{"id":456828,"date":"2026-06-02T09:19:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T09:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/456828\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T09:19:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T09:19:16","slug":"solo-trans-tasman-southport-is-closing-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/456828\/","title":{"rendered":"Solo Trans-Tasman: Southport is closing in"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s dark over the Tasman Sea. Winter hours have brought earlier sunsets. Out there, thirteen skippers are settling into their fourth night at sea. They are not alone \u2014 seabirds, fishing boats, cargo ships. The Tasman isn\u2019t empty. But by the fourth night, it might feel very, very big.<\/p>\n

Tuesday passed without drama. The first 48 hours were full of EPIRB activations, rescues, and closer to the sailing action, headsails wrapped around forestays. Now conditions have settled into the long, patient business of crossing an ocean. The heroes have given way to the grind.<\/p>\n

Oceans Tribute is running at 9.1 knots with 441 NM to the finish. Guy Chester is eating into this race now, projected to arrive at Southport on 4 June at 19:39 \u2014 less than two days away. Behind him, Sharon Ferris-Choat on Vixen Racing sits second overall at 534 NM DTF, the monohull sandwiched between the two multihulls. James Foster\u2019s Mumby 48 catamaran Electron is 20 NM further back in third. Only these three have crossed the halfway mark. Tonight, Malcolm Dickson\u2019s 55-foot Sarau and Peter Elkington\u2019s Young 11 Pacman are likely to join them. Kevin Le Poideven\u2019s Open 40 Roaring Forty may follow before morning \u2014 it all depends on the wind.<\/p>\n

Sharon Ferris-Choat, for her part, is in good spirits. \u201cHere comes the moon!\u201d And then, shortly after a tack: \u201cI have just tacked onto starboard heading towards Lord Howe Island at the moment on a nice lift!\u201d A full moon, a good lift, and Lord Howe Island ahead. There are worse places to spend a Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

– Advertisement, article continues below –\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The fleet is split into three distinct groups \u2014 the front three, then Sarau, Pacman and Roaring Forty, then the close-quarters four of Wave, Catnip, Nautilass and Camellia, with Smoko, Diablo and Fair Seasons bringing up the rear. Where you sit in this race right now depends almost entirely on where you found the wind. Oceans Tribute at 9.1 knots, Vixen Racing at 7.9 \u2014 and earlier today Electron was briefly registering 1.9 knots while others were sailing along in pressure. The wind drops and builds as it pleases, and nobody can do a thing about it.<\/p>\n

2026 Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge \u2014 Full Fleet Line Honours at 79 hours (19:00 NZST, 2 June)<\/p>\n

Pos
\nBoat
\nClass
\nDTF
\nDist Sailed
\nVMG
\n24h DMG
\nEst Finish
\nEst Elapsed<\/p>\n

1
\nOceans Tribute
\nTrimaran
\n441 NM
\n814 NM
\n9.1 kts
\n228 NM
\n4 Jun 19:39
\n5d 7h 39m 30s<\/p>\n

2
\nVixen Racing
\nMonohull
\n534 NM
\n706 NM
\n7.9 kts
\n173 NM
\n5 Jun 14:38
\n6d 2h 32m 10s<\/p>\n

3
\nElectron
\nCatamaran
\n554 NM
\n668 NM
\n7.6 kts
\n163 NM
\n5 Jun 19:27
\n6d 7h 27m 33s<\/p>\n

4
\nSarau
\nMonohull
\n627 NM
\n569 NM
\n6.7 kts
\n144 NM
\n6 Jun 16:32
\n7d 4h 32m 30s<\/p>\n

5
\nPacman
\nMonohull
\n639 NM
\n559 NM
\n6.6 kts
\n149 NM
\n6 Jun 20:18
\n7d 8h 12m 1s<\/p>\n

6
\nRoaring Forty
\nMonohull
\n667 NM
\n517 NM
\n6.2 kts
\n140 NM
\n7 Jun 06:21
\n7d 18h 15m 10s<\/p>\n

