Three weeks of racing and fifteen boats on the start line. Eleven made it to Southport. Four did not. Yet when the fleet gathered at Southport Yacht Club for the prize-giving, nearly every sailor who had left Opua was in the room, and that simple fact conveyed something the race results alone could not.
Race Director Julie Kidman had the evidence in plain numbers. In a single month, the event's Facebook page had attracted 4,500 new followers. "We've had little old ladies at the Third Wheel in Paihia taking out their phones and asking the staff, how do I get that tracker thing working? Because I want to follow this yacht race." People with no connection to sailing clubs had spent three weeks watching fifteen strangers make their way across the Tasman. That response, Kidman made clear, was the real measure of what Opua Cruising Club's revival of the race had achieved, more meaningful than any podium result.
Southport Yacht Club Commodore Glen Burrett opened proceedings with characteristic understatement. "I think you're all mad, the competitors that do it, but very brave. You all deserve to be congratulated."
Before any trophies changed hands, Kidman took care to acknowledge the four boats that had started but not reached Southport.
"All of you sitting in this room know how much work it is to actually get to the start line. Months and months of preparation, investment, sacrifice. As Race Director, I am severely happy that every vessel and every boat is safe and sound."
The first of those was Graeme Francis aboard Robbery. On the second night out, north of Cape Reinga and taking on water, Francis activated his EPIRB. What followed was recognised from the stage as seamanship in its own right: Francis kept the ingress under control while the Rescue Coordination Centre of New Zealand coordinated the response, and Robbery was escorted safely into Mangōnui by Coastguard Houhora. The loudest applause of the afternoon, however, went to what Doug Esterman had done in those same conditions. "The Fair Seasons, let's give a big round of applause for Doug, stood by. And that was huge. In those conditions, to turn your boat around in those conditions, he was also putting himself and his vessel at risk." Esterman's decision to reverse course for a fellow competitor in deteriorating weather became one of the defining stories of the entire event.
Bill Kidman had been running Pretty Boy Floyd in second place on the water, pressing Sharon Ferris-Choat on Vixen Racing, when he made the call to withdraw. Julie Kidman did not pretend it was a straightforward decision. "This one hurts, both personally and as race director, but a very hard decision for Bill to pull out, but I'm awfully glad he did. The vessel's okay, a couple of minor issues, but most importantly Bill's okay, even though he's got tingly fingers and he's still walking." Rather than step back from the race entirely, Kidman headed straight for Southport and took up a position on the finish-line team for every subsequent arrival, a contribution that would come full circle before the day was out.
Glen Jeffery was unable to make the trip south for the prize-giving, but his campaign aboard Wave was warmly acknowledged. Jeffery had sailed the boat down from Croatia with his family and spent six months preparing, having wanted to complete this race for years on a smaller vessel. Kidman described him as "absolutely gutted when he wasn't able to continue."
Kevin Le Poideven on Roaring Forty had already given followers of the tracker a story to savour. His course around Lord Howe Island, looping back and forward as he searched for shelter and a working forestay, was shown on screen to laughter and sustained applause. Le Poideven received a prize for winning what Kidman called "the inaugural Opua to Lord Howe Island race." His own words went straight to the point. "It was a different race for me. I hate quitting. I've even got a quitting last forever sign in the boat that stares at me at the chart table. So it really does hurt to actually quit." He extended an open invitation to anyone wanting to hear the full story. "Today I'm around all day. Come and listen to some stories, because there's plenty of them."
Kidman addressed the full room directly: "From 15 starters, we had 11 finishers. And all of you are winners. Every single person who managed to cross the finish line is a winner today."
The last of those eleven to finish was Doug Esterman, and the reception Fair Seasons received made clear how much that mattered. His passage had included the detour to stand by Robbery on day one, an autopilot that failed for much of the crossing, and a Starlink lost overboard. His finishing distance was confirmed at 1,367 nautical miles, elapsed time 11 days 23 hours 57 minutes and 8 seconds, with 7.2 hours of redress granted by the protest committee for the time lost standing by Robbery. Kidman's verdict was unambiguous: "Seamanship in going back, and seamanship in finishing. Well done."
Peter Nobbs summed up his time aboard Smoko with admirable economy. "It wasn't an enjoyable trip. It was pretty hard. And just to make it worse, you guys know already, it was cold food the whole way." Kidman's response drew a laugh: "I'm not sure I would have liked to have done 11 days and not even a cup of hot coffee. Well done."
Peter Bourke and Diablo, the smallest boat in the fleet, came up to warm applause. Bourke's connection to the race stretches back to its very origins. "I've been fascinated by this race right from the start, in 1970, and it's been sort of in my dreams that I might be able to do it, and now it's become a reality." On whether the move to Opua might signal something larger for the event, he was direct. "I think this is the start of something that could really start to grow. I think you've started a great event."
Terry Dunn, Commodore of Opua Cruising Club and skipper of Nautilass, had covered 1,371 nautical miles on a borrowed boat. Speaking as a competitor rather than in his club role, his thanks were brief: to Celia for her tireless SCED follow-ups, and to Julie, noting that "without you doing this, this would never have happened."
