Fresh from a weekend of testing The Secretary on a 24-hour Bass Strait passage, co skippers Paul Schulz and Dave Kenny sat down at Sandringham Yacht Club to reflect on their progress as they continue their preparations. With the yacht’s mast recently re-installed, this marked the first ocean sail in their preparation for the upcoming double-handed races, the next step being the ORCV Melbourne to Hobart.
“The Secretary, a J44, is a beautiful boat, really set up for double-handed sailing,” said Dave. “This weekend gave us the chance to get comfortable with the systems, ease into it with some nice 15–18 knot breezes, and work through the sail inventory.”
One focus of the sail was evaluating the sail inventory. “You can inspect sails on the ground, but until they’re up in the air, you don’t see the fine details,” Paul explained. “We identified some changes needed and have a new mainsail and spinnakers on the way. With a budget to consider, it’s all about prioritising what’s essential.”
Having spent a significant amount of time with the rigging out, Paul acknowledged they’re slightly behind the other competitors. “We’re still getting familiar with the boat’s systems, but we’re catching up quickly,” he said.
Before the 2018 Melbourne Osaka race sailing Dave’s boat The Edge, a Sunfast 3200, this duo spent time getting to know each other, working out their strengths and weaknesses and understanding each other’s personalities.
Dave pointed out the advantage of their long-standing partnership. “Knowing each other for so long, we’re instinctive as a team. Having done the Melbourne to Osaka race before, we’re prepared for the personal and physical challenges. Plus, The Secretary is a bigger, more stable boat, so it should be less taxing on us as humans.”
While The Secretary offers more storage and a more open galley, some challenges remain. “Tacking and sail changes will require more effort given the size of the boat, and we are still to work through if we can optimise the tack using the auto pilot.” Paul said. “It may be a staged approach for one person compared to last time.”
Dave added “Safety on deck, especially in tough conditions, is another priority, with both agreeing that double-checking procedures during foredeck work. It is a much longer distance to the bow than when we were on The Edge.
Paul continued, “Dave is still to install “Generator Joe,” a reliable water and wind generator carried over from their previous boat, The Edge to provide some power to the systems.
Having sailed together since their days in East Fremantle, the duo completed the 2018 Melbourne to Osaka race and numerous races both fully crewed and double handed since. Dave continued with the two key lessons learnt being
“1. If you open a job, do it once and finish it—whether it’s setting up comms or fitting sails—you do it properly once, test it thoroughly before finishing.” continuing
“2. Anything we change, you need to use it and go easy on it to start”, elaborating on their experience last time with their sail plan where they made changes to the A4 and didn’t fully check it fitted, and then needed to make changes whilst on route to Osaka.
With a few weeks left before the Melbourne to Hobart, Paul and Dave view the race as a continuation of their preparation for the Melbourne to Osaka race. “We won’t be pushing hard,” Dave said. “It’s about building confidence in the boat and systems. Plus, it’ll be my first time down Tasmania’s west coast since sailing on a square rigger many years ago and Paul’s first time ever.”
Last weekend gave us also that chance to “get familiar too with navigating the Port Phillip Rip again” as they brush up on skills, test systems and get back into the ‘Osaka’ rhythm,” Dave noted.
With further upgrades planned, including solar panels and additional safety features, The Secretary is shaping up to be a formidable competitor. As Paul and Dave joked about USB air conditioners and freshly baked bread from having and oven this time, it’s clear they’re balancing serious preparation with a good dose of humor.
Paul plans to sail back to Melbourne from Hobart with Robyn Brooke, a former crew member of The Secretary onboard, extracting knowledge and continuing to learn and test all the systems.
Looking even further ahead, Paul revealed an exciting plan for his partner Rosetta, also an accomplished sailor, to join Robyn in sailing The Secretary back from Osaka. “Robyn is a fabulous mentor, teacher let alone sailor, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rosetta ends up knowing more about the boat than I do by the end of it,” Paul joked. “That knowledge will definitely come in handy then continue to sail The Secretary as a family—it might even be a marriage saver!”
Coming back to the Melbourne Osaka race “This is a race that tests you,” Paul concluded. “For anyone who loves sailing, it’s a chance to step away from daily life and embrace an incredible adventure. Opportunities like this don’t come around often, so you’ve got to grab them with both hands.”
Some additional background on the crew:
Learn a little more about Dave & Paul’s last journey through their video blog here https://youtu.be/w9HAR8CLGCs
Dave Kenny’s day job is working for the Port Authority for Woodside, originally as a Sea Pilot and now a manager.
Paul Schulz is the brand manager for the Ocean Clothing Group, suppliers of the Musto and Bolle branded gear, a 2025 race sponsor for the Melbourne Osaka.