Grant Wharington had his mobile in hand at 11.30am on Tuesday 26 May, and he wasn't hanging around. Within minutes of the 81st Rolex Sydney Hobart entry window opening, Wild Thing 100 had a berth secured. By the close of that first day, 24 yachts were locked in for the 628-nautical-mile Boxing Day race to Hobart, including two pink-hulled entries carrying very particular scores to settle with the race.
Wild Thing 100 knows that feeling all too well. Last December, the maxi retired in the early hours of the 27th after a runner block failure and a reef lock lashing that gave way, leaving Wharington unable to make safe repairs in rough offshore swells. The retirement bit harder than most. It was the first time since the boat was converted from 80 feet to 100 feet in 2023 that the yacht had raced with a mast properly matched to the hull, making the early exit all the more frustrating. Boat captain Theo Somssich made sure there would be no delays this time around, clicking submit a mere 15 seconds before Mark Richards' Palm Beach XI could claim the top spot.
"We got in first. It's incredible. It's the first time in 33 races that I've ever been early," said Wharington, calling from the Gold Coast and still clearly tickled by his own uncharacteristic punctuality.
Sharon Ferris-Choat's Vixen Racing arrives at the entry list with equally unfinished business. The Verdier 40, flying the colours of Bay of Islands Yacht Club out of New Zealand, had a promising 2024 campaign derailed on the second night when a massive wave injured a crew member's ribs and forced a retirement. "We can't wait to be on the start line on Boxing Day," Ferris-Choat said from Opua. "It's unfinished business."
For Wharington, simply entering was never the hard part. The real challenge, as he sees it, is reaching the finish line. The mast is headed to the Gold Coast for modifications, and the team will work through the displacement problems that hampered upwind performance in stronger conditions. His goal is to at least match Wild Thing 100's third place Overall result from 2024, though the pull of Hobart itself is just as strong. "There is nothing like Hobart," he said, pointing to the world-class celebrations that greet finishers at the end of the race.
Ferris-Choat, a two-time Olympian who holds several world sailing speed records, has ambitions that stretch beyond simply completing the course. She has floated the idea of taking an all-women crew to Hobart, though that plan hinges on securing sponsorship. In the immediate term, her attention turns to a solo Trans-Tasman Challenge on 30 May before she refocuses on fully crewed racing. After spending months preparing Vixen Racing alone, she is keen to have her crew back alongside her.
