Ponant Sydney Noumea Yacht Race 2025

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2025
PONANT Sydney Noumea Yacht Race: Meet Awen’s Sharon Ferris-Choat

PONANT Sydney Noumea Yacht Race: Meet Awen’s Sharon Ferris-Choat

NEWS
14 Apr, 2025 04:18:00 PM

PONANT Sydney Noumea Yacht Race: Meet Awen’s Sharon Ferris-Choat

The Ponant Sydney Noumea Yacht Race was first run in 1953, and in the 1970s it became a biennial event through to the 1990s.

After a 25-year hiatus, the race was resurrected in 2018. But then COVID-19 and travel restrictions forced the race into mothballs. But on 31 May 2025, the race, organised by the CYCA, will make a much-anticipated return to offshore sailing calendars for its 12th edition.

Six yachts have signed on to sail up Australia’s East Coast and across the Coral Sea to New Caledonia’s capital Noumea. The competitors are Awen, Llama II, Pacman, Smuggler, Serene Summer, and Wild Thing 100.

CYCA Media caught up with a few of the competitors. In this piece we meet Awen’s skipper – Sharon Ferris-Choat.

Awen Sharon Ferris-Choat’s sailing resume is one to brag about. The Canadian-born New Zealander has raced around the world three-times.

A two-time Olympian, Ferris-Choat has broken a number of world speed records, including Antigua to Newport and Round Britain and Ireland.

Awen’s skipper Sharon Ferris-Choat

She’s about to add another feather to her bow. Ferris-Choat will skipper David Hows’ IMOCA Open 60 Awen in the 2025 PONANT Sydney Noumea Yacht Race. Awen was purpose-built in the early 2000s to compete in the Vendee Globe (originally launched as Ecover 2).

The yacht is in the Ocean Sailing Expeditions (OSE) fleet, which offers sailors the chance to crew on a competitive vessel led by highly experienced racers. Ferris-Choat is OSE’s Race Program Director.

Ferris-Choat is looking forward to compete in the 1064 nautical mile race.

Awen competed in the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Credit – ROLEX/Carlo Borlenghi

“I haven’t actually raced east out of Australia before,” Ferris-Choat said. “I’ve only ever brought back boats from the islands [Pacific Ocean] to Australia, not the other way. So, I’m looking forward to that challenge.”

The team’s preparation in the lead up to the race is in stark contrast to their intense schedule before the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Awen placed 14th on Line Honours and 13th on PHS Overall. Ferris-Choat was elated with this result, considering that Awen was only bought in October 2024, less than two months before the race.

“November and December were absolutely full on,” Ferris-Choat said. “I hope that this time we can be a little bit more relaxed and have more things in place to take it [our sailing] to the next level.”

Awen nears Hobart. Credit – ROLEX/Carlo Borlenghi

The “mixed experience” crew will have four days of preparation ahead of the race, and all crew members are required to have competed in at least one passage race or race week. Ferris-Choat said if the yacht can keep an average speed of 15-knots, they should complete the race in three to four days.

Michael Martin’s Frantic currently holds the race record. In 2018, the TP52 completed the race in four days, two hours and 23 minutes.

“It will all depend on what Huey [the weather] dishes out,” Ferris-Choat said.