Alien and Faster Forward in battle for Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race handicap honours
by Jane Austin / ORCV Media 28 Dec 2025 16:11 PST
29 December 2025
Alien (r) and Faster Forward (l) are in a battle for handicap honours in the 2025 Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race © Al Dillon
The battle for the handicap win is hotting up in the 2025 Melbourne to Hobart 'Westcoaster' Yacht Race.
Alien, the Lidgard 36 skippered by Justin Brenan, has capitalised on the weather conditions overnight, clawing back a third of the gap between handicap rival Faster Forward, the Sydney 38 skippered by Matt Fahey, with just nine nautical miles separating them in the early hours of Monday morning.
While the smaller boats are making up ground, the lighter conditions have proved tough going for the heavier boats particularly early handicap contender Joan Lorraine, the Beneteau Oceanis 46 skippered by Peter Garner, which has struggled to keep up with the fleet in the last few hours.
Matt Setton's Ker 11.3, The Jackal, is still widely tipped to win line honours with a current lead of seven nautical miles over Faster Forward, but it's not over yet between these two boats either.
Fahey has sailed the Sydney 38 closer to the rhumb line and is in the strongest position to take advantage of the intricate microclimate subsystems forecast to pass through, but Setton has taken The Jackal further offshore and may pick up slightly better breeze as they approach South West Cape.
This year's fleet has had an almost dream run down the West Coast of Tasmania with no retirements, but from here until the fleet reaches the docks in Hobart is where tactics, strategy, crew experience and just plain ol' good luck can make the difference between a handicap win and second place.
With the race poised at a pivotal point, never underestimate one wily skipper and his loyal crew, and that's Justin Brenan and the crew of Alien.
Brenan has completed the Westcoaster 15 times and has five overall race wins under his belt, including one Eastcoaster, proving his versatility in a boat that was custom-built in Hobart in 1996 to withstand the intensity of the Southern Ocean.
For those new to offshore racing, Brenan can be expected to put on a master class in tactical racing over the next 24 hours.
Brenan shared his thoughts on Alien's chances prior to the start of this year's Westcoaster.
"We've got an experienced crew who look after each other and just know what to do," said Brenan.
Sailing on Alien are Michael Noy, Calum Brenan, Ben Tyrrell and Andrew Vincent who each have over ten Westcoasters to their names, and with Glen Cowan, Katrina Hartman and Allison Wetzels also very experienced sailors.
"As a crew we spend a lot of time pre-race looking at weather models and currents, but once we are racing, we use observations out of the hatch to make the most of what we see.
"Since owning Alien I've done over 26,000 nautical miles in ten years with largely the same crew, and with 76 Westcoasters between us, we know what to do, we are a well-oiled machine," said Brenan.
For Alien, crew experience and knowing when to gybe may just be the clincher in this year's race.
"In light conditions over such a long race, your crew get tired and can make mistakes.
"It's going to be very competitive and will come down to how well your crew work together.
"Reaching South West Cape... if you set up with the right angle to clear Maatsuyker [Island]... it can be a fast run into Storm Bay, but it's best to gybe only once, so when you gybe is critical," said Brenan.
But Brenan has the utmost respect for the Faster Forward team which has several race veterans, including Simon Dryden, sailing alongside some first timers.
"Having the depth of crew experience on Faster Forward onboard may make up for any weakness of the newer crew," said Brenan.
The fleet is currently beating into seven knots of breeze which is predicted to build to 10 knots by late afternoon with the current lending a hand to those boats closer to the shore.
The mood is upbeat onboard Faster Forward with Fahey reporting earlier today that the team is experiencing "beautiful sunny conditions, a good constant breeze, is making good progress, heading towards South West Cape."
"Spirits are very high, it's Ken's [Lunty] birthday today so we'll celebrate that later in the day, and there have been plenty of whales around us too.
"Our plan is to make the most of the next 20 to 24 hours in what looks like predominantly upwind conditions."
Fahey has deep respect for Brenan and the crew onboard Alien and is acutely aware that the race can be won or lost in the last 50 nautical miles of the race, sharing his thoughts prior to the race.
"Alien is strong, seasoned, with a solid mature crew and will be a hard one to beat.
"The last 50 nautical miles will be critical - at the bottom of Bruny Island, if we get good weather and winds off the land and avoid the fickle winds of the River [Derwent], we might do well.
"We just need to stay close to The Jackal to give ourselves a chance," said Fahey.
The Jackal and Faster Forward are expected to reach South West Cape by early evening on Monday, with The Jackal likely to finish around midday on Tuesday.
The fleet is competing for the prestigious Heemskerk Perpetual Trophy which will go to the handicap winner on AMS.
Other prizes include the Zeehan Trophy for the Navigator of the boat that wins the Heemskerk Trophy, the Wrest Point Abel Tasman Trophy for the winner on line honours, and the City of Melbourne Perpetual Trophy for first on corrected time on performance handicap.
The Westcoaster is one of the world's great ocean races, covering 435 nautical miles from the start in Port Phillip to the finish line in the River Derwent in Hobart.
The race starts with a 125 nautical mile passage across Bass Strait before the fleet sails 200 nautical miles south down the West Coast of Tasmania, past Maatsuyker Island, east to South East Cape then turning northeast through the challenging waters of Storm Bay and then the fickle conditions of the River Derwent.
The monohull race record of 1 day 17 hours 28 minutes 59 seconds was set by Shortwave in 2008.
Follow the 2025 Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race on Blue Water Tracks.