There was barely a moment to draw breath. When Lucky crossed the start line off Watsons Bay at 1 pm Sydney time, the 27-metre Juan K maxi had only arrived from Opua the previous afternoon. Owner Bryon Ehrhart is candid about how tight the margin was: the dash to reach the start was, in his own words, "closer than I'd like."
“WE HAD AN ENGINE ISSUE ON THE WAY OUT OF NEW ZEALAND AND HAD TO TURN BACK TO OPUA. ONCE IT WAS SORTED, WE PUSHED HARD FOR SYDNEY. I THINK THE BOAT AND I BOTH NEEDED A REST BEFORE WE EVEN STARTED,” HE LAUGHS.
Once the bow swung east, the boat wasted no time justifying her name. In those opening hours Lucky surged clear of the chasing fleet, pulling away from Antipodes, Frantic, Wings, and Cooloola as she set a fierce pace across a Tasman Sea that, on this occasion, chose to be kind.
Lucky at a glance
- Design: Juan K 88 (ex-Rambler 88) - Builder: New England Boatworks, USA - Launched: 2015 - Owner: Bryon Ehrhart – New York Yacht Club (USA) - Tactician: Brad Butterworth (OBE) - Construction: Full carbon fibre with canting keel and twin daggerboards - Length overall: 27 metres / 88 feet - Crew: 18 (Professional + Youth Development mix) - Top speed recorded (Tasman crossing): 26.5 knots - Average VMG during race: 18 knots - Race record: Line-honours leader – Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race 2025 - Upcoming events: PIC Coastal Classic 2025 (Auckland–Russell), Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race 2025, St Barts to Newport Yacht Race 2026
Ehrhart calls his first Tasman crossing "a very forgiving mistress." He had spent weeks studying weather patterns before departure, bracing for squalls and disorder. What greeted the crew instead was a gentle northwest breeze that held faithfully for the entire passage.
“WE WERE LUCKY WITH THE WINDOW. THE TASMAN GAVE US JUST ENOUGH — 20S AND HIGH-20S MOST OF THE TIME, A FEW BURSTS ABOVE 26 KNOTS. IT WAS PERFECT OFFSHORE SAILING.”
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While Lucky stretched her advantage with every watch change, conditions behind her told a different story. Antipodes and Frantic both reported squalls in the forties, their crews soaked and grinning in equal measure.
“THEY HAD 42 KNOTS ACROSS THE DECK AT ONE POINT,” EHRHART SAYS. “I DON’T KNOW IF THE SAIL CAME DOWN IN ONE PIECE — BUT THAT’S OFFSHORE RACING.”
By Monday night the race tracker told its own story. Lucky sat more than 300 nautical miles clear of the next boat, holding an average VMG of 18 knots and pointing comfortably toward a finish inside three days.
Ehrhart is generous with the credit. He drives the campaign, yet he is quick to single out tactician Brad Butterworth as "the CEO of the programme."
“BRAD’S MORE THAN JUST A TACTICIAN — HE’S A CALMING INFLUENCE. HE KEEPS EVERYONE FOCUSED, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE BOAT’S HUMMING. OFFSHORE RACING CAN BE AN EMOTIONAL ENVIRONMENT, AND BRAD’S THE REASON WE STAY COMPOSED.”
The crew aboard Lucky is a considered blend: seasoned ocean racers working alongside younger sailors who have come through the team's mentoring pathway. That combination, Ehrhart believes, keeps the boat sharp while maintaining the right atmosphere on board.
“IT’S A BIG, PHYSICAL BOAT, BUT IT’S ALSO A CLASSROOM. THE YOUNG ONES BRING ENERGY; THE OLD HANDS BRING DISCIPLINE. THAT’S WHAT MAKES THE MILES GO BY.”
Sailing has occupied a central place in Ehrhart's life for decades, though the road to an 88-foot carbon maxi was a gradual one. Two decades of Etchells racing and other one-design campaigns gave way to offshore sailing in 2006, when he stepped into the discipline with a TP52 that carried the same name as every boat since. A 63-footer followed, then a 72-footer that lost its rudder mid-Transpac, and ultimately the current Lucky, the former Rambler 88.
“YOU DON’T OWN A BOAT LIKE THIS — YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH IT,” HE SAYS. “EACH ONE TEACHES YOU SOMETHING NEW.”
Full carbon construction, a canting keel, and twin daggerboards make the current Lucky what Ehrhart calls the "logical extreme" of that evolution. She is a pure offshore racer, yet she carries an elegance that speaks to how well technology and seamanship can complement each other when both are done well.
Away from the water, Ehrhart works in reinsurance and investment banking, disciplines built on reading and managing risk. That professional instinct travels with him whenever he goes sailing.
“TO WIN, YOU HAVE TO FINISH. TO FINISH, THE BOAT HAS TO BE PERFECTLY PREPARED. OFFSHORE RACING ISN’T ABOUT BEING RECKLESS — IT’S ABOUT BEING READY.”
The same mindset runs through every element of the Lucky campaign, from detailed weather modelling ahead of each race to redundancy engineered into the boat's equipment. Very little is left to chance.
“WE TREAT THE SEA WITH RESPECT. WHEN YOU PREPARE PROPERLY, IT’S NOT DANGEROUS — IT’S BEAUTIFUL.”
As Lucky closed on the Hauraki Gulf with the forecast still in her favour, Ehrhart made no effort to hide his excitement about sailing into Auckland for the very first time.
“YOU FEEL THE CULTURE OF SAILING HERE EVEN BEFORE YOU ARRIVE. EVERYONE YOU MEET IN NEW ZEALAND HAS A STORY ABOUT THE SEA.”
The team's schedule after the finish is a busy one. The PIC Coastal Classic 2025 is next, before Lucky points west again for the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Further ahead, the programme takes in a new St Barts to Newport Race in 2026.
“IT’S A FULL CALENDAR, BUT LUCKY HAS PLENTY OF LIFE LEFT IN HER. SHE’S AN EXTRAORDINARY BOAT, AND THIS WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY CROSSING.”
Reflecting on a race that could so easily have unravelled before it began, Ehrhart keeps returning to one particular word.
“WE GOT LUCKY,” HE SAYS WITH A GRIN. “THAT’S REALLY WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO.”
And so Lucky, the boat that very nearly missed the start, arrived in Auckland as the undisputed line-honours leader of the Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race 2025.
