Starlink overboard, autopilot gone and ill at sea: Solo Trans-Tasman 2026 wraps with tales of grit

Six boats already home, two more still pushing towards the finish line, and one skipper quietly celebrating his 74th birthday somewhere in the middle of the Tasman. The 2026 Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge handed its competitors everything the ocean had in its arsenal.

A note on the course: the race record of 6 days 7 hours 13 minutes was set in 2014 aboard this same hull, though that edition ran over 1,280 nautical miles compared to the circa 1,170 of the 2026 course.

THU 11 JUN 2026

It took 11 days 23 hours and 1,366 nautical miles, but Doug Esterman brought Fair Seasons across the finish at 12:03pm NZST on 11 June, completing his first Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge aboard his Salthouse Cavalier 39. He placed eleventh on line honours and ninth on monohull PHRF handicap. Last across the line, but not forgotten in any sense.

The obstacles Esterman encountered along the way would have ended most sailors' races long before halfway. He turned the boat around mid-passage to stand by a fellow competitor in distress. His Starlink went over the side. His autopilot failed early and gave him nothing more. He was ill. The Tasman refused to give him an inch. None of it was enough to stop him. Well sailed, Doug. What a journey.

WED 10 JUN 2026

Peter Nobbs has a habit of having adventures that most people only talk about. On 10 June, he brought Smoko to the finish after sailing 1,256 nautical miles across the Tasman alone. His elapsed time of 11 days 3 hours 12 minutes 8 seconds placed him tenth on line honours, while a corrected time of 7 days 15 hours 2 minutes 1 second earned him sixth place in the monohull PHRF division.

More than thirty years on from completing a non-stop solo circumnavigation, Nobbs is still heading offshore and proving the point. Congratulations to Peter and Smoko.

WED 10 JUN 2026

Peter Bourke first set eyes on Diablo on a mooring at Opua in 2020. She was in a sorry state: bits falling off, sails in tatters, a 1970 kauri keelboat that had been rolled upside down off the Wairarapa coast, raced in Wellington and Lyttelton, and then abandoned. Bourke spent five years bringing her back. He then sailed her solo around New Zealand to qualify for the race, and kept going, all the way across the Tasman.

1,308 nautical miles. 10 days 19 hours 6 minutes 35 seconds. Ninth across the line. Fifth on monohull handicap. The smallest boat in the fleet, and the only wooden boat to finish. Somewhere out on the Tasman during that passage, Peter Bourke turned 74. Peter Bourke and Diablo. What a story. What a sailor. Here's to that raised glass, Peter.

TUE 9 JUN 2026

Terry Dunn had spent three months preparing his own boat for this race, only to switch to Nautilass, a borrowed Beneteau he barely knew, with just days to spare before the start. He crossed the Southport finish line at 4:47 in the morning after 1,362 nautical miles and 9 days 16 hours 41 minutes 31 seconds at sea from Opua. Congratulations Terry. Happy sailing in Australia.

MON 8 JUN 2026

Geoff Thorn and Catnip crossed the 2026 Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge finish line seventh on line honours with an elapsed time of 9 days 9 hours 39 minutes 53 seconds over 1,304 nautical miles. At the time of finishing, Catnip sat sixth on monohull PHRF handicap with a corrected elapsed time of 8 days 2 minutes 26 seconds, with several boats still out on the water.

MON 8 JUN 2026

223 HOUR UPDATE

Geoff Thorn's Catnip was 17 miles from the finish, with Terry Dunn's Nautilass still chipping away at a 40-mile gap that had held between the two boats for much of the race. Kevin Le Poideven had come through 36 sleepless hours, a near-grounding, and a mooring failure at Lord Howe Island. Six finishers, four retirements, five boats still out on the water.

MON 8 JUN 2026

216 HOUR UPDATE

Ben Ball had carried a boyhood dream of crossing the Tasman alone for as long as he could remember. On 8 June, he made it happen, driving Camellia, his 1976 Cavalier 36, hard all the way to the Southport finish line. His elapsed time was 9 days 2 hours 37 minutes 36 seconds, covering 1,281 nautical miles, placing him sixth on line honours and, with final results still pending on arrival, holding second on monohull PHRF handicap. Nothing was going to stop him, and nothing did.

MON 8 JUN 2026

216 HOUR UPDATE

At 216 hours into the 2026 Solo Trans-Tasman Challenge, with 1,264 nautical miles behind him, Ben Ball and Camellia were 17 nautical miles from the finish at Southport. Updates to follow.

