Michael Trask, 72, took up offshore racing only last year and is chasing a long-held dream of racing to Hobart. A lifelong inshore sailor who moved from Sydney to Newcastle in 2020, he bought Challenge in 2024 and has built a mostly Newcastle and Lake Macquarie crew from scratch. The Sydney 38 has rich pedigree as the last boat of the late Lou Abrahams, a two-time Overall winner and veteran of 44 Hobarts. Abrahams sailed Challenge to third Overall and a Division D win in 2006.