Graeme Francis, the New Plymouth sailor who has spent 40 years returning to the Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge, is at the centre of a rescue operation in the Tasman after activating his EPIRB on day two of the 2026 race.
Maritime New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre (RCCNZ) has assumed responsibility for the response and is coordinating available assets. As of the latest update, Francis remains aboard his Wilson 36 Robbery and is actively pumping water from the vessel.
Race officials confirmed the situation in a release issued 31 May 2026: “The safety and wellbeing of Graeme Francis remains our highest priority. Race officials continue to support RCCNZ and maintain contact with all relevant parties as the situation develops.”
Francis had already withdrawn from the race before the EPIRB activation, with the tracker showing Robbery heading back toward Opua at 4.3 knots VMG earlier on Sunday. The fleet had encountered severe conditions overnight, with gusts reported above 55 knots by multiple competitors after rounding North Cape. At 23 and a half hours into the race, Francis had checked in with a brief update: “A bit windy and lumpy seas out here. Hoping that it eases off soon.”
It is not yet clear what caused water ingress aboard Robbery.
The 69-year-old New Plymouth Yacht Club member came into this race with more than 19,000 offshore miles behind him, along with another 2,000 coastal miles. He first entered the Trans-Tasman in 1986 on a Chico 30 he built himself, returned in 2018, and lined up again this year for a third crossing aboard Robbery, the early 1980s Wilson 36 he has owned and maintained for years.
Robbery is a boat he knows well. The interior joinery is fashioned from kauri pulled from the Tihuana ranges before a valley was flooded, and Francis has photographs of the logs being extracted. He spent months preparing for this start, pulling the mast, fitting a new genoa, upgrading instruments, and completing Cat 1 certification. He had described his target for the crossing as 10 to 12 days.
His son, studying at Victoria University of Wellington, had been planning to fly to Queensland during his mid-trimester break to sail home with him.
Boating New Zealand will update this story as further information comes to hand.
Graeme, we are thinking of you.
