After five days and four nights of demanding conditions in the 2025 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, just six minutes separated the yachts representing the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Australian Army.
The RAN's Navy One crossed the finish line in Hobart in the early hours of December 31, narrowly ahead of the Army's Rising Sun - the Army's new Beneteau First 40, introduced in 2025 to replace the long-serving Gun Runner.
Co-skippered by Chief Petty Officer Nicholas Greenhill and Lieutenant Grace Corboy-Stevens, Navy One placed 13th in International Rating Certificate (IRC) Division 5 and 28th in the IRC Corinthian category.
While the crew did not repeat their 2024 division win, they did win the 'Oggin Cup' for the first yacht crew by Defence personnel on correct time.
This year the Oggin Cup included seven yachts, from Navy, Army, Special Forces and private entries.
RAN Sydney to Hobart team manager Commander Nathan Lockhart said the team was proud of their performance and pleased to finish ahead of their sister vessel and other armed forces crew yachts, to win the Oggin Cup on behalf of Navy.
"There were high hopes of defending the title and while the Navy One crew did not achieve that, we were delighted to beat Rising Sun," Commander Lockhart said.
Rising Sun, racing in its first Sydney to Hobart, is the sister ship to Navy One and forms part of the Army's offshore training and development program.
Commander Lockhart highlighted Navy One's 50 per cent female crew, describing it as a significant achievement following efforts by the RAN to increase female participation in an historically male-dominated sport.
Not only did Navy One have a female co-skipper, but the 2025 race also marked the first time in the event's 80-year history that a female skippered yacht, Min River, won the Tattersall Cup on corrected time.
Navy One has a long history of representing the RAN in the blue water classic. The yacht placed 29th overall in 2024, winning the PHS Corinthian York Trophy, and previously won the Oggin Cup in 2023 as the only armed forces entry.
Owned and operated by the RAN, Navy One is sailed solely by serving Navy personnel and forms part of the RAN's broader program to build teamwork, resilience and maritime skills through competitive sailing.
This year marked Navy One's sixth Sydney to Hobart campaign, adding another chapter to the long-standing friendly rivalry between the Australian Army and RAN on the world-renowned ocean race.
