Entries open for 2025 Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race and New Premium Partner Announced

Entries are now open for the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria’s 2025 Melbourne to Hobart (Westcoaster) Yacht Race.

The 435 nautical mile yacht race from Portsea Pier down the West Coast of Tasmania to Hobart starts at 1:30pm (AEST) on Saturday the 27th of December.

The M2H is a prestigious and challenging blue-water ocean classic often described as one of the world’s best ocean races, and affectionately regarded as the people’s race.

The Westcoaster offers passionate skippers and crews an opportunity to pit their race-ready boats against wild and spectacular sailing conditions, from reaching down one of the world’s most stunning and unique coastlines to conquering the bucket list seas of the Southern Ocean.

ORCV Commodore Cyrus Allen, a M2H race veteran and 2025 Melbourne to Osaka competitor, holds the race in high regard.

“The Westcoaster is about grit, seamanship, and the raw beauty of Tasmania’s untamed West Coast.

“It’s a real race for everyday sailors chasing real adventure, not champagne at the dock.

“The Ocean Racing Club of Victoria is proud once again to welcome competitors to experience this iconic and uniquely challenging event,” said Allen.

The race is expected to attract yet another strong fleet of fully-crewed monohull and multihull boats (including four+ autohelm) along with a strong contingent of double-handed entries, while the new race record set by the multihull Rushour in last year’s race will also be up for grabs.

Early registrations include Alien, the Lidgard 36 skippered by the highly acclaimed Justin Brenan from the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria (RYCV).

Brenan, a stalwart of the ORCV racing program for over 20 years, is a five-time overall winner of the race.

This year’s fleet also sees the return of the Spirit of Downunder, skippered by Rick Whitehouse from the RYCV.

Expect to hear more about this 12 metre Cameron De Lange boat which has taken line honours twice in the race and won on performance handicap in 2008, the same year Matthew Short skippered Shortwave to a new race record which stands to this day.

The ORCV is delighted to welcome yet another race supporter with On Track Meals announced this week as a premium partner for the 2025 race.

On Track Meals joins other race sponsors including Grace Removals, Strait Link, National Pies, and the Tasmanian Government (Events Tasmania), in their support for the 53rd race to Hobart.

Erin Wyatt, Co-owner of Australian-owned and made On Track Meals, is excited about the partnership and the alignment of their products with the spirit of the Westcoaster.

“For us at On Track Meals, being the official meal partner of the Westcoaster is about more than just putting food on boats.

“Offshore racing is demanding, both physically and mentally, and we know how important it is for sailors to have meals they can rely on when the conditions get tough.

“This partnership is a chance for us to support the sailing community we admire, to make life that little bit easier when crews are pushing themselves and their boats to the limit.

“We’re hoping that when sailors open one of our meals mid-race, they feel reassured, fuelled, and ready to keep going.

“That’s what this is about for us — keeping people strong, safe, and able to enjoy the incredible adventure that is ocean racing,” said Wyatt.

The diversity of conditions throughout the race necessitates the use of handicapping systems to level the playing field for different boat designs and performance capabilities, with yachts competing for the prestigious Heemskerk Perpetual Trophy, decided on AMS handicap, alongside the (almost) equally prestigious yellow Westcoaster cap.

The Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race is also the highest-ranking race in the ORCV's Offshore Championship Series.

Early bird entries close on Monday the 10th of November with final entries closing on Monday the 24th of November 2025.

Enter the 2025 Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race here.

Photos provided by On Track Meals

By Jane Austin/ORCV Media

Sustainability Competition Winners

Sailing towards more responsible ocean racing🌊🌿

For inspiration on how to sail more sustainably, click to read our pre race tips and how to recycle guide which race competitors followed.  Great tips and guides to download.

2023 Melbourne to Hobart “Westcoaster’ - Final Wrap and Results

10am Tuesday 2 January 2024

Skippers, sailors, supporters and plenty of locals finally got to soak up some Tasmanian summer sun in the Willie Smith Race Village in Hobart on Sunday afternoon for the presentation of trophies for the 2023 Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race (the Westcoaster).

This year’s fleet had a quick but intense race to Hobart, battling wind gusts of up to 50 knots, five to six-metre seas, with close rivalry on the race course, but the overall winner of the event was sailing itself, with the exhaustion, smiles, relief and enormous satisfaction etched on the faces of this close-knit group.   

Cyrus Allen, Commodore of the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria (ORCV), and David Schuller, Race Director, officiated proceedings and awarded the prizes.

