Geoff Hill was quick off the mark, as soon as entries opened for the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club’s (RPAYC) inaugural Lord Howe Ocean Race, the Hong Kong based businessman entered his Santa Cruz 72, Antipodes, making them the first entry received for the biennial event due to start on Friday of the October long weekend this year.
Hill has put a lot of ocean miles under the hull of his comfortable Antipodes, which created the record in the RPAYC’s 1250 nautical mile inaugural Sydney to Auckland Race across the Tasman Sea back in 2023.
That record was broken by Bryon Ehrhart’s Juan K 27 metre pedigreed racing machine, Lucky, And Antipodes was pipped to the post for second over the line and overall by Mick Martin’s TP52, Frantic.
The changeable and fickle nature of the last few days of the race dictated the two yachts would be left playing cat and mouse while those behind were fast catching up, but Hill continues to be seduced by new ocean offerings by ‘The Alfreds’
“I think it’s a fantastic idea,” Hill said. “It’s a genuine ocean race – and it’s purely a NSW race – which should put NSW on the sailing map.
“I also love the idea of sailing 450 miles there and 450 miles back. You don’t stop anywhere. And it’s almost as long as Sydney to Auckland race,” said the yachtsman who contested three of the old Gosford to Lord Howe Island races.
Hill believes RPAYC has come up with a brilliant initiative: “I think it’s a very good idea to hold the race biennially in even years with the Sydney to Auckland held at the same time of year in the odd years. And the timing of it doesn’t clash with any other major sailing event in Australia.
“It’s fantastic preparation for anyone doing the Sydney Hobart too,” says Hill, who will leave Antipodes in the capable hands of his daughter, Natasha for the 2026 Rolex Sydney Hobart, after she co-skippered the yacht with him in last year’s race.
“I’m not doing Hobart. I’ve turned 80 and that’s enough! My daughter will do it. However, I will do the Sydney Gold Coast and Gold Coast Mackay races and Airlie Beach, then we’ll bring boat back for the Lord Howe Island race,” says Hill, who plans to use the same crew for the Lord Howe and Sydney Hobart races, “to get them working together as a team.”
“My plan is to get the same crew for this race as for the Hobart, get the crew working as a good team.”
Hill and Antipodes are one of a rare breed who clocks up and incredible amount of ocean miles, having put over 100,000 miles on the clock to-date, including all those they did in Asia and in races such as the Darwin Ambon.”
He will enjoy Antipodes while he can. “I’ve got the boat for sale. It will be deliverable after the Sydney Hobart,” he said.
At 890 nautical miles, the new Category 1 Lord Howe Ocean Race race is marginally shorter than her counterpart to New Zealand, but will provide just as tactical, with similar conditions.
Starting from Broken Bay on Pittwater on Friday 2 October, the race will take the fleet around Balls Pyramid off Lord Howe Island and return to the finish back at Pittwater – one long continuous race.
A special perpetual trophy is being created in honour of the inaugural race, making it an unforgettable experience for the owner of the first boat to be engraved on it. Just as unforgettable is the chance to generate the race record. Maybe Antipodes will do it again.
The Lord Howe Ocean Race is open to fully crewed monohulls, double-handed monohulls and fully crewed multihulls.
Early Bird entry discount ends at 1700 hours on 1 September 2026, so enter now and view NoR at: https://rpayc.com.au/lord-howe-ocean-race/
By Di Pearson/RPAYC media
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