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Barefoot Relief and Big Gains for small boats

Home 2025 Barefoot Relief and Big Gains for small boats

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Barefoot on the dock at Hobart, toes finally free, Rhys Cantwell looked like a sailor who had just exhaled after holding his breath for four days of the 2025 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

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Time & Date: 30/12/2025 –1630  (99.5 hours after the start)    

A crewman on Kraken Sails Toecutter, Cantwell had only just peeled off his sea boots. “I’ve had boots on for four days,” he laughed. “I just took them off.” The relief was earned. The race had been demanding, but for Cantwell and his crew it also delivered a quiet revelation about their boat.

The big talking point was what lay beneath the waterline. Freshly fitted twin rudders transformed the Victorian Toecutter’s behaviour when it mattered most.

“It’s made it a totally different boat,” Cantwell said. “Hard running and reaching — it just hangs on now. It doesn’t let go.”

In the heavier conditions, the change felt dramatic. “It was like taking the handbrake off,” he said, describing long days and nights of fast, committed sailing where the boat felt quicker, more manoeuvrable and far more forgiving. The gamble on modifications paid off, and the sense of satisfaction was obvious.

There is more to come too, with further upgrades planned as the team turns its attention to the offshore circuit and the next tilt at the Rolex Sydney Hobart.

Elsewhere along the dock, the mood was similarly reflective after this, the 80th edition of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s famous 628 nautical mile race.

Borderline co-skipper Ian Hoddle (sailed double handed by Hoddle and the boat’s owner Andy Offord) summed up the physical toll simply: “Pulled up okay — just a few stresses and strains on the body. Nothing serious.”

And for Min River’s Alexis Loison, the verdict was clear-cut after a race defined by constant change.

“A very hard race, from the start to the finish,” he said. “A lot of weather changing — but a fun, attractive race and a really good result at the end.”

Steve Dettre/RSHYR media