A dream of sailing into Constitution Dock has been dashed for a Lake Macquarie couple, forced to retire their yacht from the gruelling Sydney to Hobart race after being overwhelmed by defects, including a frightening battery fire.
A Cascade of Problems at Sea
Titoki, the double-handed yacht skippered by Speers Point couple Tim Binns and Frances Beaumont, officially retired from the 2025 race around 6am on December 28. The decision came after a brutal 24 hours where the duo battled a series of critical failures.
According to a social media statement from the pair, their race unravelled due to "defects to our running rigging, genoa sheets, various fuses, water leaks, and a lithium power tool battery fire." Attempting repairs in the heavy weather conditions offshore proved too difficult and dangerous for the two-handed team.
Exhausted Crew Diverts to Safety
Binns and Beaumont, both former Navy personnel, confirmed they were physically spent by the ordeal. "Although Tim and I are both okay, we are very tired, very wet and suffering mild hyperthermia," they stated. The official race tracker listed their reason for retirement as "rigging issues."
Instead of the finish line in Hobart's River Derwent, Titoki has altered course for the NSW South Coast port of Bermagui, located between Batemans Bay and Tathra. The retirement adds to a significant list of non-finishers in this year's challenging event, with 33 of the 128 starters having pulled out by midday on December 28.
Local Contingent Soldiers On
While Titoki's campaign ended prematurely, other vessels with Newcastle and Lake Macquarie connections were still battling towards Tasmania. The best-placed local hope was Frantic, skippered by Michael Martin out of the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club, sitting in 15th place for line honours.
Other local yachts including KD1, She's The Culprit, Mako, and Inner Circle were spread through the rankings, while Millennium Falcon and Santana were near the rear of the fleet. Several local sailors were also crewing on top-10 hopefuls like LawConnect and Smuggler.
Binns and Beaumont, who had spent most of the year preparing on Lake Macquarie, expressed pride in their effort but devastation at the outcome. "We are proud of what we achieved, but gutted by our outcome in this race," they said, thanking their extensive online following for support.
