Melbourne Osaka Cup Update - On long Escapade
by Melbourne Osaka Media 21 Apr 22:14 AEST
21 April 2025
Escapade the father and son crew © Al Dillon
Robert and Michael Bradley are one of two father-son teams in the Melbourne to Osaka Cup. They crossed the finish line last night, as the drone display from Expo 2025 welcomed them in.
This was Robert's second Osaka, and he admitted that 'after the first time, you'd have to be crazy to do this race again'. And then he did!
What made their experience different was that they didn't have access to the tracker or the daily banter that the other competitors share, as they didn't have easy access to the internet through Starlink.
I spoke with Robert and Michael about the 'escapade' they had just undertaken, sailing 5,500 nautical miles from Melbourne to Osaka, and the challenges they faced.
On the morning after their start, still in home waters near the Glennies, west of Wilson's Promontory, they lost all their instruments and by default, their auto-helm. At their most vulnerable due to late nights of preparation and emotional farewells, such a serious malfunction so early in the race was potentially crippling. However, three things gave Robert the will to continue: they had drifted quite close to land and conditions were very calm, confidence from years of problem-solving in isolated locations with limited resources, and having worked so hard to get to the start line for this great race. As with all good teamwork, Michael started by checking all the connections behind the navigation station and cleaning any suspects. With no success in finding the culprit, he then helmed while Robert continued the troubleshooting process to identify and isolate the problem. Eight hours later, the faulty wiring was bypassed, and they were back racing.
Michael spoke about the three times they hove to, to calm the boat to fix potentially race ending malfunctions. The autopilot became the centre of attention once more when the housing started to work its way loose. Early detection meant that it was not a huge problem, but the entire cockpit floor needed to be dismantled for access to fix the issue. Another time, in the heat of the Solomon Sea, that somewhat troublesome but essential piece of hardware decided to quit altogether. Robert wasn't confident in the unit to begin with and wisely had a spare on board.
The third 'hove to' situation was when the headsail furler split in half and the sail refused to drop. Michael hopes that climbing the mast in the middle of nowhere to release the jammed sail was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was at this point that the yet unused battery-operated winch handle earned its money in one hit, thanks to Edel for the foresight in providing it.
In Wakayama Bay, on the approach to Osaka Bay, there was heavy fog with visibility reduced to around 20 metres. Already tired from a long race and psychologically coping with rationed and limited food options for the last week, but aware of the extraordinary marine traffic that is Japan, Michael dutifully blew the manual fog horn for a solid couple of hours - one long, two short - until conditions started to improve. Inside Osaka Bay at last, they hoisted the spinnaker and enjoyed some of the best sailing of their race, in flat water, with the finish line visible on the plotter -an event that Michael later described as being "a highlight of the race."
At the Welcome Party the next day, a very emotional Robert expressed sincere gratitude to the team of supporters in Melbourne who all played a role in helping to get Escapade to the Start Line. When asked directly if he would do the race again, Michael responded "yes, I think so"...so watch this space!
Welcome to Osaka Escapade and a hearty congratulations on finishing so well.
You can follow the race here