Alex Toomey, skipper of Ryujin from the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, accepted the Wrest Point Abel Tasman Trophy as line honours winner for monohulls from the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Hobart, Anna Reynolds. 

ORCV Commodore Cyrus Allen Lord Mayor Cr Anna Reynolds and Alex Toomey skipper of Ryujin Winner of the Wrest Point Abel Tasman Trophy Monohull Line Honours Image Jane Austin

Justin Brenan, skipper of Alien and twice-crowned the ORCV Offshore Champion, graciously accepted the prestigious Heemskerk Perpetual Trophy awarded to first place overall on corrected time on AMS handicap.

Brenan, from the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, and his crew of Allison Wilson, Andrew Vincent, Glen Cowan, Benjamin Tyrrell, Katrina Hartman, Michael Noy and Paul Neilson now have the enviable record of four Westcoaster titles along with a win in the Melbourne to Hobart Eastcoaster Race in 2008.   

Brenan’s experienced crew includes long-term Westcoaster sailors with over 75 races between them.

The crew of Alien overall winners of the 2023 M2H Yacht Race and Heemskerk Perpetual Trophy Image Jane Austin

Brenan credited the race win to his ‘evergreen yacht’, a Lidgard 36 design, his loyal, skilful and seasoned ocean racing crew, and his onshore support team.

The Edward Henty Perpetual Trophy was awarded to Ginan, skippered by Cameron McKenzie and Nigel Jones from the Mornington Yacht Club, for second place overall on AMS, with the team also winning on ORC handicap.

The double-handed entry, Maverick, co-skippered by Rod Smallman and Leeton Hulley, received the Batman Perpetual Trophy for third place overall on AMS.

Maverick had more trophies than hands by the end of the presentation with the team winning the City of Melbourne Perpetual Trophy for first on corrected time on performance handicap as well as the Double-Handed Perpetual Trophy.

Charles Meredith and the crew from the multihull, Peccadillo, sailing in their first Westcoaster, won the Port Phillip Sea Pilots Trophy for the first yacht to exit Port Phillip Heads and won line honours for the first multihull home, setting a new race record for multihulls along the way.

Michael Graham, skipper of Santana from Newcastle, New South Wales, received the Alan Collins “Rookie Skipper” prize which is selected by the Race Director for the best performing ‘first-time’ skipper.

Graham and his crew sailed from Newcastle in NSW - a distance greater than the Sydney to Hobart course - to get to the start line just in time for the race. They then sailed their Swan 43 safely and steadily to Hobart in the first Westcoaster for the boat and skipper and were a popular choice for the Rookie award. 

The Zeehan Trophy was awarded to Andrew Vincent and Katrina Hartman as co-navigators on Alien, the boat first on corrected time in the premier AMS division.

ORCV Commodore Allen also presented the Robin Hewitt trophy and the coveted yellow 10+ Westcoaster cap to Chris Webster, an award for sailors who have achieved the milestone of competing in ten Westcoaster races.

Commodore Allen noted how tough this year’s race was.

“Like many of you, in the deep of the night with the wind howling through the rig and seas tumbling over the deck, I wondered about ocean sailors who keep coming back year after year to race offshore.

“The answer I came to was that we do this for the adventure and the challenge”.

“But mostly we do this because of the camaraderie that develops between people racing in an offshore race.  

“Existing friendships grow stronger, and new friendships are forged.

“Each skipper and crew who made it to Hobart this year – including those who tactically withdrew for safety reasons – displayed seamanship and determination in line with the very best of Ocean Racing Club standards,” said Allen.  

The 2023 Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race was one of intensity and diversity and of personal and team achievements.

This year saw the return of the first multihull in 35 years and continued representation in the double-handed division, a division the ORCV has been promoting for over 20 years.

The exhausted but relaxed award-winning co-skippers of Maverick talked with ORCV Media about the tough conditions experienced on the last night of the race.

“The last night was a cracker, an absolute blinder – it was the most frightening, and the most fun at the same time, that I have ever had.

“This year we had access to the BOM [Bureau of Meteorology] access models and they were unbelievably accurate which helped us go in the right spot, because there is no use being the best sailor if you aren’t in the right wind,” said Smallman.   

And on sailing down the West Coast of Tasmania double-handed?

“One word, its just awesome. When things are running smoothly then it’s a lot less hectic on a two-handed boat.

“What makes us work is that we think the same,” said Smallman.

“When you are two-handed, you are solo sailing while the other person is having a sleep.

