After more than 5,500 nautical miles and 37 days at sea, Magellan has crossed the finish line in Osaka, and not without some dramas, friendly family rivalry, and a few missing ducks.
Magellan, a Knoop 39, skippered by father and daughter team, Richard and Megan Grant, had a close, spirited match race for forty-eight hours with the mother and daughter team on Hesselmans, Najad 490, Fika and finished only minutes apart.
“When there are two boats on the water going in the same direction, there’s always a race on,” said Richard. “We were just 300 metres apart at times. I don’t know about Annette (Fika’s skipper), but I was trying as hard as I could!”
Magellan crossed the line just over nine minutes ahead of Fika based on elapsed time.
“Magellan has a lighter and smaller rig than Fika, so we can tack quicker,” said Richard “But Fika can push an extra knot of speed once powered up. So we need to throw in more tacks to keep the pressure on.”
Holding back the emotions, Richard Grant was so proud of his daughter Megan, adding, “It was an absolute blast, and I couldn’t have wished to do it with anyone else but Megan.” He finished with, “I’m so proud of her.”
Having sailed 2,000 nautical miles under jury rig after their D1 broke in the Solomon Islands, refining the jury rig setup at various points, Richard reflected, “I really enjoyed pushing Magellan as hard as we could.”
“We had Wilksie Marine bring two replacement D1’s for the mast rigging over to Osaka, and I’m so thankful we made it,” Richard explained. “The protective tubing over the Dyneema at the mast was almost completely worn through. I guess I can now say the warranty on my jury rig was about 2,000 nautical miles and another 200, and it might’ve gone altogether.”
“When the mast D1 broke, the sway in the mast was enormous”, Richard added, “we were so lucky not to have it fall, which could have punched a hole in the yacht.”
Richard went on to pay tribute to the selflessness and seamanship of Ken and Tristan Gourlay on Blue Moon II, who offered to stand by in case assistance was needed during their emergency repairs. “Ken’s family and our family have had a long association, with Ken providing sailing instruction to a younger Megan, and some friendly family races in Pacers. So, hats off to Ken and Tristan; they didn’t even ask for redress on time. Amazing seamanship and support.”
Throughout the race, this father and daughter team had an unusual side mission to keep their spirits up: finding toy ducks stashed around Magellan by her mum before the start.
“We found a total of 27 ducks,” Megan laughed. “According to Mum, there are 48 hidden onboard. We weren’t actively searching, and I think we’ll be finding them for days to come.”
One duck was even lost overboard as they passed through the narrow Yuraseto Channel, approaching Osaka Bay, during an attempted photo shoot on the dodger. Megan added, “Dad instantly said, ‘We have to go back!’ but I told him, ‘Don’t be silly, we have a race to finish!’ The race was more important at that point.”
Megan, married just three weeks prior to the start of the race and dubbed the ‘Sail Away Bride,’ laughed when asked about honeymoon plans. “The honeymoon starts soon — we’re staying with Mum and Dad for a bit and doing some work on Magellan,” she said, quickly adding that after 38 days at sea with her dad, “we definitely draw the line at taking Dad on the honeymoon!”
The successful arrival of Magellan and Fika marks another milestone in the 2025 Melbourne to Osaka Yacht Race, with two parents forming bonds with their daughters to write into the history books, with a close finish for the first mother and father-daughter teams.
As the final two boats complete their quest to reach Osaka, you can follow their progress on bluewatertracks.com, remembering that the leaderboard and results are indicative and unofficial and are yet to take into account hearings, protests and redress being applied.
Melbourne Osaka Media
Follow the fleet as they race towards Osaka via the race tracker https://race.bluewatertracks.com/2025-melbourne-osaka-cup-double-handed-race
Learn more about the race and competitors via the Melbourne Osaka Cup website https://melbourneosakacup.com/en/home/
Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Osakacup2018/
About the Melbourne Osaka Cup:
Melbourne Osaka Double-Handed Yacht Race: The World’s Longest South-to-North Sailing Event, is about to kick off, attracting both international and local sailing talent.
Competitors sail non-stop and unassisted on their own boats with just two people onboard, navigating four weather systems over 32 to 35 days.
This event provides a unique opportunity for sailors, many of whom are Corinthian (non-professional and self-funded), to embark on the challenge of a lifetime. While major shorthanded races like the Vendée Globe and Transat Jacques Vabre feature professional teams, large shore crews, and significant budgets, the Melbourne Osaka Race stands apart by offering accessibility to sailors who do not rely on extensive support teams.
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