News

  • News
  • 2025
  • Tollgate Islands | Rolling Race Updates

Tollgate Islands | Rolling Race Updates

  • NEWS
  • 19 Oct, 2025 04:00:00 PM
Tollgate Islands | Rolling Race Updates

Tollgate Islands | Rolling Race Updates

Follow all the action from the Tollgate Islands Race with live updates, leaderboard changes, and insights from the fleet as they navigate the course.

Race Update | 1600 hours 19 October (47 hours after the start)

Michael Rowe and Ben Martin's Cookson 12 Kanreki finished the race at 1507 hours this afternoon, becoming the seventh competitor to finish the Tollgate Islands Race and provisionally claiming IRC Corinthian and Wild Rose IRC.

At sea, the nine remaining yachts are beating up the NSW coast in a steady nor-easterly breeze. The competitors are making progress as they sail an average 6-7 knots of boat speed.

Wot's Next, Le Tiroflan and Supernova are predicted to finish before sunset while the remaining six will finish overnight. Le Tiroflan and The Gaffer (DH) are predicted to round out the PHS Podium, with Moneypenny holding on to the divisional win.

In the Double Handed division, The Gaffer has pulled ahead in both the IRC and PHS leaderboards, having chosen a more inshore route than the other J/99s, Verite, Jupiter and Blue Planet, who have all gone offshore in hopes of finding more breeze. As of 1600 hours, The Gaffer is 21 nautical miles away from the finish while Verite is 34 nautical miles away. Now the question is, will the reaching conditions entering into Sydney Harbour enable Verite to close the gap and boost up the leaderboard at the finish? Or will The Gaffer hold onto her lead?

Le Tiroflan and Pacific Road Xanthus.    Image: CYCA | Ashley Dart

Race Update | Sunday 19 October, 1230 hours (41.5 hours after the start)

Since our last update Highly Sprung has finished in third place in Line Honours behind URM Group and Moneypenny.

Mark Spring’s TP52 ended their journey just before 0700.

Pacific Road Xanthus is inside the Heads and approaching the finish, while KD1 and Bacchanal are likely to finish the 258 nautical mile course within the next hour or so.

Those six boats, along with Kanreki, will be ashore and ready to enjoy a few celebratory drinks at the Blue Water Sunday Session at the CYCA. For details on that get together, click here.

As the fleet starts to filter into Sydney Harbour it looks more and more likely that Moneypenny will take out the IRC division, although their grip on the PHS category may have slipped with Chris Taylor’s Le Tiroflan the provisional leader. The Pogo 40 will need to finish before 18.29:33 to take the victory.

In the double handed races, The Gaffer and Verite are locked in a tense battle, the former currently in front in the IRC, with the latter leading PHS. The pair are due to finish the course about an hour apart, taking the battle right down to the wire.

Kanreki still leads the IRC Corinthian and Wild Rose IRC and Michael Rowe & Ben Martini’s contender are now well placed to finish before 1630 today.

Supernova, The Gaffer, Sumatra, Verite, Ragtime, Jupiter and Blue Planet will all finish in the dark, with the last boat expected to cross the line between 0200 and 0400 hours.

KD1 and Bacchanal.    Image: CYCA | Ashley Dart

 

Race Update | Sunday 19 October, 0730 hours (36.5hours after the start)

Line Honours of Race 3 of the 2025 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore has been claimed by URM Group.

Anthony and David Johnston’s Reichel Pugh Maxi 72 crossed the line on Saturday night at 22.55 hours to complete the 260 nautical mile Tollgate Islands Race in just under 26 hours.

Twenty minutes later Moneypenny met the finish boat, while Highly Sprung crossed the line in third this morning at 06:50.

Pacific Road Xanthus, KD1 and Bacchanal are all south of Helensburgh and the next three and set to finish in the middle of the day.

While URM Group were first to complete the trip Robert Appleyard and Moneypenny turned the tables and are the provisional winners of both the IRC and PHS divisions.

In the highly competitive double handed fleet, Rob Frayne’s The Gaffer is on track to take out both IRC and PHS from Verite, Blue Planet and Jupiter.

Michael Rowe and Ben Martini’s Cookson 12, Kanreki, leads the IRC Corinthian and Wild Rose IRC. They are on track to finish around 2130 tonight.

URM and Moneypenny.    Image: CYCA | Vito Feremans

 

Race Update | Saturday 18 October, 1850hrs (approaching 24 hours after the start)

All remaining yachts in the fleet have turned the Tollgate Islands and are enroute to Sydney.

