Life-Changing Ocean Racing Experience in the Melbourne Osaka Cup

'White Spirit' finishing the Melbourne Osaka Cup © Kazuyoshi Yamano

A resounding yes, they'd do it again for such an amazing life-changing experience, is how Cyrus Allen, skipper of the Beneteau 50, White Spirit, summed up the 2025 Melbourne to Osaka race, which he completed with co-skipper Lillian Stewart.

Cyrus Allen expanded, "It's been an amazing experience, spending five weeks at sea with another person, running the boat, and doing everything needed to get from Melbourne to Osaka. You can't really prepare for that, but you grow into it, from the experience."

"The lead-up events were so well-organised and high-quality, they really set a great tone going into the race"

"And then the reception here in Osaka has been wonderful, and we're only just beginning to take it all in. It's been a little bit of a life-changing adventure."

We have equipment issues, have experienced all types of conditions and have seen the most amazing wildlife, explained Allen.

"We are both much more in tune with the yacht now, more aware of its behaviour and our own limits. We're comfortable pushing it closer to its safe limits, with a better understanding of where we're at and what the boat can handle."

"In the final days, we were so close to Quest, a much lighter racing boat. Who would have thought after such a long distance, we'd be within a few nautical miles, and I think we had the best kite run of the race just outside Osaka Bay trying to catch them," said Allen, admiring what they'd achieved.

"We expected the Doldrums to be our Achilles' heel," Stewart said, "but it wasn't as brutal as we feared. It was hot, sure, excoriatingly hot, but we kept functioning, kept eating and drinking, and moved through at a decent pace."

Stewart mentioned what saved them to cope with the heat, "We slept in the saloon on alternating shifts where I had rigged up four fans in various locations so when you are lying down, you had air movement around you, cooling you."

"We had cool drinks, iced coffees" with Stewart's big tip being "a must-have supply of Super Dupers (ice blocks)."

They dealt with their share of gear failures, a jury-rigged vang from day one, a generator needing constant care, fridge and electrical issues through to a blocked toilet, but took it all in stride.

Stewart a sustainability crusader, was surprised not to see more floating rubbish where the currents converge with the biggest issue being stray fishing bouys and equipment, surprised but expecting it but maybe a factor of currents.

For Stewart, it was the constant wildlife that kept her amused, from seabirds and fish, "we saw loads of seabirds and one point where we saw Boobie birds on the boat every single night, decorating our lovely white mainsail with fresh brown local artwork."

"There was one very still night in the Solomons where I was shining a torch on the water to see huge schools of flying fish darting around the boat, flashes of silver through the water or jumping onto the boat."

Stewart laughed, adding, "We're still finding dried flying fish in strange places."

The experience is one that Allen had on the list for some years, adding "that by the end, we were sailing at wind speed in light conditions, which is amazing for a boat that's very sticky and heavy."

"We pushed our comfort zone, learned what the boat could really do, and it felt incredible."

We had it all but really only a couple of places which were very uncomfortable, generally when there was wind on current with short, sharp-backed waves, such as the approach into Wakayama Bay just prior to reaching Osaka.

Allen summed up that, doing it again, he'd take fewer provisions, do a lot more practice together and start any major improvements way earlier.

Proud of their experience and abilities, it's always a possibility to do the race again for the crew of White Spirit.

'White Spirit' finishing the Melbourne Osaka Cup - photo © Kazuyoshi Yamano