7
\nWave
\nMonohull
\n744 NM
\n469 NM
\n5.2 kts
\n70 NM
\n8 Jun 17:16
\n9d 5h 10m 8s<\/p>\n

8
\nCatnip
\nMonohull
\n773 NM
\n426 NM
\n4.9 kts
\n104 NM
\n9 Jun 09:48
\n9d 21h 42m 57s<\/p>\n

9
\nNautilass
\nMonohull
\n777 NM
\n416 NM
\n4.8 kts
\n97 NM
\n9 Jun 11:54
\n9d 23h 48m 33s<\/p>\n

10
\nCamellia
\nMonohull
\n777 NM
\n397 NM
\n4.8 kts
\n107 NM
\n9 Jun 12:07
\n10d 0h 1m 5s<\/p>\n

11
\nSmoko
\nMonohull
\n828 NM
\n356 NM
\n4.2 kts
\n82 NM
\n11 Jun 01:21
\n11d 13h 15m 7s<\/p>\n

12
\nDiablo
\nMonohull
\n836 NM
\n355 NM
\n4.1 kts
\n88 NM
\n11 Jun 07:51
\n11d 19h 45m 19s<\/p>\n

13
\nFair Seasons
\nMonohull
\n920 NM
\n303 NM
\n3.0 kts
\n52 NM
\n15 Jun 12:05
\n15d 23h 59m 42s<\/p>\n

\u2014
\nPretty Boy Floyd (retired \u2014 returning to Opua)
\nMonohull
\n\u2014<\/p>\n

\u2014
\nRobbery (retired \u2014 safely in Mang\u014dnui)
\nMonohull
\n\u2014<\/p>\n

Provisional results. Last position update: 2 Jun 19:00 NZST. All times NZST. Multihulls shaded blue.<\/p>\n

Roaring Forty has had the best day in the fleet. At this morning\u2019s update, Roaring Forty and Wave were separated by just 6 NM \u2014 a gap that had held firm for nearly 24 hours. By evening Kevin Le Poideven had opened it to a much wider gap. He found the squalls and used them. Wave, with just 70 NM in 24 hours, could not.<\/p>\n

The mid-fleet battle is the most interesting thing on the tracker right now. Catnip, Nautilass and Camellia are covered by just 4 NM on DTF \u2014 773, 777 and 777 NM respectively. Camellia and Nautilass share the exact same DTF, but Camellia has sailed almost 20 NM less to get there. Ben Ball\u2019s more north-easterly routing is paying off in distance efficiency, even if the light air has been maddening. He\u2019ll be watching the winds and his competitors closely tonight.<\/p>\n

– Advertisement, article continues below –<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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2026 Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge \u2014 PHRF Monohull standings at 79 hours (19:00 NZST, 2 June)<\/p>\n

Pos
\nBoat
\nHandicap
\nDTF
\nDist Sailed
\nVMG
\n24h DMG
\nEst Finish
\nCorrected Elapsed<\/p>\n

1
\nSarau
\n0.798
\n627 NM
\n569 NM
\n6.7 kts
\n144 NM
\n6 Jun 16:32
\n5d 17h 41m 18s<\/p>\n

2
\nVixen Racing
\n0.941
\n534 NM
\n706 NM
\n7.9 kts
\n173 NM
\n5 Jun 14:38
\n5d 17h 53m 26s<\/p>\n

3
\nPacman
\n0.840
\n639 NM
\n559 NM
\n6.6 kts
\n149 NM
\n6 Jun 20:18
\n6d 4h 0m 30s<\/p>\n

4
\nCamellia
\n0.706
\n777 NM
\n397 NM
\n4.8 kts
\n107 NM
\n9 Jun 12:07
\n7d 1h 27m 10s<\/p>\n

5
\nRoaring Forty
\n0.919
\n667 NM
\n517 NM
\n6.2 kts
\n140 NM
\n7 Jun 06:21
\n7d 3h 9m 59s<\/p>\n

