Elizabeth Tucker raced her first Sydney Hobart on the Swan 65 Eve in 2021, only a year after taking up sailing. She returns this year with her own boat, First Light, a 2008 Owen Clarke–designed Class 40 she bought in Europe and sailed 14,000 miles home to Australia double-handed.

Her first offshore race with First Light was the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour, finishing tenth overall. She went on to place second in division in the 2025 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Race and is now leading the first all-female crew to compete in the entire Blue Water Pointscore. The program focuses on building depth, confidence and leadership across every role onboard, with the broader aim of increasing women’s participation in offshore sailing by giving them structured access to the experience required to progress.

First Light is Class 40 hull number 54, sailed under the banner of Za Ocean Racing.

Related News

Rolex Sydney Hobart all-woman crew – except one