Last minute preparations ahead of Australia's toughest ocean race
by Osaka Media 4 Mar 16:57 NZDT
From 9 March 2025
Melbourne Osaka Cup © Ian Macwilliams
Sailors in the 2025 Melbourne-Osaka Cup yacht race are stowing their gear and receiving their briefings before starting the most challenging ocean race to start in Australian waters.
Competitors in the ninth edition of this year's 10,000 km, two-handed race will be available for interviews from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on Thursday, 6 March, at Sandringham Yacht Club.
"The Melbourne Osaka Cup is the equivalent of nine Sydney-Hobarts non-stop", says George Shaw, Chairman of the Melbourne-Osaka Organising Authority.
"With only two people aboard that means constant shifts of two or three hours on and off watch for up to six weeks."
Among the competitors are the first-ever mother-daughter crew, the first-ever father-daughter crew and three women co-skippers under the age of 30.
The race transits multiple weather zones, including Bass Strait, the cyclone-prone northern Australia, Asian typhoons and the Doldrums, which challenge skill and endurance to the limit.
Within the race there is another competition: to see who will lose the most weight.
"Competitors can lose in excess of 12 kilograms throughout the race", says Mr Shaw. "It's rare to get more than two hours sleep at a time so your body starts consuming its reserves."
The race is a co-operative event between the host clubs Sandringham Yacht Club and Osaka Hokko Yacht Club, with race management conducted by the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria.
The briefing will be followed by a reception at Melbourne Town Hall at 6:00 pm.
It was first run in 1987 and is sponsored by the Melbourne City Council.
For more information visit www.melbourneosakacup.com.