A proud family moment, for Richard Grant and his daughter Megan Grant to be co-skippering their Knoop 39 yacht ‘Magellan’ in the 2025 Melbourne Osaka Cup race.
Speaking from their home in Hobart, fresh off their double-handed completion of the 77th Maria Island Race in early November, the father-daughter duo reflects on their great sense of comfort for not only their skills in sailing but in how they approach preparation as a team to make the start line.
“The sheer challenge and the oceans you cross is the attraction,” says Richard, whose dream of competing in the race began when he watched the inaugural event in 1987. It wasn’t until they bought Magellan, a Knoop 39 yacht, in 2013 that the timing finally aligned for Richard to pursue his ambition.
Magellan carries strong Tasmanian ties, having been locally built and designed by Wally Knoop for his brother Dick, a respected yachtsman who, Richard recounted “insisted on selling the boat only to someone he believed could sail it well. It has a deep cockpit, which adds an element of safety, with the tiller always within easy reach,” Richard explains, noting that the boat’s “slippery underwater performance reminds him of a Sydney 38.” In their recent race, they tested the boat’s newly installed autohelm, “which in challenging conditions, didn’t miss a beat.”
Having completed several ocean races together, Megan said “I knew it was an opportunity I couldn’t knock back and to do it with my dad who taught me to sail many years ago, the person whose been there for every step of the way – is even more special.”
Without hesitation, Richard added “we were 27 hours into the Maria Island Race and heading into ever-increasing NE winds that built as we sailed back through Storm Bay in the pitch black. I’d had enough but was very comfortable handing the helm to Megan to sail us through the gusty conditions.”
“We’ve spent considerable time learning how to operate and troubleshoot all our systems” Richard added “having been put to the test in this race with a data conversion issue and the need to switch GPS systems. We’ve also sailed for the past 8 years with a jib that lacked furling,” adding to Magellan sail wardrobe “three new jibs—a flying jib with furling, a J2, and a heavy weather jib for the inner forestay—all of which have been tested and proven effective.” Megan added “the recent race was a good test for us, having endured 4 – 5 hours with no wind with a big swell. It was frustrating, with the boat and main slopping around so we will need to rethink our strategies for the doldrums and add to the collection a light air main.”
With 5 months to go, the Grants have another big event ahead, with Megan getting married just 3 weeks before the race start. The motivation? The chance to honeymoon in Japan, a sail home with extended family and her new husband through exotic locations —and to get married with her lifetime-length of beautiful hair, which will be upgraded to a shorter, more manageable style for the race.
Richard has provided inspiration for not only his daughter Megan to embrace sailing but also to fellow competitor Lillian Stewart on ‘White Spirit’. “It’s been somewhat sad having to leave our dedicated crew off the lists whilst we campaign double handed” Richard continued, “we’re competitive and there’s some friendly rivalry between us and some of the other competitors, but we are also looking forward to getting to the end and being able to celebrate with those we know once again.”