Advantedge claims line honours in 2026 Melbourne to Devonport Rudder Cup

Andrew Jones has steered the Inglis 47 Advantedge to line honours in the 2026 Melbourne to Devonport Rudder Cup, crossing the finish line at the Mersey River entrance at 5.15pm on Saturday, 31 October.

The 195-nautical-mile crossing of Bass Strait took Advantedge 24 hours, 30 minutes and 16 seconds from the Friday start at Queenscliff.

Kingsley Piesse's Chutzpah followed 42 minutes and 22 seconds later, with Paul Roberts aboard Cadibarra completing the podium just 18 minutes and 50 seconds behind Chutzpah. The first three boats finished within an hour and two minutes of one another.

While Advantedge took line honours, the PHS trophy went to Robert Hick's Kraken Sails Toecutter. The Hick 10 crossed fourth on elapsed time at 7.20pm, but her corrected time of 23 hours, 35 minutes and 24 seconds put her more than an hour clear of Jason Farnell's Voodoo Child in second.

Rick Whitehouse and Marty Bennett topped the double-handed division aboard Spirit of Downunder, finishing with a corrected time of 26 hours, 46 minutes and 19 seconds — one hour, 21 minutes ahead of Robert D'Arcy and Janet Wilks on Foggy Dew.

The Ocean Racing Club of Victoria reports 28 boats carrying 193 crew started in sunshine and a building south-easterly breeze. Twenty-seven boats are listed as finishers, with Ryan Walker's The Kraken recorded as retired and Mille Sabords listed as did not contend.

First sailed in 1907, the Rudder Cup is described by ORCV as Australia's oldest ocean yacht race. The course record of 19 hours, 32 minutes and 56 seconds, set by Joe Westerlo's Prowler in 1998, remains intact — Advantedge finished four hours, 57 minutes and 20 seconds outside that mark.

The historic Rudder Cup itself is awarded on measurement handicap. While line honours and PHS results are confirmed, the official final status of the results has not yet been confirmed and the perpetual trophy winner for 2026 has not yet been announced.