“You have to know every job on the boat. you’ve got to be a good steerer, you’ve got to be a good main trimmer, you’ve got to be a good bowman,” said Hulley, although both agreed they needed to do some work on their diesel mechanic skills.

Leeton Hulley and Rod Smallman co skippers of Maverick and winner on performance handicap and the double handed division Image Jane Austin

Dark and Stormy, skippered by Tobias Swanson of the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, welcomed three Italian sailors to his crew for this year’s race bringing skill and enthusiasm to the team - and an antipasto platter to the onboard pantry.

Tommaso Mattia Pretto is a recent graduate of Monash University with a Master of Environment and Sustainability degree and works at the Climateworks Centre in Victoria. He sailed this year’s race with his father Giolio Pretto and Paolo La Face who had flown to Australia in September from their home in Ancona, Marche, on the East Coast of Italy.

“Since I came to Australia a few years ago, I did a fair bit of ocean racing with ORCV. It’s really different sailing [to the Mediterranean].

“I would say it’s not as easy at all…the swell and the way that it pushes you is a completely different experience,” said Pretto.

And on sailing with his father?

“We were looking after each other all the time. I was the youngest onboard and he [Giulio] was the oldest.

“We’ve never had an experience like this before. I grew up sailing with my Dad since I was in the womb of my Mum…going to Croatia, so more cruising then, but having him here with me was just fantastic,” said Pretto.

The Dark and Stormy crew is a close crew with affection across the team on show.

“We experienced gusts of 50 knots of wind, and as they predicted, five to six-metre seas, and it was heavy. We struggled to gybe and struggled to put up all the other sails…and we tried not to have any accidental gybes.

“I’m really proud of my crew…a couple of key crew, Rob [Newman], Bart [Archbold] and Tommaso (Pretto] did an amazing job last night ...with high speed downhill runs down waves, we had a great time, we really enjoyed it,” said Swanson.

This year’s race also had a focus on environmental sustainability with crews providing advice on what to take onboard, on local endangered marine life such as the spotted handfish, and on ways to recycle used or damaged sails.

Melissa Warren, ORCV Committee member and on the bow on Jaffa, sailed her first Westcoaster and was beaming from ear to ear after the race.

“Honestly, I feel great. This was my first Hobart race, I’m so glad that I had a really supportive team to do it with.   

“I like to get the sport of sailing out there as much as possible, to put on lots of different events, talking to kids, and making sure we start from the ground up,”
said Warren.

And Warren’s final words of encouragement for sailors on the edge, contemplating sailing in a Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race.

“Don’t be on the edge. You want to be involved. It’s [the Southern Ocean] one of the hardest seas to sail and is just a privilege,” said Warren.  

Next year’s event is shaping up to be another great race with interest growing from the multihull contingent in Europe and across the double-handed fleet.

In the words of Maverick skipper, Rod Smallman, “Give it a go!”

The race was run with the cooperation of the Derwent Sailing Squadron.

Race results here.

Jane Austin/ORCV media

Alien wins record-breaking fourth Heemskerk Perpetual Trophy and Peccadillo smashes multihull record in 2023 Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race

After a gruelling last 24 hours of sailing in winds gusting greater than 40 knots and battling 4 to 5 metre seas along the South Coast of Tasmania, Alien, skippered by Justin Brenan from the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, was victorious in the intense battle for the prestigious Heemskerk Perpetual trophy while the multihull Peccadillo took line honours in the 51^st Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race.

Justin Brenan, and his seasoned ocean racing crew, flew under the radar for the first part of the race but positioned themselves well for the final run home to Hobart to win the coveted Heemskirk Perpetual Trophy for the overall winner determined on AMS handicap.

The modest skipper and his crew sailed Alien into the record books by winning the Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race (Westcoaster) on AMS handicap for the fourth time, a record that will take a long time to beat. Brenan also won the Melbourne to Hobart Eastcoaster Race in 2008. 

The battle for AMS honours was on in earnest on the second day of sailing with Ryujin, skippered by Alex Toomey, last year’s runner-up Ginan, skippered by Nigel Jones and Cam McKenzie, and Lord Jiminy, skippered by Jimmy Oosterweghel, primed for a three-way battle for the AMS win, but three-time winner Alien picked up speed overnight and had a great race into Hobart.

Skipper Justin Brenan, twice-crowned the ORCV Offshore Champion, reflected upon the 51^st race to Hobart.

“The winds were warm all the way, we didn’t get any cold weather at all.

“It was an interesting race. Normally we have a beat and then a reach and then we’re running under spinnakers but this year there were no spinnakers really.

