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The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) has announced significant changes to its racing calendar, amending the dates of the Ponant Sydney Noumea Yacht Race and the inaugural Trans-Tasman Yacht Race.
Due to New Caledonia being placed in a State of Emergency at the start of May, following several days of civil unrest and riots over electoral reform, and upon the advice of the Australian Government to reconsider travel to Noumea, the Ponant Sydney Noumea Yacht Race was postponed. Originally scheduled to start on Saturday, 25 May 2024, the race will now commence on Saturday, 31 May 2025, to align with the Groupama Yacht Race.
he new date for the Ponant Sydney Noumea Yacht Race necessitates the rescheduling of the Trans-Tasman Yacht Race by a year. The inaugural race, will now commence on Friday, 27 February 2026. This race spans over 1,270 nautical miles, starting from Sydney, crossing the Tasman Sea, rounding the tip of New Zealand’s North Island, and finishing in Auckland. The Trans-Tasman Yacht Race, designed for both racing yachts and racer/cruisers, will be an exciting addition to competitors’ Summer offshore race calendar. The race will take place shortly after the 80th anniversary of the Rolex Sydney Hobart, sparking interest amongst international and interstate entrants and providing everyone with more racing opportunities during the Australian Summer.
A distinctive feature of the Trans-Tasman Yacht Race will be its staggered start, spread over a three-day period from 27 February to 1 March 2026. Competitors’ start times will be assigned based on their boat’s IRC or PHS ratings, resulting in closer finishing times and a festive celebration in Auckland. Arthur Lane, Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, said the Club “While the rescheduling of the Trans-Tasman Yacht Race is unfortunate, its alignment with the 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart promises an exciting racing fleet, hopefully featuring many of the entrants from The Great Race South. Until that date, we will need to exercise patience before we can officially start Racing the Ditch.” The Cruising Yacht Club will provide official updates should further changes to the calendar be necessary.
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