Wagga sailor Martin Gregory set for his first Sydney to Hobart yacht race aboard Pekljus

Gregory will embark on his first Sydney to Hobart on Tuesday aboard 50-footer Pekljus, one of more than 100 yachts lining up for the start of the famous race. 

It’s as daunting as it is exciting.

“Probably the two things that scare me are leaving Sydney Harbour – just the number of boats that are going to be on the harbour, helicopters flying around and news crews and that whole commotion, so once we get through the heads I’ll probably relax,” Gregory said.

“And whether you get seasick. I haven’t been seasick on a sailing boat, ever. But I’ve never done this before either.”

Gregory’s journey to a spot on the yacht is almost accidental. After he represented Australia last year, one of his children’s teachers at Wagga High mentioned the achievement to her father who happens to be the skipper of Pekljus, David Suttie.

If the story of the skipper’s daughter’s student’s father getting a call up sounds comical, the twelve months of preparation has been anything but.

“It was very intimidating the first time I got on the boat in January, when the owner decided he was putting a crew together,” he said. “So it’s been a year of training, going to Sydney every month for training and sailing on the boat and sea safety.

“I’m very excited. I’m definitely the least experienced on this type of boat but there’s some really good experience and that’s why I’m excited by it, because I’ll be able to learn from these guys.”

It’s a remarkable achievement for someone who started sailing 20 years ago for a family-friendly hobby, buying his first boat in the classifieds in The Daily Advertiser.

“I owe a lot to the Wagga sailing community,” he said. “It was the Wagga club here that got me into sailing and the things that I learnt from the Wagga sailors that led one thing to another, to sailing for Australia last year, and now this.”

The support of family has also been critical, given the regular trips to Sydney so he can pursue an opportunity of his dreams. And a little understanding of the perils of the event.

“My wife has been kind enough to let me buy any safety equipment I need,” Gregory said with a laugh.

“And the family’s going to meet me on the dock in Hobart.”

If things go according to plan, they might be celebrating more than a safe arrival. 

Originally designed for solo round-the-world sailing, Pekljus has been described as a ‘bulletproof’ yacht. The crew includes helmsman and tactician, Brad Anson, a veteran of 18 Sydney to Hobarts. And when the boat last tackled the event, in 2005, it won the PHS division. 

“The skipper has spent a bit of money on the boat to bring it up to speed,” Gregory said.

“Going for the handicap win is their aim.”

Departing at 1pm on Tuesday, they aim to be in Hobart on Friday afternoon.

“Last time, the boat did it in three days, six hours,” Gregory said. 

“But it really comes down to which direction the wind’s from. If we get an easterly or westerly we’ll put up the spinnaker and scream down. If we get a southerly, we might be six days!”