Twelve boats to start 10,200 km Melbourne Oaska Marathon on Sunday

Enjoy the Tasman Sea on Zero 14th March - Melbourne Osaka Cup © Ocean Racing Club of Victoria

With two days to go, crews in the 2025 Melbourne Osaka Cup two-handed yacht race are starting to feel the tension building. But even between the two crew members of each yacht, reactions are different.

"I can't wait to get out there actually", says Kevin Le Poidevin, co-skipper of "Roaring Forty".

Le Poidevin's co-skipper and friend from their military days, Darrell Greig, has a different view, "I'm getting a little bit anxious", he says. "I tend to get over-exuberant and throw another sail up."

Tristan Gourlay competed in the Melbourne Osaka in 2018 and, with his father, Ken, will co-skipper their 16.4 metre "Blue Moon II" in this year's event.

"We haven't got an incredibly fast boat", says Ken. "We'd just like to finish and not shame ourselves."

That Corinthian spirit is echoed by Tristan, "We're sort of hoping (to finish) around the mid-fleet".

"It's a long race, and anything can happen."

Competitors will spend up to five weeks aboard, doing watches of two or three hours on and off watch for the duration.

"Our plan is to try and settle into a routine as quickly as we possibly can", says co-skipper of Joker X2, Peter Dowdney.

"We'll try and get some sleep, although I very much doubt we will in the first 48 hours."

Between now and the start at Portsea on Sunday afternoon, the major focus will be on the weather. "It's essentially seven different eco-systems on the way up", says Cyrus Allen, co-skipper of "White Spirit".

"I think the navigational aspects and judging the weather and figuring out where to place the boat in a few days time will come down to one of the most important things for us to do."

This is the ninth edition of the Melbourne Osaka Cup and celebrates the sister city relationship.

"Osaka is now our longest-standing sister city relationship - representing a partnership that has endured more than 45 years", says Lord Mayor of Melbourne Nick Reece.

This is also the first race since the passing of former Lord Mayor and avid sailor, Trevor Huggard.

"Trevor is credited with reviving our sister-city relationship, in part, by championing the inaugural Melbourne to Osaka Yacht Race in 1987."

The crew of "Roaring Forty", are not just racing for themselves but for awareness of Brain Tumour Alliance Australia, Pankind and Soldier On charities.

"We brand our boat, put it on our sails, all at my cost and then we try to raise money through a website fundraising campaign," says Kevin Le Poidevin.

For Darrell Greig, it's particularly special, after losing his sister to pancreatic cancer two years ago.

"I'm going to be spreading some of Rachel's ashes during the race."

The race will start off Portsea Pier on Sunday 16 March at 5:00pm.

More information at melbourneosakacup.com