Up front, URM Group are 7nm SE of Flinders Islet and have 44nm to reach the finish line with what looks like a stranglehold on Line Honours, with Moneypenny, who are hugging the rhumb line 3nm back.

With the wind currently coming from the SE, URM Group are predicted to finish at around 2300 hours.

On Line Honours, Highly Sprung sit third, 37nm behind Moneypenny, with Pacific Road Xanthus and Bacchanal, next.

Double handers have taken the upper hand provisionally in IRC with Verite, Blue Planet and Jupiter leading the way from early contender The Gaffer.

Verite is second in PHS too, just trailing Le Tiroflan, with Blue Planet and Jupiter next - the division still wide open.

Earlier today Western Morning, MWF Kayle and Luna Blue all retired due to time constraints.

Our next update will be tomorrow morning and include news on who has taken Line Honours.

Verite.    Image: CYCA | Ashley Darts

Race Update | Saturday 18 October 1500 hours (20 hours after the start)

Four yachts have now rounded the Tollgate Islands and set sail for the return to Sydney, with Highly Sprung and Pacific Road Xanthus joining URM Group and Moneypenny on the way back home.

At the 20 hour mark, URM Group were chugging along at about 10 knots at the front of the field, 7 nautical miles SW of Jervis Bay, with 88.2 nautical miles remaining to the finish line. Moneypenny was just over 2 nautical miles in arrears, having lost some ground in the period between 17 and 18 hours into the race. With a predicted 11-12 hours of racing remaining for these two Line Honours contenders, Robert Appleyard’s Reichel / Pugh 69 is not out of contention.

Meanwhile, Pacific Road Xanthus currently leads Bacchanal, Moneypenny and URM Group in IRC. Matthew Fifield’s X-55, which is skippered by Benjamin Roulant, is also out in front of the provisional PHS standings.

As has been the case for some time, J/99 The Gaffer maintains her lead in three divisions – IRC and PHS Double Handed, as well as in IRC Corinthian. Rob Frayne’s CYCA entry is also second behind Pacific Road Xanthus in the overall PHS standings.

The next group of yachts set to hit the halfway mark are Bacchanal, KD1 and Kanreki.

Since the last update, back marker Western Morning retired due to time constraints, joining MWF Kayle and Luna Blue as the three boats to end their race today.

 

Pacific Road Xanthus.    Image: CYCA | Vito Feremans

 

Race Update | Saturday 18 October 1230 hours (17.5 hours after the start)

URM Group and Moneypenny have rounded the Tollgate Islands and are now making their way back up the coast. Both yachts have opted for an inshore route before they’ll inevitably need to head offshore again to keep clear of the shore. URM Group currently holds a slender 3 nautical mile lead over Moneypenny with plenty of racing to come.

Next to round the islands will be Highly Sprung, expected to reach the turning mark in just over an hour.

A small group of four yachts is now passing Ulladulla, roughly 10 nautical miles offshore. Among them is Kanreki, who continues to perform impressively after a strong night and first half of the day and is on track to reach the halfway mark before nightfall.

Leading the next group of pursuers is The Gaffer, featured in our earlier race update. The light J/99 is thriving in these upwind conditions, maintaining her lead in both IRC and PHS Double Handed divisions, as well as in IRC Corinthian.

Just before 1000 hours, Jupiter (also a J/99) Skipper Ian Smith shared: “We had a great night and were relatively competitive among the DH fleet, but The Gaffer shot away. They’re obviously really good sailors. The breeze is fickle but it looks like it is trying to fill from the east."

Since this morning, two yachts have retired:

  • MWF Kayle — due to time constraints; the team will remain at sea for overnight training.
  • Luna Blue — due to time constraints.

 

TP52 Highly Sprung.    Image: CYCA | Vito Feremans

 

Race Update | Saturday 18 October 0900 hours (14 hours after start)

The two Mini Maxis in the fleet are nearing the halfway mark, just 10 nautical miles short. Conditions in Batemans Bay are currently light, with a gentle WNW breeze as forecast. It’s been an intense, neck-and-neck battle at the front, Moneypenny briefly took the lead in the early hours of the day, before URM Group regained the advantage, though only by the smallest of margins.

Around 15nm behind, Highly Sprung has had a very strong night and morning, leading both IRC Division 1 and PHS Division 1 as she approaches Bawley Point.

A tightly packed group follows close behind, including the American entry Bacchanal, who currently leads IRC Overall. Boat Captain Kieran Searle described the conditions as “a light and challenging upwind leg.” The JPK 11.80 made quite the impression impression at the start as only one of only two yachts daring enough to hoist a kite after the gun.

