With the gun less than a day away, an international fleet of ocean racers is making final preparations to leave Sydney Harbour at 1pm on Saturday, 11 October 2025, bound for Auckland across 1,250 nautical miles of open Tasman. From the 27-metre carbon maxi Lucky to the battle-hardened Antipodes and defending Lipton Cup holder Frantic, the line-up promises a compelling mix of raw speed and hard-earned offshore experience. Strong north-westerlies are waiting for the fleet on departure, meaning the opening hours will be anything but gentle.
Commodore Robert McClelland has already been living the Tasman crossing himself. Sailing aboard his Jeanneau 57 First Picasso in the Cruising Rally Division, he departed Pittwater on 4 October, seen off by a member flotilla in a show of club spirit that set the tone for the event. Speaking to crews and followers from near Manawatāwhi / the Three Kings Islands, with Auckland close ahead, the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club Commodore reflected warmly on the race's short but impressive history. Since its 2023 debut, when Antipodes claimed line honours and Frantic lifted the Lipton Cup, the event has grown quickly into something genuinely significant for ocean racing across the Tasman. McClelland conveyed the welcome of both co-hosts, the RPAYC and the Royal Akarana Yacht Club, and acknowledged the race's partners and sponsors on both sides of the Tasman before leaving crews with a final message: "It's a challenge and an adventure we're proud to share. Fair winds and safe passage to all."
Once the fleet departs Sydney Harbour, the course rounds North Head before tracking north to a mark off Barrenjoey Headland. From that point, navigators are free to select their own lanes into the deep, fanning out across the Tasman in search of pressure, current, and favourable shifts. The strategy game begins almost immediately.
Meteorologist Dr Roger Badham has painted a picture of two quite different races in one. West to north-west winds are sitting over the New South Wales coast as the fleet prepares to start, and the front is expected to push offshore on Monday, tracking east while the breeze peaks ahead of the change at 25 to 30 knots before easing and shifting to the south-west behind it. Mid-week, a high pressure system builds to the west of New Zealand, relaxing the gradient near the North Island. The early stages will be punchy and fast. The middle portion turns tactical as the pressure softens, and the finish near the approaches to Hauraki Gulf could turn light. The East Australian Current offers a useful nudge for those going offshore early, but Badham's read suggests strategy near New Zealand will matter more than current for the run home. Model guidance varies slightly on timing. A conservative estimate puts Lucky just under three days to the finish, though her team believes it could be less. Cooloola, sailing in softer pressure bands, could take close to six days.
Lucky is the boat everyone will be watching first. The Juan K-designed 27-metre maxi, formerly known as Rambler 88, is owned by Bryon Ehrhart and races for the New York Yacht Club. All-carbon construction, a canting keel, and daggerboards make her a formidable offshore machine. Under Ehrhart, her record list is already fierce, with Transatlantic, Transpac, and Caribbean 600 line honours already taken. The programme also places a deliberate emphasis on bringing young sailors into the team. The objective for this race is straightforward: be first to the Viaduct.
Antipodes is the natural rival on raw length and ocean pedigree. The Bill Lee-designed Santa Cruz 72, owned by veteran Geoff Hill, took line honours in the 2023 edition and is built for exactly this kind of long, fast fetch across open water. Hill himself is no stranger to demanding conditions, having completed 21 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Races. That depth of experience becomes particularly valuable when the sea state turns awkward in the middle of the Tasman.
Frantic, the Donovan TP52 skippered by Michael "Mick" Martin, a former Wallaby winger, arrives as the defending Lipton Cup champion. Optimised for offshore racing, the boat holds blue water records and carries a crew known for assertive sail choices and sharp execution. Martin drives hard, and the team will be looking to make the most of whatever the Tasman throws at them.
Cooloola, a modern Swan 48 designed by Germán Frers, brings a different character to the fleet. The carbon rig and deep keel improve her light air pace, and she blends comfort with genuine offshore capability. At 81, skipper Alan Hill is still pushing hard and has described this race as the most challenging of his life.
Wings, a 2017 Dehler 46 owned by Lindy and Ian Edwards, may not carry the headline names, but the boat has logged more than tens of thousands of nautical miles across some of offshore sailing's most respected events, including the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, the Ponant Sydney Noumea Race, the Groupama Race, the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Race, and the LA to Hawaii Transpac Race. The crew prioritises safety, enjoyment, and steady, reliable execution.
There has been some movement among entries in the lead-up to the race. Wild Thing has withdrawn and redirected her campaign toward the Cabbage Tree Island Race in December. Lucky, meanwhile, had an eventful pre-start period. Having been in New Zealand, she turned back to Opua after encountering heavy weather on departure, subsequently cleared for Sydney, and arrived in time to make the start.
The mood on the dock is upbeat. Most crews are expecting a busy first night and a more cerebral second half, where positioning and weather-routing decisions will separate the fleet as much as boat speed.
For some in the fleet, Auckland is not the final destination. Lucky is expected to continue north and contest the PIC Coastal Classic on 24 October, and the PIC Coastal Classic team has confirmed a strong fleet for that event. Callisto will also be there following a significant Admiral's Cup campaign, though the boat competing in the Coastal Classic is different from the one that contested the Admiral's Cup. The prospect of Lucky and Callisto thundering north together toward Russell will generate plenty of conversation in the coming weeks. The PIC Coastal Classic has a way of humbling even the fastest Tasman crossers, and boats that found their groove on the open ocean can find themselves becalmed off Cape Brett. That unpredictability is precisely what makes it compelling.
The Sydney to Auckland Yacht Race 2025 celebrates the shared maritime culture of two nations and the two clubs that co-host it, the RPAYC and the Royal Akarana Yacht Club, with the Lipton Cup at the centre of it all. Bringing the event to life has taken real commitment from organisers and competitors on both sides of the Tasman, and the strength of this year's fleet shows the spirit behind it is genuine. For those making the crossing, and for those watching on, the race to the Viaduct starts now.