Geoff Thorn on Catnip completed 1,333 nautical miles in his second Solo Trans-Tasman. His reason for returning was entirely candid: he had sold his previous boat with a "Solo Tasman" decal on the bow, one of the things he was proudest of, and the only way to earn another was to come back and do it again. The race was not without incident. With three days remaining, Catnip began taking on water. "After about two days, and I had about a day to go, I thought I probably should do something about this. Then I realised Southport was probably the closest place I could go. I was doing eight or nine knots, I might as well just finish, so I just kept going." By the time of the prize-giving, Catnip was out of the water undergoing repairs.
Ben Ball aboard Camellia had needed to ask Julie for his own race number before he could get shirts printed, which is how he came to be competitor number 19. His reflection was straightforward. "This has been on my list since I was a small boy, and I'm so pleased to have finally done it. I love being with so many legends. They're all so humble, but everyone just jumps in and helps anyone that needs it. It's awesome."
Peter Elkington and Pacman, the only Southport Yacht Club entry, were welcomed as the local representatives. "It's been brilliant, and it's up there with any other races I've been doing," he said, before adding with a laugh that the experience had taught him he needed to pick a boat. Kidman floated the idea that the race might need a bigger division next time.
Malcolm Dickson on Sarau drew one of the most enthusiastic receptions of the afternoon. Competing in his fourth Trans-Tasman, 48 years after first taking out the PHRF handicap in 1978, Dickson had done it again. "This seems like a huge privilege to be able to come back 48 years after first doing it and have another go. And I think it's probably my swan song." He thanked his wife, who had been on the start line all those years ago "and ever since."
James Foster and Electron, the only catamaran in the fleet, claimed the inaugural NZ Multihull Handicap. Built for cruising rather than racing, Electron carried solar panels, batteries, and electric blankets that had become the envy of the fleet. "No one was more jealous than Sharon when she was shivering in her boat," Foster said. He thanked his family for five weeks without him, and for their patience while he built the boat in the first place.
Sharon Ferris-Choat on Vixen Racing finished second overall and took monohull line honours, becoming just the sixth woman to complete the race in its 56-year history. She spoke about passing Bill Kidman just 100 metres away, 48 hours into the race, knowing what might have developed if Pretty Boy Floyd had stayed in. "I'm sorry, mate. That could have been an epic battle right to the finish." On the character of the fleet, she was equally warm: "The camaraderie within this group of sailors and supporters is absolutely exceptional. I hope we can keep that WhatsApp group going."
First home in every sense was Guy Chester on Oceans Tribute. The story of how he came to be on the start line was among the highlights of the afternoon. Chester had sailed the trimaran back from the Caribbean through the Panama Canal, only to discover that New Plymouth had cancelled the race, then learned days later that Opua would take it on instead. "I think the iguanas on Darwin Island heard me with my expletives." He paid tribute to Oceans Tribute itself, built by Grant Wigman in 1991 and refined through several previous owners including past Chichester Trophy holders. On the records he had just set, his outlook was clear: "I don't want to hold this record forever. I don't want Sharon's record to be held forever. We want them broken next race, and we want them broken again the race after that."
The 2026 Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge awards
Bill Kidman, recovering from a recent neck fusion operation, had used his time ashore to carve a navigator's trophy from a single piece of wood inlaid with pounamu donated by fellow early entrant John Ross. The prize went to the competitor whose finish estimate came closest to actual arrival time. Across the fleet, the average estimate was out by one day and eight hours. James Foster and Electron won it, having missed by just four hours.
On the NZ Multihull Handicap, Electron took the win.
On PHRF, third place went to Peter Elkington on Pacman. Second, in a result that held until the very end, went to Ben Ball on Camellia. "Thanks to Camellia for putting up with what I put us through. She did us all proud." First on PHRF, in his fourth Trans-Tasman and 48 years after his first win in the same division, was Malcolm Dickson on Sarau.
Multihull line honours went to Oceans Tribute. Monohull line honours went to Sharon Ferris-Choat on Vixen Racing.
The Chichester Trophy, awarded for outright line honours since 1970 and presented on this occasion by Terry Dunn, went to Guy Chester and Oceans Tribute, whose name joins a list of winners stretching back more than half a century.
Two random prize draws, open to every boat that had made the start line, closed out the formalities. A three-dimensional artwork of the Tasman Sea, complete with Lord Howe Island, went to Camellia. A luxury overnight cruise for two on Fiordland's Milford Sound, donated by Fiordland Discovery, went to Pretty Boy Floyd, to widespread delight that Bill Kidman, after everything, had taken the best prize of the day.
The closing half hour was largely given over to acknowledgements. Julie Kidman thanked the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment for major events funding, Bay of Islands Marina for berthing the entire fleet free of charge, PredictWind, the web team at Riddles, the Rescue Coordination Centre of New Zealand for their work during the Robbery incident, and race officer Celia for her after-hours commitment to chasing down every missed check-in.
Southport Yacht Club's Mike and Kayla received special recognition. Mike had operated the finish-line boat for every arrival, including those in the middle of the night, at one point sleeping in his van in the car park rather than risk missing a finisher. Bill Kidman's sustained presence at the finish line throughout the event, despite his own retirement from the race, was highlighted by Southport's Wayne Kirby as capturing something essential about what sets this race apart: a camaraderie built across months of shared preparation and seminars, between sailors who cross alone but are never entirely on their own.
Terry Dunn closed on behalf of the competitors, reflecting on the journey back to the phone call in which Julie Kidman had first asked whether Opua Cruising Club could take on the race. "I think on our Facebook page we had like 2 million hits. All of a sudden everybody knows who Opua is as a club." Entries for the next edition, he confirmed, were already on the table.
