ORCV Melbourne to King Island 2025

54th Melbourne to King Island Ocean Race

The fleet departed from Queenscliff, exiting Port Phillip Heads through the Rip. It’s always a striking way to begin an offshore race.

The fleet of 22 boats got away at 14:30 on 7 March 2025, hosted by the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria, in a light easterly of around 11 knots that slowly built to a steady 18 to 20 knots across Bass Strait — conditions that suited the fleet and made for an engaging, competitive race through the night.

Peccadillo, the Chris White 46 multihull skippered by Charles Meredith, dominated outright, leading the fleet from Port Phillip Heads and finishing in 10 hours and 16 minutes — nearly three and a half hours ahead of the nearest rival.

Among the monohulls, the racing at the front was intense. Jac Hoi, the Solaris 47 from the Royal Geelong Yacht Club skippered by Danielle Fraser, was first across the line on elapsed time on what was the team’s very first ocean race — and in a particularly fitting moment, they crossed the finish on International Women’s Day. Ginan (Cam McKenzie, Mornington Yacht Club) finished second on the water, and Shimmer came across third, just 89 seconds behind Ginan after more than thirteen hours of racing.

Race Director Martin Vaughan highlighted the tight battle: “Jac Hoi, Ginan and Shimmer must have had a fantastic battle — it is always more fun yacht racing when you have a rival close by, it pushes you that extra bit.”

The Results

The handicap results told a different story across the divisions.

AMS: Shimmer finished 3rd — a strong result on a competitive handicap against a fleet that included some quick boats. Unprecedented (Andrew McGrath / Ben Thompson, SBSC) took the win on corrected time of 12:44:17, with Ginan second.

MONO PHS: Shimmer placed 7th — mid-fleet but closely bunched, with the top boats separated by relatively small margins on corrected time.

Line Honours: Shimmer placed 3rd — crossing at 01:03:53:39 elapsed (13 hours, 23 minutes and 39 seconds), just 92 seconds behind Ginan and just over 30 minutes behind Jac Hoi.

ORC AP: Shimmer placed 4th — behind Toecutter, Unprecedented and Ginan on the ORC-adjusted handicap.

Grassy — King Island Boat Club

The finish line sits in Grassy Harbour on the south-east corner of King Island, Tasmania — a small working port that becomes the centre of the offshore racing world for one weekend a year. The King Island Boat Club is tucked at the end of Grassy Harbour Road, near the Port of Grassy and not far from the King Island Ferry Terminal, and the ORCV volunteers were on through the night to welcome the fleet as boats came in through the early hours.

By morning, the club’s outdoor tables were filling up with sailors in various states of exhaustion and contentment — the particular kind of satisfaction you only get after a night at sea. The post-race presentation was held at the boat club, in the sunshine, with the whole fleet gathered together. Category winners collected their trophies alongside King Island cheese and local crayfish. There was a lot of crayfish. And Shimmer’s new rule is no crayfish on board the boat. After a 30° day in Melbourne on arrival, the smell was hard to escape from.

The centrepiece of the trophy presentation was the Grassy Perpetual Trophy — presented by the Municipality of King Island to the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria, awarded to 1st Overall Melbourne to Grassy and collected by Andy McGrath and Ben Thompson. This year it sat on the presentation table with a large red crayfish tucked proudly inside the cup. A perfectly King Island image.

Steak sandwiches were on order — local King Island beef, and every bit as good as the reputation suggests. The afternoon stretched out in that unhurried way that offshore race finishes tend to, with sailors from across the fleet sharing stories, swapping race notes, and enjoying each other’s company.

King Island itself is always worth the passage. The hospitality is genuine, the food is exceptional, and the boat club makes you feel like the fleet’s arrival is the best thing that’s happened all year.

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