Down below in the small, spartan cabin of Roaring Forty, a 1997 Lutra BOC Open 40 ocean racing yacht, a label front and center reads: "Quitting Lasts Forever." True to that spirit, Roaring Forty has re-entered the race at just after 12 on April 2nd after successfully repairing their boom. 

"Those three words inspire me to look at all possible solutions to keep going and not give up", says skipper Kevin Le Poidevin from Port Stephens after their carbon fibre boom snapped 5 days into the 5500nm race to Japan as they were about 300km east of Jervis Bay.

Competing in the 2025 Melbourne to Osaka Japan Yacht Race, known as the Osaka Cup, Le Poidevin and co-skipper Darrell Greig started the longest south-north race in the world, on 17 March after bad weather resulted in the race start being delayed by 24 hours. 

The two Air Force members raced under their self-funded Aviator Ocean Racing campaign and were about mid-fleet in reasonably moderate conditions and a confused sea state when the incident happened.  

"It was around 2230h, and Daz was up top on watch whilst I was doing weather routing below at the nav station. We had finally beaten our way through adverse winds and currents and latched onto a 3-knot northerly flow of the East Australian Current (EAC). Then suddenly, there was a very loud crunching noise above my head where the boom had snapped half" said Le Poidevin. 

It took the guys four hours to secure the mainsail and boom to make it safe, as they continued to sail under headsail until morning when a closer inspection could be undertaken. 

"The smart choice for a port of refuge to fully assess the damage was Newcastle. There is no support in Jervis Bay, and getting a yard to quickly respond in Sydney Harbour or Pittwater would be extremely challenging.  However, I know Joe and his team at MidCoast Boatyard have the experience and composite technicians to quickly effect a repair if at all possible. Midcoast Boatyard worked on preparing Roaring Forty for the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, used as the qualifying race for the Melbourne to Osaka. If anyone could get us back in the race quickly, it's Joe, Brad and the team," said Le Poidevin. 

On arrival in Newcastle, Kev and Daz stripped the boom, and the MidCoast team hatched a repair plan. Laminate curing times drive a composite repair timeline, so they knew it was going to take at least 7-10 days, depending on the weather. 

If all goes to plan, the repaired boom should be back in the boat by Friday, so a weekend departure is definitely within reach. 

"The last Osaka race was in 2018, and it's only held every 4 years. It takes 2-3 years to prepare the boat and crew, so missing out on this race after 5 days was not very palatable for us. We did not want to quit. Now, thanks to the MidCoast Boatyard team, we have the opportunity to finish the M2O race and celebrate that success with other like-minded skippers in Osaka," said Le Poidevin. 

For those who have done this race or are considering it, there’s an incredible sense of community among competitors, offering vital support and reminding each other that it’s all about the journey.  

The camaraderie runs deep, as Le Poidevin put it: “We will happily take any penalties, as it’s not really going to change anything when completion is the goal.”  

Roaring Forty had a few extra days waiting to resume racing while an east coast low delayed their resumption to racing.

The final boat to start the race, the very fast 66-footer Alive, started its race to Osaka, Japan on Monday, 31st March at 4.30 pm.

Follow the fleet on the race tracker - https://race.bluewatertracks.com/2025-melbourne-osaka-cup-double-handed-race

See who started when on staggered starts: https://melbourneosakacup.com/en/2025-race-start-times/

Learn about the Competitors and Boats: https://melbourneosakacup.com/en/2025-competitors/

Words by: Delma Dunoon

Photos by: Daniel Greig