Crossing ‘the Ditch’ alone: Malcolm Dickson and the rise of a record Solo fleet
Written by Kirsten Thomas
Twenty-one sailors will take on the Tasman in May 2026, led by a 79-year-old designer-builder whose lifetime at sea anchors the most experienced fleet this race has ever seen.
On the last Saturday in May next year, twenty-one sailors and their boats will depart Opua and sail to Southport, Australia, in the 2026 Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge. This will not be an easy journey. On paper it looks straightforward, but they will be sailing about 1,300 nautical miles across a stretch of ocean that compresses more weather into that distance than many seas several times its size. The fleet will likely face steep sea states east of Northland, fast-moving lows rolling off the Southern Ocean, and the final push through the East Australian Current.
