Guy Chester is hours from the finish. His Crowther Design 93 trimaran Oceans Tribute is projected to dock at Southport at 20:00 NZST tonight, arriving into Queensland's early winter darkness with an outgoing tide pushing current against him on the final approach and wind in the teens, gusting into the low twenties. Not the most welcoming conditions for a tired sailor at the end of six days at sea.
Chester won't be troubled by any of it. Five hours ago he was at Cape Byron with 70 NM to go, counting them down. He carries more than 120,000 nautical miles of experience and one and a half solo circumnavigations. He has come through conditions in this race that he described as among the worst he has ever experienced: hail, lightning, 45-knot squalls, and seas that had him on two reefs and a staysail just to keep Oceans Tribute in one piece. A modest outgoing tide on a winter evening is well within his range. When he crosses the finish line of the 2026 Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge, he will take first boat home and Overall Line Honours.
| Pos | Boat | Class | DTF | Dist Sailed | VMG | 24h DMG | Est Finish | Est Elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oceans Tribute | Trimaran | 17 NM | 1442 NM | 7.6 kts | 231 NM | 5 Jun 20:11 | 6d 8h 11m 0s |
| 2 | Vixen Racing | Monohull | 170 NM | 1237 NM | 6.6 kts | 166 NM | 6 Jun 19:44 | 7d 7h 38m 35s |
| 3 | Electron | Catamaran | 262 NM | 1145 NM | 6.0 kts | 116 NM | 7 Jun 13:53 | 8d 1h 53m 5s |
| 4 | Sarau | Monohull | 313 NM | 1000 NM | 5.6 kts | 96 NM | 8 Jun 01:40 | 8d 13h 40m 59s |
| 5 | Pacman | Monohull | 318 NM | 992 NM | 5.6 kts | 113 NM | 8 Jun 02:46 | 8d 14h 40m 29s |
| 6 | Roaring Forty | Monohull | 381 NM | 906 NM | 5.2 kts | 50 NM | 8 Jun 19:35 | 9d 7h 29m 5s |
| 7 | Camellia | Monohull | 440 NM | 808 NM | 4.8 kts | 103 NM | 9 Jun 13:51 | 10d 1h 45m 45s |
| 8 | Catnip | Monohull | 486 NM | 789 NM | 4.5 kts | 64 NM | 10 Jun 06:23 | 10d 18h 17m 37s |
| 9 | Nautilass | Monohull | 506 NM | 803 NM | 4.3 kts | 79 NM | 10 Jun 14:21 | 11d 2h 15m 45s |
| 10 | Diablo | Monohull | 561 NM | 701 NM | 4.0 kts | 81 NM | 11 Jun 15:02 | 12d 2h 56m 12s |
| 11 | Smoko | Monohull | 576 NM | 656 NM | 3.9 kts | 57 NM | 11 Jun 22:31 | 12d 10h 25m 26s |
| 12 | Fair Seasons | Monohull | 647 NM | 630 NM | 3.4 kts | 56 NM | 13 Jun 15:57 | 14d 3h 51m 59s |
| — | Wave (retired — returned to Opua) | Monohull | — | |||||
| — | Pretty Boy Floyd (retired — safely back in Opua) | Monohull | — | |||||
| — | Robbery (retired — safely in Mangōnui) | Monohull | — | |||||
Provisional results. Last position update: 5 Jun 18:00 NZST. All times NZST. Multihulls shaded blue.
Sharon Ferris-Choat is through the worst of the weather and pressing hard. Her Verdier 40 Vixen Racing posted 166 NM in 24 hours, the best single-day run in the fleet, and now sits 170 NM from the finish with a projected arrival of 19:44 NZST tomorrow evening. She will be the first monohull to finish, and she will do so with some daylight remaining. "Last night on the briny," she said. She has earned whatever comes next.
