The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) has opened entries for the inaugural Trans-Tasman Yacht Race today.

The race from Sydney which traverses over 1,270 nautical miles across the Tasman Sea and rounds the tip of New Zealand’s North Island to finish in Auckland, will commence on 28 February 2025.

The Trans-Tasman has been designed for both racing yachts and racer/cruisers and will be an exciting addition to Summer’s international offshore race calendar. It will be run in collaboration with Race Finishing Partner, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

The race is planned to run biennially, alternating with the CYCA’s Ponant Sydney Noumea Yacht Race every other year.

A distinctive feature of the event will be its staggered start, spread over a three-day period from 28 February to 2 March 2025. Competitors’ start times will be assigned based on their boat’s IRC or PHS ratings. This should result in closer finishing times and a festive celebration in Auckland.

With over 30 boats having previously submitted expressions of interest, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia anticipates a strong and varied fleet for the 2025 race.

The Overall winner of the Club’s 2018 Ponant Sydney Noumea Yacht Race, Sebastian Bohm, will be taking on the challenge on his TP52 Smuggler and expects a highly contested race: “The Tasman Sea is truly unique and it is a race that the team has always wanted to do. Australia has an incredibly strong connection with New Zealand when it comes to yacht racing, so this race will be a special one. On top of that, we love supporting the races that are organised by the CYCA. They are the pinnacle of yacht racing in Australia and we love to be a part of that.”

Arthur Lane, Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, said the Club “warmly welcomes entries from all states of Australia and extends a special invitation to teams from New Zealand looking to compete against their antipodean neighbours. We anticipate that the Trans-Tasman Yacht Race will become a regular favourite and a compelling delivery option for boats returning from the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.”

For updates and further information, including the list of entrants, visit the official Trans-Tasman Yacht Race website.

Entries for the Trans-Tasman Yacht Race 2025 are open until 1700hrs (AEDT) on 8 November 2024.

For the full list of entries and more information about the race, visit the Trans-Tasman Yacht Race.

by Trans-Tasman Yacht Race