Melbourne Osaka approaches
Sailors are already expressing interest in the longest longitudinal race in the world, the 2025 Melbourne Osaka Yacht Race.
18 March 2022
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The ninth running of the Melbourne Osaka Yacht Race (M2O) is scheduled to start in Melbourne in March 2025. The 5,500 nautical mile race has already received 117 expressions of interest from ten countries.
Due to such an overwhelming response, a Preliminary Notice of Race has been published to assist boats and crews with planning.
“The Melbourne Osaka is one of the most unique and challenging ocean yacht races and is the longest longitudinal race in the world,” says George Shaw, race organiser.
“The racecourse traverses the Pacific from south to north over 5,500 nautical miles,” he says.
“Previous competitors call it their pinnacle of racing, and with only two crew on each boat, the race attracts sailors who enjoy the unique satisfaction of short-handed sailing. This serious ocean race tests boats and crews to the limit and a long lead time is necessary to get to the start line.”
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A staggered start over three weeks brings boats of differing speeds together towards the finish line, with results calculated from handicaps applied to their elapsed time.
“The race is a real test of the crew’s skill, courage and endurance, through eight weather patterns, in potentially extreme conditions,” says Shaw.
“It is the most challenging ocean race to start in Australian waters and is the equivalent of nine Sydney Hobart Yacht Races.”
The average elapsed time for the race is 35 days. The record is current set at 21 days, which was made in 2018 by Sydney yacht Chinese Whisper.
The double handed yacht race is held approximately every four years, organised through the collaborative effort of three yacht clubs, Sandringham Yacht Club and the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria, both located in Melbourne, and the Osaka Hokko Yacht Club in Osaka.
The Melbourne Osaka Yacht Race is an exciting lead up event to the opening of the World Expo in Osaka 2025, which will provide an attractive destination for sailors, support crew and families.
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