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12 April 2024


2024 Prelude
Race Start: Saturday 20 April 2024 at 0000 UTC
(1000 AEST Melbourne time).

Sailonline.org is pleased to once again team up with the organising authority of the Melbourne Osaka Cup Double-Handed Yacht Race 2025 to introduce a 2024 'Prelude' of the real race. With Sailonline's almost real time weather downloads from NOAA, this is intended to give prospective entrants in the real race next year a great opportunity to test their weather navigation skills. The 'Prelude' is timed to run at a similar time of the year as the real race so weather patterns may be similar.

The Melbourne to Osaka Yacht Race is a 5,500 nautical mile 2 handed yacht race - one of the longest two handed yacht races in the world and the only one running from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere. It encounters multiple weather systems and seasons as it crosses the Pacific ocean. The course takes the competitors into Bass Strait, up the east coast of Australia into the southeast tradewinds then through the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone – the Pacific Ocean Doldrums) on the equator. It then heads into the northeast tradewinds to the finish in the port of Osaka.

The race, first held in 1987 to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the opening of the Port of Osaka, is held approx. every four years to celebrate the City of Melbourne and the City of Osaka sister city relationship.

The 2025 event coincides with major events in both Melbourne and Osaka. 2025 will be the centenary of the visit of the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet to Melbourne in 1925 and it is anticipated that a substantial fleet will return to acknowledge the continuing close ties between Australia and the USA. The fleet may be in Port Phillip at the time of the Melbourne Osaka Cup start, so you never know who or what vessel may turn up to be the start boat. Also in 2025, the eyes of the world will be on Osaka as Melbourne’s sister city hosts World Expo 2025. The Expo 2025 site will be on Yumashima Island in Osaka Bay adjacent to the Osaka Hokko Yacht Club and the finish line will be nearby,

The Melbourne Osaka Double Handed Yacht Race Ltd, is the Organising Authority for the event, with the co-operation of the:

Ocean Racing Club of Victoria – on-water race management

Sandringham Yacht Club – host Club in Melbourne

Osaka Hokko Yacht Club – host Club in Osaka.

For the virtual M2O Prelude, Sailonline will be using the polar of a Beneteau First 40 yacht, a popular design sailed in waters all over the world. This virtual design has been chosen as it is representative of the majority of the yachts entered so far.

The Sailonline race opens for registration and practice on Saturday, 13 April 2024 at 0000 UTC (1000 AEST) to enable everyone, especially newcomers, to learn the ropes in time for the start.

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Races

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Current Races:

West Papua to Oregon 2026

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Race #2006
INFO by brainaid.de
GB 90 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: OCQ1 - OCCH - MIG - SYC
Race starts: Feb 02nd 11:00 Registration will open soon
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SAILING NOTE: Gruney may be approached from any direction but must be passed for rounding purposes as indicated on the chart.
Race #2005
INFO by brainaid.de
Frers 33 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
SYC
Race starts: Jan 30th 17:00 Registration Open!
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Red Eye - Hobart Convict Run 2026

Back in 2010, one of our SOLers of the first hour, AUS_Scott76, came up with this ‘Convict Run’ out from Hobart, past Cape Raoul and the penal colony of Port Arthur, round Tasman Island, up and back down the east coast of Tasmania, to finish with a tight technical run – so Scott called it – up the picturesque D'entrecasteaux Channel, home to Hobart once again. It’s 250nm, ideal for a bit of ‘Red Eye’ in comfortable Finngulf 43’s, and if the original idea was to pick up some convicts on the way for a bit of R&R and sea air, you may always drop’m back before returning to Hobart!
Race #2002
INFOby brainaid.de
FG 43 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: RED - SYC
Race starts: Jan 27th 12:00 Registration Open!
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New Ice Age 2026 - Longyearbyen to Browerville


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Race #1968
INFOby brainaid.de
DN PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: NIA - SYC
Race starts: Jan 22nd 07:00 Registration Closed
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Cross the Convergence 2026 - Robinson Crusoe to Galapagos


Welcome to our first race of a new series of ocean voyages across the World’s convergence zones, this first race taking you north from south of the Tropic of Capricorn to the Equator-straddling Galapagos, home of magical iguanas and other exotic fauna (but no mythical kings, Dory) Departing from the island where in 1704 adventurer Alexander Selkirk inspired Daniel Defoe to write the best-seller "The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe", by debarking off the unsound "HMS Cinque Ports", four months before she foundered off the coast of present-day Colombia, we will sail the 2200nm in our decidedly sounder and faster than the " Cinque Ports",
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Race #1983
INFOby brainaid.de
Ocean 50 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: CCZ - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Friday,
January 30 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Jan 16th 18:00 Registration Closed
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