frewtrell and his team from Insight Media here in the Bay of Islands were on the water
The 2026 Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge fleet gets away
Once the fleet was away, the retro launch carrying the Boating New Zealand team powered out towards Moturoa Island to get a closer look at the competitors as they settled into the race.
Leaving the shelter of the harbour quickly changed the feel of the day. The relatively calm conditions inside gave way to rolling ocean swells of around one to 1.5 metres, arriving every five seconds or so. Photographing the yachts became considerably more challenging as our boat climbed the crests and dropped into the troughs. Around us, the fleet rose and fell on different parts of the swell cycle, no two boats seemingly moving in unison.
By the time we caught up with Vixen, Sharon Ferris-Choat had moved into the lead among the monohulls, making an early statement in the race. Further ahead, both multihulls had already stretched their legs and were either on the horizon or beyond it.
The fleet was making the most of the breeze, yachts heeling comfortably as they settled into the long passage north. While conditions offshore were manageable, the forecast suggests they will deteriorate before improving again. Competitors will be hoping the worst of the weather has passed through by the time they round North Cape and turn towards the long crossing of the Tasman.
Early tactical choices were also becoming apparent. Malcolm Dickson aboard Sarau opted to stay closer to the Paihia side of the course, while Bill Kidman in Pretty Boy Floyd and Glen Jeffrey aboard Wave favoured the Russell shoreline.
From our vantage point on the water, the Russell side appeared to be offering the better conditions. Then again, this is a 1,170-nautical-mile race. What looks like an advantage in the opening hours can easily disappear over the days that follow.
As we headed back into port, we passed Smoko who was bringing up the rear.
The only certainty at this stage is that there is still a very long way to go.
