A former winner, a new dream and 15 Filipino sailors – none of whom have ever been to Hobart before.
For the first time since the inaugural 1945 Sydney to Hobart race, an all-Filipino crew will be onboard one of the yachts.
With veteran sailor Ernesto Echauz at the helm, Centennial 7 will embark on the 628-nautical mile journey having recently arrived in Sydney ahead of the Boxing Day start.
But the boat itself is no stranger to the bluewater classic.
In a previous life, the TP52 yacht was known as Celestial and claimed the Sydney to Hobart overall victory in 2022 under Sam Haynes after being runner-up the year before.
When shipping their own boat from the Philippines proved too difficult, Haynes helped keep the dream alive by selling Celestial to Echauz in September.
Haynes will still contest the Sydney-Hobart race on board a new Celestial.
“I never knew that it was going to be this boat,” Echauz told AAP.
“We acquired Celestial right away because we were told that it’s ready to do the Sydney to Hobart.
“We went through the paperwork, and the most important thing is to be able to get the whole crew, 15 Filipinos.
“They got surprised that, hey, we’re going to bring all of the Filipinos.
“It’s a dream come true for all of us. We never expected that we’ll be able to join.”
One of six international entrants out of the more than 100-strong fleet, Centennial 7’s crew comprises of sailors from the Philippines’ national sailing team and the Philippines navy.
Echauz’s crew in March finished second by five minutes to rivals Happy Go in a nail-biting finish to the China Sea Race, after claiming line honours on board Centennial 5 last year.
“We’ve been sailing with each other for years, for decades,” Echauz said.
“They are dinghy sailors. Eventually, when we started sailing big boats, we would sail together.
“We’ve been sailing in Hong Kong, which is the sailing centre for Asia for big boats, but the standard here is a way, way different.
“It’s a completely different level.”
Unfortunately for the Centennial 7 crew, there won’t be a moment spared for the great Filipino pastime of karaoke.
Though no stranger to success in Asian offshore racing, claiming silverware in the Sydney to Hobart – where conditions are curlier – will be no easy feat.
The crew placed 12th overall in the Cabbage Tree Island Race earlier in December, their first race in Australian waters.
“We just want to finish it. Just finish well, and hopefully nothing breaks and hopefully nobody gets hurt and we don’t make any mistakes,” Echauz said.
“When we do long races, that’s how it is.
“I don’t think we have time for karaoke.”
