News

  • News
  • 2025
  • Race updates - 2025 Audi Centre Sydney Flinders Islet Race

Race updates - 2025 Audi Centre Sydney Flinders Islet Race

  • NEWS
  • 20 Sep, 2025 09:00:00 PM
Race updates - 2025 Audi Centre Sydney Flinders Islet Race
URM Group after the start of the Flinders Islet Race. Image: CYCA | Ashley Dart

Race updates - 2025 Audi Centre Sydney Flinders Islet Race

Read on for chronological updates about the fleet.

Saturday 20 September | 2100 hours (11 hours after start)

The sun has set and 17 yachts have finished the impressively quick Flinders Islet Race as the fleet powered through steady westerly breeze.  Edward Cox's Ker 40 Minerva laid claim as the first 40 footer to finish the 88 nautical mile challenge.

Andy Offord's Sunfast 3300 Borderline continues to charge ahead in the Double Handed fleet, with less than 1 nautical mile to the finish line.

The 18 boats remaining are carrying on a steady pace, with the fleet expected to finish overnight.

Edward Cox's Minerva.   Image: CYCA | Ashley Dart

Saturday 20 September | 1630 hours (6.5 hours after start)

URM Group are your 2025 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore Flinders Islet Race Line Honours winners after the Anthony & David Johnston’s Reichel Pugh Maxi 72 smashed the race record for the second year in a row.

Covering the 88nm course in 06:15:44 URM Group ripped an astounding 01:48:50 off their previous best.

Moneypenny, who took a more offshore route, outpaced URM Group over the last 90 minutes of the race and finished second in 06:24:57, with No Limit the next in line to get home.

The outstanding last quarter of the race from Moneypenny sees her provisionally leading both IRC and PHS.

In the next group of boats, Smuggler, the winner of the opening race of the Blue Water Pointscore, the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, is 12.2nm from finishing her race and holds a solid advantage over fellow T52s Highly Sprung (4.4nm back) and Koa (another 0.6nm).

Koa is currently leading the way in the IRC Corinthian race, while Peter Lowndes’ Wine-Dark Sea is out front in the Wild Rose IRC.

Borderline looks the lead contender in both the doubled handed IRC and PHS divisions from Min River and Rum Rebellion, respectively.

All of the fleet’s 35 yachts have rounded Flinders Islet, or are very close, as they continue to finish throughout tonight.

URM Group.   Image: CYCA | Ashley Dart

Saturday 20 September | 1500 hours (5 hours after start)

Eight of the fleet’s 35 yachts have rounded Flinders Islet and begun the journey back to Sydney and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia – and they’re all chasing URM Group.

Anthony & David Johnston’s Reichel Pugh Maxi 72 is just 9 nautical miles south of Botany Bay and still on track to break the race record of 08:04:34, set in 2024. URM Group now leads Moneypenny by 3.4 nautical miles with No Limit 4.1 nautical miles further afield.

The other boats to have made the turn include T52’s Highly Sprung, Smuggler, Koa, Sticky and Matthew Fifield’s X-55 Xanthus. Pretty Woman and Minerva are closing in on the turn.

While it’s way too early to confidently predict handicap results, the three Line Honours leaders currently hold the top three spots on IRC, while Wots Next is holding a big advantage over URM Group in the PHS category.

Borderline leads Blue Planet and Min River in the doubled handed IRC, with Rum Rebellion out in front of the double handed PHS.

Richard Harris' Cookson 50 Sticky.   Image: CYCA | Ashley Dart

Saturday 20 September | 1300 hours (3 hours after start)

Three hours after the start and URM Group is on track to smash their own race record and repeat as Line Honours winners in the 2025 Flinders Islet Race.

As they approach the halfway mark URM Group is holding a 1.4 nautical mile lead over Moneypenny, with No Limit another 1.2 nautical miles back.

The hotly contested race within the race between the TP52’s, Smuggler holds a 0.6 nautical mile advantage over Highly Sprung and 1 nautical mile lead over Koa.

In the clash of the eight double handed entrants, Borderline leads Min River and Blue Planet, with Jupiter and Rum Rebellion, sailing alongside each other, next.

At the back end of the fleet, Carlos Aydos’ double hander Crux, the Bill Barry-Cotter owned and Michael Spies skippered Maritimo Katwinchar, and Western Morning, who chose the most offshore route, were locked in a battle of their own. Crux, at the tail of the field is 16.6 nautical miles behind frontrunner URM Group.

Jiang Lin's Jpk10.30 Min River.   Image: CYCA | Ashley Dart

Saturday 20 September 2025 - The Start

Race 2 of the 2025 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore - the 88 nautical mile Flinders Islet Race down to Wollongong and back - began at 1000 hours this morning under stunning sunshine and powered by a solid westerly breeze of 14-18 knots.

The 35 boat fleet crowded the start line as the fleet jockeyed for positions in the downwind breeze. Claiming the pin end, Robert Appleyard's Moneypenny burst off the line, closely followed by Anthony & David Johnston’s URM Group closest to the Eastern shore.

Such was the ferocity of wind and racing, 69 foot Moneypenny reached the turning marker to exit the Heads in nine minutes 50 seconds, 25 seconds ahead of 72 footer URM Group with David Goetze’s No Limit in third, followed by a group that included Smuggler, Highly Sprung and Sticky. Notably, the Farr 40 KD1 exited the heads alongside the TP52s.

Behind the leaders, the fleet was fairly tightly bunched, including the leading Double Handed contenders Jupiter, Blue Planet, The Gaffer and Min River, while Mark Ayto’s S&S 34 Western Morning was the final boat to leave the Heads, 15 minutes after Moneypenny had taken aim at Flinders Islet.

By the 90 minute mark, URM Group had passed Bundeena and established a handy lead over Moneypenny and No Limit.

 

View all photos

PHOTOS

View all videos

VIDEOS

View all audio

AUDIO