Aviator Ocean Racing

16/06/2026

Had a great weekend with the Solo TransTasman Yacht Challenge gang at Southport Yacht Club (SYC) for our presentation day event and celebration.

Congratulations to the winners, but more importantly to all the skippers who competed in this epic event, whether they finished or not. It was a brutal and violent race from a weather and seastate perspective.

80yo Malcolm was on his 4th appearance spanning 50 years, and I was backing up for my 3rd challenge in 12 years. I can confidently say I will be back for my 4th campaign in May 2029.

To Race Director Julie and all the race committee, Opua Cruising Club, Southport Yacht Club and Bay of Islands Marina - Opua, partners/sponsors and local community, thankyou for believing in the event and offering to be the new custodians of the second oldest single-handed yacht race in the world.

Meanwhile, back Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club where Roaring Forty is currently berthed, mate Neil jumped in to help me strip off the bulletproof Zoom Sails Power Plast full battened mainsail and J2.5 headsail that was nicely furled around the structural headstay. Given their appearance, its hard to believe these sails have done over 38000nm. Normally it takes me 4+ hours to remove or install just the mainsail, so definitely appreciated the extra hands.

Today the work continues with boom removal and then up the mast to remove the masthead wind transducers so they don't get wiped out by the crane.

I will be modifying the upper headstay to mast connection box to enable use of a textile Amare Unidirectional Loop to mitigate and the risk of metal fatigue by eliminating the metal. The enemy of textile is chafe, so the headstay to mast connection box needs to be designed for textile loops.

Whilst I am attending to the rigging and mast inspection, Jon at Any Port Marine will dispatch my Karver KFX4.5 structural furler back to Karver Sailing HQ in France for a service and test.

15/06/2026

One of the less enjoyable tasks we need to do when competing in international races is to export the boat, and then on return to Australia re-import the boat.

In the past I have done these tasks myself, but as an individual the manual system is very clunky, lots of back and forth trying to track where the process is at when you dont have access to the online systems available to a Broker. After an arduous voyage, the last thing you want to do is re-importation admin.

After the Melbourne to Osaka Cup race last year, Aurora Global Logistics in Brisbane came onboard supporting Aviator Ocean Racing to deal with my export and re-importation admin for Roaring Forty.
Thanks to Joel and the team for their support and great service.

Aurora Global Logistics offer personalised freight forwarding services for businesses across the globe. Based in Australia, we are committed to providing reliable freight solutions

12/06/2026

Port of Newcastle
Solo TransTasman Yacht Challenge

12/06/2026

Solo TransTasman Yacht Challenge

12/06/2026

Michael was on hand to capture our arrival as we motored through the Newcastle port entrance on our way Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club
Sterling effort to get the huge Welcome sign up in time ;)
Solo TransTasman Yacht Challenge

11/06/2026

Currently 14nm out from Newcastle. Updated ETA at Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club is 1100h

Early this morning about 25nm due east of Port Stephens, one of my AGM Service batteries internally failed and overheated, resulting in venting and case swelling.

I issued a Securite and my position, and that I would be isolating all power and going 'dark' and that I would attach a white strobe to the vessel whilst I attempted to rectify the issue.

I notified VMR Port Stephens requesting they also issue a Securite for more coverage as I was in the main shipping channel on approach to Newcastle.
Battery isolated from main bank, Service battery reconfigured and power restored. I cancelled the Securite, updated VMR and resumed my merry little course to Newcastle.

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11/06/2026

They're back, but can we thread the needle and dodge the squalls?
Solo TransTasman Yacht Challenge

10/06/2026

Short video of delivery to Opua from Newcastle.
Sea conditons and being a bit green didnt inspire me to venture out just to film :)
I had 9 days and 2 hours of this hard-on-the-wind sailing.
Solo TransTasman Yacht Challenge

09/06/2026

Beautiful day, 12 knots at 168 degrees, 1m seas running right down the rhumbline with SOG of 4-5 knots. Absolutely relaxing. The only thing I can hear apart from the water rushing past the hull, are the faint screams of three spinnakers wanting to play, but not allowed 😔!

Solo TransTasman Yacht Challenge

09/06/2026

On the rhumbline to Newcastle. Jettisoned all water ballast and hoisted the J3 on inner forestay with some motoring in the lulls, which shouldn't be a problem looking at forecast.
Solo TransTasman Yacht Challenge