SUN 7 JUN 2026

202 HOUR UPDATE

Ben Ball had moved Camellia into second place on the monohull PHRF leaderboard. First place remained Malcolm Dickson's 55-foot Sarau, whose finished corrected time stood at 6 days 4 hours 56 minutes 35 seconds. The order behind:

- Camellia: still racing, current corrected time 6d 12h 56m 50s - Pacman: finished, corrected time 6d 13h 7m 24s - Vixen Racing: finished, corrected time 6d 14h 13m 49s - Diablo: still racing, current corrected time 7d 15h 10m 20s

SUN 7 JUN 2026

200 HOUR UPDATE

Few who took part would argue that the 2026 Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge ranked among the hardest races they had known. Terry Dunn was not alone in being reduced to tears by exhaustion and relentless conditions. The accounts coming off the water in those final days painted a picture of sailors reaching deep into reserves they hadn't known they had, boat and sailor meeting the ocean at its most unforgiving.

Against all of that, Ben Ball had found time to bake banana bread. He had also worked his way up to third on the PHRF standings. The race still had plenty left to give.

SUN 7 JUN 2026

189 HOUR UPDATE

Five boats were home, four had retired, and six were still racing. Ben Ball was surfing five-metre waves on Camellia with 202 miles still to cover, projected to finish Monday night. Catnip and Nautilass were sailing in company, 41 miles separating them. Diablo and Smoko followed behind. Fair Seasons was last on the water, alone and still pushing forward.

SUN 7 JUN 2026

Malcolm Dickson designed and built Sarau himself. At 79, he stripped out the washing machine, the microwave, the bedroom door, and anything else he could shed. Then he sailed her across the Tasman in his fastest time ever.

Thirty-one minutes after Sarau arrived, Peter Elkington came in out of the dark aboard Pacman, a Young 11 he had bought for the nostalgia of it and turned into a Tasman racer. Two boats, lock-step for most of the race, separated by just 31 minutes at the end. What a race.

SAT 6 JUN 2026

James Foster brought Electron across the finish line with a provisional corrected time of 5 days 22 hours 48 minutes 27 seconds and an elapsed time of 7 days 10 hours 43 minutes 58 seconds. On arrival, Foster was confirmed as the winner of the 2026 Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge in the Multihull Handicap division, run under the NZ Multihull Yacht Club. He was third across the line overall.

SAT 6 JUN 2026

176 HOUR UPDATE

James Foster was minutes from the Southport finish line, set to dock that evening as the third finisher and the likely NZ Multihull Handicap winner. Pacman and Sarau were just one nautical mile apart, racing hard for fourth place. Kevin Le Poideven was running on zero sleep. Ben Ball was making fast miles on Camellia. Two boats were home, one was at the doorstep, and eight more were still out on the water.

SAT 6 JUN 2026

Sharon Ferris-Choat crossed the finish line as the second boat home and the first monohull to finish the 2026 Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge, aboard Vixen Racing. She was the only woman to start the race and the first woman to finish it since 2014.

SAT 6 JUN 2026

164 HOUR UPDATE

Guy Chester had finished in 6 days 7 hours 34 minutes. Roaring Forty had retired with a sheared forestay shackle. Vixen Racing was 40 miles from Southport and expected to finish that afternoon.

FRI 5 JUN 2026

Guy Chester crossed the finish line at Southport aboard his Crowther Design 93 trimaran Oceans Tribute at 19:34 NZST on 5 June, claiming overall line honours in the 2026 Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge in a time of 6 days 7 hours 34 minutes 36 seconds.

Chester had sailed more than 1,450 nautical miles across the Tasman, alone, in conditions he described as among the worst he had ever encountered. Hail, lightning, 45-knot squalls, and seas that had him on two reefs and a staysail just to keep the boat moving. He arrived at Southport safe, tired, and desperate for coffee. He nailed it.

FRI 5 JUN 2026

150 HOUR UPDATE

Guy Chester was 17 miles from Southport, set to take overall line honours that night. Sharon Ferris-Choat was 170 miles out and flying home, on track to become the first monohull finisher the following evening. The NZ Multihull Handicap result remained open until Electron crossed the line. Sarau led the PHRF standings by just over an hour from Vixen Racing. Nautilass and Catnip were separated by just 24 minutes on corrected time after 800 miles of ocean. Fair Seasons had not yet crossed the halfway mark. Bill Kidman was in Queensland to welcome the finishers. Glen Jeffery was still potentially bound for Australia.