“We had good breeze. A 50-knot gust went through and at that stage we only had a double reefed mainsail and a small headsail up and doing 19 knots which was good.

“It’s not every day you can go sailing in the Southern Ocean, in warm conditions and go fast.

Coming across the bottom of Tasmania presented the most significant challenge to Brenan and his crew.

“There was enough wind to make it interesting. Most of the time we had 35 knots and a bit of rain…going through the islands in the dark meant you had to watch your navigation a bit because in the rain you just couldn’t see them.

Brenan has won the race each time on the Lidgard 36 designed boat, which he affectionately describes as an evergreen yacht, which was designed in 1990, built in 1996, and, according to the winning skipper, “still beats some of the most expensive ones around”.

The remarkable achievements of this humble crew bear testament to what can be achieved with a combination of a well-designed boat, a skilful and experienced crew, and excellent seamanship.  

“The other good thing about this race was how close it was. Ourselves, Vertigo [retired] and a few other boats were all within a couple of minutes of each other.

“Coming up the River [Derwent] we knew we had about an hour and forty minutes if we wanted to win so it was pretty close and a good fleet,” said Brenan. 

Alien wins the Heemskirk Trophy for a fifth time in the 2023 Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race. Image Michael Currie    

Peccadillo, skippered by Charles Meredith in his first Westcoaster, was thrilled with his win and relished the heavy conditions.

“Blowy was good for us, we enjoyed that, it was the long upwind legs down to the bottom of Tassie that were not really our favourite, but across the bottom [of Tasmania], in a nice 30 knot breeze, that’s what this boat likes.

“We don’t point the same as a monohull, so we tended to sail bigger angles than the rest of the fleet, but we also wanted to get out further west after King Island so we could get a better angle when the wind came around from the west which worked for us.

“Lord Jiminy followed us after a while as that type of boat sails somewhat similarly to us. It was a good place to be with a nice set of angles coming down the West Coast.

Meredith, a seasoned ocean sailor, was enthralled by the stunning West Coast of Tasmania.

“Travelling the West Coast of Tassie is always something special, whether it’s a cruise, racing or whether you are bushwalking on the land.

“As we came in closer to the Coast around Maatsuyker [Island] and the rock stacks – it’s just such a spectacular place, with big seas, and it looks like you are in the Southern Ocean because you are. I’ve never sailed that far South before – that was certainly a highlight,” said Meredith.    

Meredith is keen to defend his multihull record in 2024.

“The ORCV has done the hard work in making it possible for multihulls to enter the race, but because it’s so new, we really need to get the word out a year ahead, and I think there’s potential overseas interest – this really is one of Australia’s great ocean races,” said Meredith.

Charles Meredith Skipper of Peccadillo. Image Jane Austin

Peccadillo smashed the previous multihull record set by Bagatelle in 1988 by almost 10 hours, with an elapsed time (which included a time penalty for a course-sailed error leaving Port Philip Heads) of two days, 18 hours, four minutes and one second.

Bagatelle’s previous record on elapsed time was three days, three hours, 35 minutes and 23 seconds.

Rod Smallman and Leeton Hulley, from the Sandringham Yacht Club, co-skippered their Jeanneau Sunfast 3600 Maverick, to win the double-handed division and the overall race on performance handicap.

Ryujin was the first monohull into Hobart with Ginan the winner on ORC handicap.

Official presentations for the 2023 Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race will be held at Race Village, Elizabeth Street Pier at 5pm on Sunday 31 December 2023. 

The race is run with the cooperation of the Derwent Sailing Squadron.

For Entry, Notice of Race and List of Entries, please visit: https://www.orcv.org.au/hobart

Race results here.

Jane Austin/ORCV media

***Ends***

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About ORCV: A leading authority on ocean sailing, racing and training in Australia, the Club was formed so that ocean races in Victorian waters could be efficiently developed and run by an organisation focusing specifically on the needs of ocean racers.

About the race:

The Westcoaster, as the race is affectionately known, is one of the world’s great ocean races, covering 435 nautical miles from the start in Port Philip Bay to the finish line in the River Derwent in Hobart.

The Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race is one of the world’s great ocean races, providing fierce competition against a backdrop of extraordinary scenery and abundant sea life.

The race starts with a 125 nm passage across Bass Strait before the fleet sails 200 nm south down the West Coast of Tasmania, past Maatsuyker Island, east to South East Cape then turning northeast towards the more sheltered, but equally challenging waters of Storm Bay and the River Derwent.