Six boats are home. Four have retired. Five are still sailing. And as I write, Geoff Thorn’s Beneteau First 45 Catnip is 17 nautical miles from the Southport finish line, projected to cross at 22:20 NZST tonight.
The day’s early headline is Ben Ball. His 1976 Cavalier 36 Camellia crossed the finish line at 14:43 NZST, completing the 2026 Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge in 9 days 2 hours 37 minutes and 36 seconds. Sixth across the line overall. Currently second in the monohull fleet on PHRF corrected time at 6 days 10 hours 21 minutes and 2 seconds; behind only Malcolm Dickson’s Sarau in first, and with several boats still racing.
One to watch: Peter Bourke’s S&S 8.7-metre Diablo, the smallest boat in the fleet and the only wooden one. She has braved every squall this race has thrown at her and, depending on conditions in the remaining miles, her 0.660 handicap could yet push her into the conversation around the current top three on PHRF.
| Pos | Boat | Handicap | DTF | Dist Sailed | 24h DMG | Est / Actual Finish | Corrected Elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sarau ✓ | 0.798 | — | 1329 NM | 0 NM | 7 Jun 06:38 | 6d 4h 56m 35s |
| 2 | Camellia ✓ ↑ | 0.706 | — | 1284 NM | 129 NM | 8 Jun 14:43 | 6d 10h 21m 2s |
| 3 | Pacman ✓ ↓ | 0.840 | — | 1330 NM | 0 NM | 7 Jun 07:09 | 6d 13h 7m 24s |
| 4 | Vixen Racing ✓ | 0.941 | — | 1415 NM | 0 NM | 6 Jun 12:15 | 6d 14h 13m 49s |
| 5 | Diablo | 0.660 | 202 NM | 1094 NM | 131 NM | 10 Jun 18:01 | 7d 10h 8m 55s |
| 6 | Catnip | 0.851 | 17 NM | 1286 NM | 177 NM | 8 Jun 22:20 | 8d 0h 31m 44s |
| 7 | Nautilass | 0.824 | 71 NM | 1287 NM | 167 NM | 9 Jun 09:38 | 8d 3h 44m 6s |
| 8 | Smoko | 0.685 | 263 NM | 990 NM | 113 NM | 11 Jun 12:26 | 8d 5h 30m 46s |
| 9 | Fair Seasons | 0.696 | 361 NM | 983 NM | 128 NM | 13 Jun 00:00 | 9d 9h 26m 43s |
Provisional results. Last position update: 8 Jun 19:00 NZST. All times NZST. ↑ moved up, ↓ moved down. Full fleet results pending.
Terry Dunn calls in from Nautilass
Terry Dunn called in from the Beneteau First 36 Nautilass with 130 NM to go and the bar firmly in his sights. “Should be going over the bar and into the bar,” he said. He is projecting arrival tomorrow.
The story of his race has been the gap to Catnip. Every day Dunn has thought he might close it. Every night, same gap. “He’s 40 miles in front, and every day I think I’ll be able to make that up. This boat’s good downwind, it should be perfect for me. Last night we were doing tens and twelves. I’m thinking we’re going to catch up. Geoff’s going to look out his hatch in the morning and there’s going to be Nautilass right behind him. But every day, same thing, he’s 40 miles in front.”
Yesterday was particularly rough. The autopilot had a “brain fart,” leaving Dunn hand steering for hours. The AIS packed up at the same time, approaching the Australian coast at night with shipping in the area. “There seemed to be electronic problems all day. It was a long, tiring day. I was running out of enthusiasm at night.” He got a good sleep, the boat came right, and he is charging for home.
He passed Middleton Reef two nights ago and found himself thinking of Bill Belcher, the sailor who wrecked on Middleton Reef in the early years of this race, drifted in his life raft for three weeks, and was found with a bag containing his suit. “I want to be dressed properly for the prize giving,” Belcher had said. Dunn recommends the book Trial by Tasman by Leslie Wright, which covers those earlier race stories. He says this race has matched every one of them. “The chaos of what’s happened: Kevin with his forestay, Graeme Francis at the start with his boat taking on water, Billy Kidman, Wave, and now Doug Esterman hand steering the last 400 miles with his autopilot gone. This race has certainly matched up to all those trials.”
On how he knows he is getting close to the Australian coast: “Polynesian navigators could tell by the birds. In Australia, you know you’re close when you get the flies and the crocodiles. No flies yet.”
Kevin Le Poideven, the full Lord Howe Island story
Kevin Le Poideven on his Open 40 Roaring Forty remains at Lord Howe Island. The story of how he got there deserves telling properly.
After the forestay shackle sheared, Le Poideven made for Lord Howe Island. The first six hours in the lee were manageable; then the wind clocked around early, the one everyone was hoping would carry them to Southport. It arrived too soon for him. What followed was 36 hours without sleep. He couldn’t anchor safely in the conditions, so he developed a system: motor up behind the mountain close to the cliff face in the dark using charts alone, shut the engine off, lash the helm, and drift out to sea. Sleep for an hour. Start the engine. Repeat. “Rinse repeat,” he said. On the worst night, the gaff mainsail was still up, he couldn’t get it down in 45-50 knot katabatic gusts coming over the mountain top and he was drifting at 7.5 knots. No sleep that night.