“Ron told me to try to win the race, so we put the kite up in the Harbour,” Searle laughed. “As we were dropping it, we broached and tore it in a gust, we should have dropped it 10 seconds earlier.”

Close behing is Kanreki, who is having a superb race so far, sitting second in IRC Overall and IRC Division 2, first in both PHS Overall and PHS Division 2, and leading both IRC Corinthian and the Wild Rose IRC divisions, an impressive list that could require extra space in the trophy cabinet if she holds form.

Among the Double Handed entries, The Gaffer (earlier this year dubbed as “Quietly Confident”) leads both IRC and PHS DH, having just passed Bowen Island at the entrance to Jervis Bay and is the furthest progressed double hander.

At the back of the fleet, Western Morning, the S&S 34 skippered by Mark Ayto, is making steady progress near Kiama, sailing at around 5.2 knots.

 

  

JPK 11.80 Bacchanal.    Image: CYCA | Vito Feremans

 

Race Update | Saturday 18 October 0600 hours (11 hours after start)

The fleet is almost twelve hours in during Race 3 of the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore.

Mini-maxis URM Group and Moneypenny have match-raced down the NSW Coast as they aim to be the first to round Tollgate Island and turn back to Sydney. The pair are currently racing within 1-2 nautical miles of one another.

A race update from the navigator onboard URM Group:

"At 0520 URM is abeam Ulladulla with 31 nautical miles to go to Tollgate Islands. Wind reached 42 knots out of the heads but has settled into a more manageable 7-10 knots from the (mostly) SW.  Moneypenny 1.4 nautical miles to the east of us and it’s a great tussle. Just east of the rhumb line but hedging towards the coast to hopefully get some land breeze shift as we close in."

 

Reichel / Pugh 69 Moneypenny.    Image: CYCA | Vito Feremans

 

Race Update | Friday 17 October 2200 hours (3 hours after start)

The big news since the last update in Race 3 of the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore to Tollgate Islands is the retirement of Smuggler with hull damage. The crew noticed some delamination of the hull about 2.5hrs into their race. All crew are safe and well.

Meanwhile, the conditions have improved the wind has started to decrease as it turns more south east, setting up a pleasant night for the fleet.

Three hours in, URM Group were remaining further offshore than Moneypenny, having opened up a 1.6 nautical mile lead at the head of the race as they passed the coast off Scarborough.

With Smuggler now out of the race, Highly Sprung was next, with Pacific Road Xanthus leading a tight group that includes Wots Next, KD1 and Bacchanal.

Check back on Saturday morning for the next race update, including provisional leaders in all major categories.

Smuggler. Image: CYCA | Vito Feremans

 

Race Update | Friday 17 October 2030 hours (90 minutes after start)

Race 3 of the 2025 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore - the 260nm Tollgate Islands Race to Batemans Bay and return- began at 1900 hours this evening in testing strong southerly conditions.

The start had been postponed by the CYCA Race Committee from the original jump time of 1700 hours as storms fired through Sydney, threatening powerful winds and hail.

When things did get underway, Robert Appleyard’s Moneypenny and Anthony and David Johnston’s URM Group took off as though they were match racing and oblivious to the rest of the 24-boat fleet.

That duo jockeyed for the lead all the way up until they passed the Lady Bay turning mark and left the Heads, inside ten minutes of the starter’s signal.

Despite giving away plenty of size to the two favourites for Line Honours, Smuggler was hot on their tails, Sebastian Bohm’s TP52 putting in a seriously impressive first quarter of an hour of what is predicted to be a long night.

Highly Sprung was next to leave Sydney Harbour, followed by Bacchanal, KD1, Wots Next and Ragtime

An hour and twenty minutes into the journey, Moneypenny, held a 0.2 nautical mile advantage over URM Group who were running a more offshore route, with Smuggler next, a further 1 nautical mile behind.

Wine-Dark Sea retired due to a torn main early in proceedings, while First Light’s race was over shortly after exiting the Heads with equipment failure.

Hours before the start, Maxi Master Lock Comanche withdrew from the race just prior to the postponement, while Crux didn’t make the start due to an engine failure. White Noise elected to remain at the dock and not take part at all.

URM Group. Image: CYCA | Vito Feremans

 

Pre-start update | Friday 17 October 1500hrs 

Please be advised that the start time of the Tollgate Islands Race has been amended to 1900 hours due to forecast thunderstorms. More updates will follow.

Image: Bow Caddy Media

 

View all photos

PHOTOS

View all videos

VIDEOS

View all audio

AUDIO