Trans-tasman Solo Race
Father vs son in a gruelling dash to Australia.
“Well if you’re doing it, I’ll have to then, won’t I?”
This is a surprisingly casual statement from someone choosing to take on one of the Southern Hemisphere’s most gruelling single-handed yacht races.
But it’s these exact words which have led to this year’s only father-and-son competitors in the Solo Trans-tasman 1,380-nautical mile yacht race – father Malcolm Dickson racing against son Hamish.
The race is a four-yearly contest across a fierce stretch of water famous for its legacy of shipwrecks, abandonments and cyclones. It starts in New Plymouth on April 1 and finishes in Mooloolaba on Australia’s Sunshine Coast. There are 17 entries
with boats ranging from 9.3m to 16m.
Both Dicksons are seasoned yachties who have faced many trying ocean passages before. Having completed a lot of their short-handed sailing together, Hamish, a Bay of Islands-based yacht rigger, says it’ll feel a bit different this time to be looking at each other from across the waves.
“It will be pretty special to say I’ve done it with my old man. For me, it’s one of those bucket-list things that’s always been at the back of my mind. Having Dad share the journey, even if he is on a different boat, is pretty cool as well.”
Beneath their humble demeanors, Malcom and Hamish carry a host of industry skills which will serve them well. A yacht designer and boat builder in his own right, Malcolm’s first taste of the Trans-tasman challenge was in 1977. He finished fifth in his yacht, Spindrift.
Adding a special element to their entries this year is that he built both his and Hamish’s boats. They may be 10ft apart in size and 20 years apart in age, but Zenith and Sarau both hold the trademarks of quality Dickson Marine builds, their former family boatyard in Nelson. Hamish believes they are the perfect yachts to stand the rigours of the Tasman sea.
“Zenith – a triple-skin kauri build – was launched in 1985 and I learned to race in her,” says Hamish. “She was our second family boat – the first was a 29-footer in which we cruised around the Pacific Islands.”
His first stints of solo-sailing began at age 14, and since then
Hamish has kept an eye on Zenith’s whereabouts after she was sold. When the opportunity presented itself to buy her from a Nelson owner in July 2017, Hamish and wife Kate were quick to register their interest, and bought her soon afterwards.
“Sailing on her is like being with an old friend you haven’t seen in a while. You get acquainted pretty quickly.” Full of memories and experiences, he knows
Zenith like the back of his hand. “She’s stiff, light and goes like a rocket with cracked sheets. In a heavy upwind state, she won’t be the fastest, but I’m very aware of her limits,” he says.
On the other hand, Malcolm’s 16-tonne pilothouse sloop Sarau was the last build before the sale of Dickson Marine, and will be the biggest yacht in this year’s Trans-solo fleet.
A proven heavy-duty yacht, Sarau has been on many adventures, including a 6,000-mile passage through Foveaux Straight from Tasmania to Argentina via Cape Horn, which Hamish and Malcolm crewed two-handed.
“We’ve always been at home on the open ocean and this race is just another good chance for us to do what we love. Admittedly it’ll be pretty hard to beat sailing around Cape Horn with your old man. But it’ll have a story of its own,” says Hamish.
The idea of solo sailing has always appealed to him, although he knows it’s not for everyone. “To me it’s the ultimate challenge, and one which pushes you to be the best sailor you can be. You’ve got to be in total control – there’s no other crew and this can be a real challenge when you’ve got a boat to run and systems to keep going.”
Hamish’s boating career includes working on deep-sea fishing boats, in boatbuilding yards, dinghy production builds, offshore sailing deliveries and circumnavigations, and race yacht management. Now an experienced rigger, he’s lived and worked all over the world and has run America’s Cup boats in Mexico and notched up 12,000 nautical miles double-handed with Kate on their former boat, the Farr 10.6 Pedlar.
The Trans-solo Race will be his first-ever challenge alone, but there’s no sign of nerves – yet.
“I’m sure the butterflies will kick in on day one, but once that first night is under my belt I know I’ll be fine. Right now it’s just about preparation. And as with most events like this, the hardest part is the financial side of getting to the start line. You’ve just got to keep chipping away and not lose sight of what you’re trying to achieve,” he says.
Hamish’s been fortunate to have Doyle Sails’ assist with sail requirements, as well as KZ Marine and Harken.
“I can’t say enough about the help I’ve received so far. It’s bloody expensive to do a race like this and every little bit helps. Grant Bluett at Harken has been a massive supporter, and the team at Half Moon Bay have also been exceptionally accommodating for what myself and my father are putting together,” he says. BNZ
For me, it’s one of those bucket-list things that’s always been at the back of my mind.