When conditions eased enough to get into a bay, he deployed his big Danforth anchor off the stern. Set the alarm, took transits, photographed the landmarks, went to sleep. The anchor alarm went off. He checked the transit mark, but it was not where it should be. He grabbed the anchor rode and pulled. Nothing at the other end. Something had parted near the chain. He had a compass bearing exit plan ready: two minutes forward, turn right, open ocean, and executed it in the dark.
Then came the Man-O-War mooring incident. He was happily moored when the biosecurity officers came aboard. Lord Howe Island has had a complete rat eradication and takes no chances. They left him rat traps baited with peanut butter. Shortly after they left, the anchor alarm went off. Then came the sound he didn’t want to hear: “bump bump bump bump — us bouncing across the bottom.” Seven metres of water, bow pointing at the beach, bouncing in the swell. He could practically walk ashore.
He scrambled below, turned the engine on, unlashed the rudder, hit reverse. Used each passing swell to lift the hull and drag her backwards, fighting the wind that kept pushing the stern toward shallower water. “I was running up to about 150 percent adrenaline.” He finally found deeper water, kicked the bow around with a prop-against-rudder trick, and made it back to the mooring patch. The cause: a massive shackle on the mooring buoy with no pin through it. Joel and Macca from Marine Rescue Lord Howe Island came out in their tinny and helped him onto a solid mooring.
He got some sleep. Then the fuel arrived. He repaired the forestay with a Dyneema replacement. From Lord Howe Island, watching the race tracker, he was philosophical: “I can’t believe there’s only like a mile between Pacman and Sarau. I was part of that little tussle and I was gaining on them when we were near Lord Howe Island and then all my race fell in a poo pile.” On Peter Elkington: “Hats off to Peter, he sailed the socks off that Pacman.” On Malcolm Dickson: “the cunning fox Malcolm, on his fourth at the age of 80.” He is hoping to fly to Southport in time for the prize-giving.
Graeme Francis and Robbery
Graeme Francis and Robbery have arrived back in Opua from Mangōnui.
The fleet
Camellia’s finish reshuffled the PHRF standings; but we must wait for the remainder of the fleet to arrive before the standings are finalised. Peter Elkington’s Pacman drops to third on corrected time at 6d 13h 7m, with Sharon Ferris-Choat’s Vixen Racing fourth at 6d 14h 13m. Peter Bourke’s S&S 8.7-metre Diablo currently sits fifth at 7d 10h 8m, with 202 NM still to sail.
Doug Esterman’s Cavalier 39 Fair Seasons has covered 128 NM in 24 hours and sits at 361 NM, projecting a finish of 13 June at midnight, a full day and a half faster than the projection 24 hours ago.
| Pos | Boat | Class | DTF | Dist Sailed | VMG | 24h DMG | Est / Actual Finish | Est / Actual Elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oceans Tribute ✓ | Trimaran | — | 1463 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 | — | 1330 NM | — | — | 7 Jun 07:09 | 7d 19h 3m 6s |
| 6 | Camellia ✓ | Monohull | — | 1284 NM | — | 129 NM | 8 Jun 14:43 | 9d 2h 37m 36s |
| 7 | Catnip | Monohull | 17 NM | 1286 NM | 5.1 kts | 177 NM | 8 Jun 22:20 | 9d 10h 14m 18s |
| 8 | Nautilass | Monohull | 71 NM | 1287 NM | 4.9 kts | 167 NM | 9 Jun 09:38 | 9d 21h 32m 33s |
| 9 | Diablo | Monohull | 202 NM | 1094 NM | 4.3 kts | 131 NM | 10 Jun 18:01 | 11d 5h 55m 20s |
| 10 | Smoko | Monohull | 263 NM | 990 NM | 4.0 kts | 113 NM | 11 Jun 12:26 | 12d 0h 20m 24s |
| 11 | Fair Seasons | Monohull | 361 NM | 983 NM | 3.6 kts | 128 NM | 13 Jun 00:00 | 13d 11h 54m 56s |
| — | Roaring Forty (retired — reached Port Stephens) | Monohull | — | |||||
| — | Wave (retired — returned to Opua) | Monohull | — | |||||
| — | Pretty Boy Floyd (retired — safely back in Opua) | Monohull | — | |||||
| — | Robbery (retired — safely in Mangōnui) | Monohull | — | |||||
Provisional results. Last position update: 8 Jun 19:00 NZST. All times NZST. Multihulls shaded blue.
Conditions for the remaining fleet: winds mid-to-late teens, gusts low-to-mid twenties, direction westerly, pushing the boats directly toward the finish. Some rain. High teens for temperatures. After what the first week delivered, this is gentle.