James Foster's Mumby 48 catamaran Electron holds third on line honours at 262 NM from the finish, projected to arrive on 7 June. The NZ Multihull Handicap picture won't be settled until Foster finishes or is close enough for the numbers to mean something, but currently Oceans Tribute leads on corrected elapsed time by 8 hours 21 minutes, with a time of 6d 2h 33m against Electron's 6d 10h 54m. That is a significant gap for Foster to pull back. Chester looks to have the multihull handicap sewn up as well, though this race has delivered enough surprises that nothing will be called until it's official.
| Pos | Boat | Class | Handicap | DTF | Dist Sailed | VMG | 24h DMG | Est Finish | Corrected Elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oceans Tribute | Trimaran | 0.963 | 17 NM | 1442 NM | 7.6 kts | 231 NM | 5 Jun 20:11 | 6d 2h 33m 9s |
| 2 | Electron | Catamaran | 0.799 | 262 NM | 1145 NM | 6.0 kts | 116 NM | 7 Jun 13:53 | 6d 10h 54m 50s |
Provisional results. NZ Multihull Yacht Club handicap system. Last position update: 5 Jun 18:00 NZST. All times NZST.
Malcolm Dickson's 55-foot Sarau and Peter Elkington's Young 11 Pacman sit fourth and fifth on line honours, just 5 NM apart at 313 and 318 NM from the finish. On PHRF corrected time, Sarau leads Vixen Racing by just over an hour, 6d 20h 8m against 6d 21h 16m, but with Ferris-Choat 143 miles closer and sailing at pace, that lead is far from secure. Ben Ball's Cavalier 36 Camellia holds third on PHRF corrected time at 7d 2h 41m, the well-rated boat continuing its quiet, steady work.
| Pos | Boat | Handicap | DTF | Dist Sailed | VMG | 24h DMG | Est Finish | Corrected Elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sarau | 0.798 | 313 NM | 1000 NM | 5.6 kts | 96 NM | 8 Jun 01:40 | 6d 20h 8m 6s |
| 2 | Vixen Racing | 0.941 | 170 NM | 1237 NM | 6.6 kts | 166 NM | 6 Jun 19:44 | 6d 21h 16m 48s |
| 3 | Camellia | 0.706 | 440 NM | 808 NM | 4.8 kts | 103 NM | 9 Jun 13:51 | 7d 2h 41m 4s |
| 4 | Pacman | 0.840 | 318 NM | 992 NM | 5.6 kts | 113 NM | 8 Jun 02:46 | 7d 5h 36m 24s |
| 5 | Diablo | 0.660 | 561 NM | 701 NM | 4.0 kts | 81 NM | 11 Jun 15:02 | 8d 0h 1m 6s |
| 6 | Smoko | 0.685 | 576 NM | 656 NM | 3.9 kts | 57 NM | 11 Jun 22:31 | 8d 12h 25m 13s |
| 7 | Roaring Forty | 0.919 | 381 NM | 906 NM | 5.2 kts | 50 NM | 8 Jun 19:35 | 8d 13h 22m 57s |
| 8 | Nautilass | 0.824 | 506 NM | 803 NM | 4.3 kts | 79 NM | 10 Jun 14:21 | 9d 3h 24m 1s |
| 9 | Catnip | 0.851 | 486 NM | 789 NM | 4.5 kts | 64 NM | 10 Jun 06:23 | 9d 3h 48m 28s |
| 10 | Fair Seasons | 0.696 | 647 NM | 630 NM | 3.4 kts | 56 NM | 13 Jun 15:57 | 9d 20h 32m 49s |
Provisional results. Last position update: 5 Jun 18:00 NZST. All times NZST.
Further down the PHRF standings, three separate sub-battles are being decided by margins that would have seemed unlikely before these boats left New Zealand. Peter Nobbs' B&G 36 Smoko and Kevin Le Poideven's Open 40 Roaring Forty are separated by just under an hour on corrected elapsed time, 8d 12h 25m against 8d 13h 22m. Tighter still is the contest between Terry Dunn's Nautilass and Geoff Thorn's Beneteau First 45 Catnip, where just 24 minutes separates them on corrected elapsed time: 9d 3h 24m against 9d 3h 48m. More than 800 nautical miles of ocean, and 24 minutes is the margin.
Doug Esterman's Cavalier 39 Fair Seasons remains last in the fleet at 647 NM from the finish, yet to cross the halfway mark. She is sailing and making progress.
Away from the racing: Bill Kidman has made his way to Queensland to welcome the finishers home. Graeme Francis is finding his feet again after his ordeal aboard Wilson 36 Robbery. And Glen Jeffery is reportedly heading back out to sea, solo again aboard his Grand Soleil 50 Wave, bound for Australia.
