Phoenix49 rises but How Bizarre wins the 2026 Melbourne to King Island Ocean Yacht Race
How Bizarre has roared up the charts to win the 2026 Ocean Racing Club of Victoria’s (ORCV) Melbourne to King Island Yacht Race with the lightweight racer/cruiser dominating the podium in this year’s race.
How Bizarre, a Seaquest RP36 skippered by Scott Robinson from the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, had a brilliant race, winning overall on AMS and ORC handicaps, and placing second to Cadibarra on PHS.
Phoenix49, the Marten 49 co-skippered by Jennifer and Brenton Carnell from the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, has continued their meteoric rise in sailing, with a satisfying win on line honours.
How Bizarre is no stranger to winning, with the boat taking home the silverware in the 2024 Melbourne to Devonport Rudder Cup, showcasing that a quick boat designed for light-air, along with a light crew, is up for the challenge of ocean racing.
Reflecting on the race after the prize giving presentation, Robinson praised his boat and crew, stating, “How good are they? Everyone was fantastic. Sometimes I think that races where there is no wind are actually harder than races with wind because they require so much concentration on positioning, they can be quite draining… but then the wind kicks in, and before you know it you are on King Island, and then you understand the real reason for sailing in this race.”
Onboard How Bizarre was ORCV KISS program graduate, Rachel McGuigan, who expressed her delight in further developing her offshore skills during this year’s race. “This is the third time I have been on the podium, but it feels absolutely fantastic to have won today, and the sailors on How Bizarre are phenomenal. While I wasn’t a novice doing the KISS program, I know I needed to get all the knowledge I could to prepare for offshore racing, and that’s what you have with the KISS program, everything you need to know is put together neatly in a nutshell,” said McGuigan.
Joining Robinson and McGuigan onboard were Peter Amarant, Glenn Bailey and John Rea. The 22-strong fleet started the race in a 13-knot southerly breeze, gearing up for the 114 nautical mile race across Bass Strait to King Island.
Phoenix49 and race newcomer Belle, the IY60 skippered by Richard Taylor and Kylie Balharrie from Sandringham Yacht Club, engaged in a tight battle for line honours from the outset. Phoenix49 pulled away as they passed the ORCV 2 mark, with Cadibarra, a Sydney 41 skippered by ORCV Vice Commodore, Paul Roberts, becoming a significant threat as they placed their faith in the routing software and went west of the rhumbline, while the rest of the fleet searched for wind to the east.
Taylor expressed his excitement about their performance onboard Belle, stating, “It was fun and our first proper ocean race, we were quite happy with that.” He described the conditions as glamorous at the start but noted the challenges faced as the night progressed with calm conditions.
During the race, a forecast light patch brought the fleet to a standstill, creating a scenario where finding any wind advantage was crucial. Finally, a southerly breeze strengthened in the middle of the day, revitalizing the fleet and intensifying the race for line honours as only one nautical mile separated the leaders.
As the race progressed, Phoenix49 and The Jackal well-positioned themselves to take advantage of the freshening south-easterly breeze, leading to their finishes in first and second respectively, with Cadibarra finishing third, just 12 minutes behind The Jackal.
Phoenix49’s line honours win epitomises their namesake’s mythological symbolism, with the crew’s inner strength and determination propelling them to victory in their first offshore race as the new owners of the boat (previously Carrera S owned by Gerry Cantwell).
Exhausted yet elated after being the first boat into Grassy Harbour, Jennifer Carnell noted, “We can’t believe we won line honours, it’s just awesome in the first ocean race on our boat. It was a long race; slow overnight, we had no wind at all and were just flopping about out there. But we maintained some momentum, the breeze picked up, and we kept in the lead all the way.”
Carnell mentioned being unsure at points whether they could beat Cadibarra, emphasising that it was ultimately who got the wind first that would determine the outcome of the race.
Brenton Carnell was equally surprised by the close contest, noting their strategy to cover Cadibarra was effective as they maintained a light wind differential in their favour.
Phoenix49 won on line honours with an elapsed time of 1 day, 6 minutes and 27 seconds, just under one hour ahead of The Jackal, skippered by Matt Setton from the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron.
Newcomer to Category 2 racing, Godzilla, a Hick 31 skippered by Joel Matthews, finished in second place on AMS and ORC handicaps, demonstrating the strong competition in this year’s event.
The King Island Boat Club was bustling overnight, as sailors exchanged stories and forged friendships after completing this demanding ocean yacht race. This year’s race featured new boats, newer sailors, and a growing contingent of younger offshore racers engaging in a tactical battle across Bass Strait and along King Island’s rugged coastline.
The Melbourne to King Island race serves not only as a competitive event but also as a vital experience for sailors new to ocean racing. It fosters camaraderie within the fleet and welcomes all to the beautiful King Island.
Top 3 Results
1st AMS – Overall Winner, How Bizarre (S13) skippered by Scott Robinson
2nd AMS – Godzilla (R111) skippered by Joel Matthews
3rd AMS – Voodoo Child (G6222) skippered by Jason Farnell
1st ORC – How Bizarre
2nd ORC – Godzilla
3rd ORC – Cadibarra (SM615) skippered by Paul Roberts
1st PHS – Cadibarra
2nd PHS – How Bizarre
3rd PHS – Faster Forward (R6155) skippered by Matt Fahey
1st Double Handed – Foggy Dew (SM1808) skippered by Robert Darcy & Janet Wilks
Line Honours Phoenix49 (AUS49005) Skippered by Brenton and Jennifer Carnell
Full results click here
Story Credit ORCV Media
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