Malcolm Dickson’s 55-foot Sarau crossed the finish line at Southport at 06:38 NZST this morning (Sunday 7 June) — the fourth boat home in the 2026 Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge and the second monohull to finish. Peter Elkington’s Young 11 Pacman followed at 07:09, just 31 minutes later, third monohull, fifth boat overall.
Thirty-one minutes after more than 1,320 nautical miles. These two had been sailing in each other’s pockets from the start — at one point separated by a single nautical mile on the tracker. They carried that theme all the way to the dock.
| Pos | Boat | Handicap | Finish / Status | Corrected Elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sarau ✓ | 0.798 | 7 Jun 06:38 | 6d 4h 56m 35s |
| 2 | Pacman ✓ | 0.840 | 7 Jun 07:09 | 6d 13h 7m 24s |
| 3 | Vixen Racing ✓ | 0.941 | 6 Jun 12:15 | 6d 14h 13m 49s |
| 4 | Camellia | 0.706 | 216 NM to go | 6d 18h 16m 49s |
Provisional results. All times NZST. Full fleet results pending — standings will change as remaining boats finish.
Malcolm Dickson and Sarau
This was 79-year old Malcolm Dickson’s fourth Solo Trans-Tasman. He designed and built Sarau himself, launched her in 2002, and has sailed her around the world, through the Southern Ocean, past Cape Horn and South Georgia, and across the Indian Ocean. He is the reigning champion, having won the 2023 race, and he started this one with the washing machine, microwave, diesel heater, main saloon table and bedroom door all stripped out of the boat, a weight reduction the fleet estimated at around 4,500 kilograms.
1, 2, 3 and on Saturday, it will be Malcolm Dickson’s fourth Solo Trans-Tasman
On PHRF corrected elapsed, his 0.798 handicap produces a time of 6 days 4 hours 56 minutes and 35 seconds — the fastest corrected time in the monohull fleet so far, with several boats still to finish.
His elapsed time of 7 days 18 hours 38 minutes 44 seconds is his fastest Tasman crossing yet, beating his previous best of 9 days 20 hours 19 minutes set in 2018 — the race he came second to his son Hamish, sailing from New Plymouth.
| Pos | Boat | Class | Dist Sailed | Finish Time | Elapsed Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oceans Tribute | Trimaran | 1462 NM | 5 Jun 19:34 | 6d 7h 34m 36s |
| 2 | Vixen Racing | Monohull | 1415 NM | 6 Jun 12:15 | 7d 0h 9m 4s |
| 3 | Electron | Catamaran | 1415 NM | 6 Jun 22:43 | 7d 10h 43m 58s |
| 4 | Sarau | Monohull | 1329 NM | 7 Jun 06:38 | 7d 18h 38m 44s |
| 5 | Pacman | Monohull | 1325 NM | 7 Jun 07:09 | 7d 19h 3m 6s |
Provisional results. All times NZST. Multihulls shaded blue. Full fleet results pending.
Peter Elkington and Pacman
Elkington bought Pacman, his Young 11, in 2018 because his family had sailed one for 15 years when he was growing up. Then he looked at what 40 years had done to the class and started pulling it apart. New keel with a lead bulb, new rig, bowsprit, new rudder, water ballast, powered winches, and loose-luff sails on furlers. The boat came out of the water in late 2022 and came back as something quite different — around 4.3 tonnes, the keel running almost a metre deeper than standard. He knows it is not light. “It’d be nice if it was half a ton lighter.” But it still has a teak interior, hot water, showers and a microwave.
His racing background is two-handed — four Sydney to Hobart races, most of the Australian coastal offshore circuit, time on 50, 60, 70 and 100-footers. His approach to sleep was: sleep when you can. His approach to safety was similar: “Don’t do dumb shit. I think that’s a pretty reasonable approach.”
Peter Elkington: the nostalgic purchase that became a Tasman racer
Pacman’s elapsed time was 7 days 19 hours 3 minutes and 6 seconds.
On PHRF corrected, Elkington sits second in the monohull fleet at 6 days 13 hours 7 minutes and 24 seconds — 8 hours 10 minutes behind Sarau on corrected time, despite finishing just 31 minutes behind on the water.
That gap reflects the difference in handicap: Sarau’s 0.798 against Pacman’s 0.840. A nostalgic purchase and a boat a man built with his own hands, separated by 31 minutes at the finish line of a 1,170 nautical mile ocean race.
The corrected time picture
Sharon Ferris-Choat’s Vixen Racing sits third on PHRF corrected at 6 days 14 hours 13 minutes and 49 seconds — 1 hour 6 minutes behind Pacman. Her finish came nearly 19 hours ahead of Sarau on elapsed time. Ben Ball’s Cavalier 32 Camellia holds fourth at 6 days 18 hours 16 minutes and 49 seconds, still 216 NM from the finish and sailing hard.
These standings remain provisional. Five boats are home. Four boats have retired. Six are still racing.