FRI 5 JUN 2026

141 HOUR UPDATE

Chester was 97 miles out, finishing that night. The fleet had survived a savage night of hail the size of golf balls, 50-knot squalls, and Crazy Ivan wind shifts. Ferris-Choat's big overnight run on Vixen Racing had blown out what had briefly been a 14-minute handicap gap over Camellia to 2 hours 34 minutes. Camellia had momentarily held second. Oceans Tribute led on NZ Multihull Handicap after Chester's 171-nautical-mile overnight run. Kevin Le Poideven was running on no sleep at all. Ben Ball was still third on PHRF and still not sunbathing. Wave was back in Opua. Welcome back, Glen.

THU 4 JUN 2026

128 HOUR UPDATE

Three days earlier, Ben Ball had bailed half a ton of water out of Camellia. Now she sat third on handicap and was chasing hard.

THU 4 JUN 2026

117 HOUR UPDATE

Five days in and the Tasman had shown its teeth again overnight. Sharon Ferris-Choat was hit by a 47-knot squall in the dark, fought through it, and then lost her gains when the wind died. Guy Chester was 267 miles from Southport. Sarau had opened a 10-hour lead on handicap. The tracker went down at 8am. The three-way battle through the mid-fleet between Camellia, Catnip, and Nautilass had developed into its own compelling race within the race. Fair Seasons had finally found some pace.

WED 3 JUN 2026

106 HOUR UPDATE

Four days and ten hours in. Bill Kidman was safely back in Opua. Guy Chester was 334 nautical miles from the finish and closing fast. Sharon Ferris-Choat had lost all her wind to a cloud that afternoon and spent the day fighting her way back into it. Ben Ball had bailed half a ton of water out of Camellia's cabin, his own fault he acknowledged, then went blasting along at 7 knots that morning. Terry Dunn was running out of tea bags. Sarau led on handicap.

WED 3 JUN 2026

95 HOUR UPDATE

TUE 2 JUN 2026

82 HOUR UPDATE

Glen Jeffery made the call to retire from the 2026 Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge aboard his Grand Soleil 50 Wave and turned back towards New Zealand under his own sail. He was safe and well. At the time of the decision, Wave was sailing in 7-8 knots with a rolling sea state, the kind of grinding, uncomfortable conditions that wear down a solo sailor over time. Race management confirmed they would continue monitoring his progress. Jeffery agreed to provide position reports every 12 hours, meaning he could still be tracked on the Yellow Brick tracker as he made his way home.

Three retirements from the original fleet of 15. Each one a reminder of what it takes simply to reach the start line, let alone cross an ocean alone. Safe passage home, Glen.

TUE 2 JUN 2026

78 HOUR UPDATE

Thirteen skippers were into their fourth night on the Tasman. Tuesday had passed without drama, a welcome change after the rescues and retirements of the opening 48 hours. Oceans Tribute led the fleet at 441 nautical miles to the finish, projected to reach Southport on 4 June. Vixen Racing sat second, the sole monohull sandwiched between the two multihulls. Only Oceans Tribute, Vixen Racing, and Electron had crossed the halfway mark, with Sarau and Pacman expected to join them that night.

Sharon Ferris-Choat checked in from Vixen Racing in good spirits: "Here comes the moon!" Shortly after came: "I have just tacked onto starboard heading towards Lord Howe Island at the moment on a nice lift!"

Roaring Forty had produced the standout result of the day, opening a 77-nautical-mile gap on Wave after the two had been virtually inseparable all morning. Kevin Le Poideven had found the squalls. Wave had not.

The most compelling battle on the tracker was unfolding through the mid-fleet. Catnip, Nautilass, and Camellia were covered by just 4 nautical miles on distance to finish, at 773, 777, and 777 nautical miles respectively. Camellia and Nautilass shared the exact same distance to the finish, yet Camellia had sailed almost 20 nautical miles less to get there. Ben Ball's north-easterly routing was paying dividends.

Sarau led on PHRF corrected time by just 12 minutes from Vixen Racing, twelve minutes after 79 hours of racing. Sarau's 0.798 handicap was doing its work, but Vixen Racing's pace of 173 nautical miles in 24 hours against Sarau's 144 nautical miles made that lead a fragile one. Camellia had pushed into fourth on corrected time and was worth watching.

Electron led Oceans Tribute on NZ Multihull Handicap corrected time, but the gap had closed sharply from 6 hours that morning to just under 2 hours. Chester was closing fast. If Oceans Tribute found the right conditions on the run into Southport, Electron's lead could easily evaporate before the finish line arrived.

What was coming for the fleet was 22-25 knots with gusts to 35 on the approach to the Australian coast. After what they had already sailed through off North Cape, that would likely feel manageable. But four nights of broken sleep takes something out of a person. By the following evening, half the fleet would have the finish line in their sights. The second half of this race was only just beginning.

Provisional results. Last position update: 2 Jun 19:00 NZST. All times NZST.