6
\nDiablo
\n0.660
\n836 NM
\n355 NM
\n4.1 kts
\n88 NM
\n11 Jun 07:51
\n7d 19h 16m 43s<\/p>\n

7
\nSmoko
\n0.685
\n828 NM
\n356 NM
\n4.2 kts
\n82 NM
\n11 Jun 01:21
\n7d 21h 55m 3s<\/p>\n

8
\nWave
\n0.872
\n744 NM
\n469 NM
\n5.2 kts
\n70 NM
\n8 Jun 17:16
\n8d 0h 51m 33s<\/p>\n

9
\nNautilass
\n0.824
\n777 NM
\n416 NM
\n4.8 kts
\n97 NM
\n9 Jun 11:54
\n8d 5h 36m 10s<\/p>\n

10
\nCatnip
\n0.851
\n773 NM
\n426 NM
\n4.9 kts
\n104 NM
\n9 Jun 09:48
\n8d 10h 17m 46s<\/p>\n

11
\nFair Seasons
\n0.696
\n920 NM
\n303 NM
\n3.0 kts
\n52 NM
\n15 Jun 12:05
\n11d 3h 15m 38s<\/p>\n

Provisional results. Last position update: 2 Jun 19:00 NZST. All times NZST.<\/p>\n

On PHRF corrected time, the standings have flipped again. Sarau has reclaimed first from Vixen Racing \u2014 but only just. Twelve minutes separate them after 79 hours of racing. Sarau\u2018s 0.798 handicap is doing its work, but Vixen\u2018s pace of 173 NM in 24 hours against Sarau\u2018s 144 NM makes this lead fragile. One good night\u2019s sailing from Ferris-Choat and it\u2019s gone. Camellia has quietly pushed into fourth on corrected time, her 0.706 handicap working in the background. She needs to find more pace, but she\u2019s one to watch.<\/p>\n

On General Handicap, Electron still leads Oceans Tribute \u2014 but the gap has closed from 6 hours this morning to just under 2 hours now, 5d 1h 0m against 5d 2h 56m. Chester is closing it fast. If Oceans Tribute finds the right conditions on the run into Southport, Electron\u2018s General Handicap lead could be gone before the finish.<\/p>\n

2026 Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge \u2014 General Handicap (Multihull) at 79 hours (19:00 NZST, 2 June)<\/p>\n

Pos
\nBoat
\nClass
\nHandicap
\nDTF
\nDist Sailed
\nVMG
\n24h DMG
\nEst Finish
\nCorrected Elapsed<\/p>\n

1
\nElectron
\nCatamaran
\n0.799
\n554 NM
\n668 NM
\n7.6 kts
\n163 NM
\n5 Jun 19:27
\n5d 1h 0m 57s<\/p>\n

2
\nOceans Tribute
\nTrimaran
\n0.963
\n441 NM
\n814 NM
\n9.1 kts
\n228 NM
\n4 Jun 19:39
\n5d 2h 56m 6s<\/p>\n

Provisional results. Last position update: 2 Jun 19:00 NZST. All times NZST.<\/p>\n

Pretty Boy Floyd is on the tracker heading back to Opua, we estimate somewhere near the Three Kings Islands by now. Fair Seasons was the last of the Southport-bound fleet she passed.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s coming for the remaining fleet is 22-25 knots with gusts to 35 on the approach to the Australian coast. After what they sailed through off North Cape, that should feel manageable \u2014 easy for a couch critic to say. But four days of patchy sleep and light air takes something out of you, and familiar conditions still demand everything. By the end of tomorrow, almost half the fleet should have the finish line in their sights.<\/p>\n

Part two of this race is just getting started.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s dark over the Tasman Sea. Winter hours have brought earlier sunsets. Out there, thirteen skippers are settling…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":456829,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226352,111,43,139,69,142905],"class_list":["post-456828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-2026-solo-trans-tasman-yacht-challenge","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sailing-yacht"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/456828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=456828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/456828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/456829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=456828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=456828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=456828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}