After 11 months, 40,000 nautical miles and a dramatic knockdown of her yacht in a huge storm, Sydney sailor Wendy Tuck has successfully crossed the finish line to become the first Australian female skipper in the Clipper round-the-world race.
An exhausted Ms Tuck and her crew of 17 amateur sailors on board the 70-foot yacht, Da Nang-Viet Nam, finished the final leg of their race in London on Saturday morning AEST.
"I'm just relieved it's over and we've got everyone home safely. We were pushing right to the line, tacking the boat to try to gain time," she said.
Tuck and a fleet of 11 other yachts left London last August on a journey that took them to 16 cities around the world, including Sydney.
One of Ms Tuck's highlights was winning the Sydney to Hobart leg of the race in her Clipper class.
"It was my ninth Hobart. It's a race I love doing and to get across the line first was fantastic."
The toughest challenge was crossing the Pacific, where Ms Tuck's boat was struck by a huge wave and knocked on its side. Her head was sliced open and she cracked a rib.
"It was relentless. There were continuous fronts coming through, big seas, big winds. The knockdown was quite horrendous."
She had been awake for the previous 24 hours and had just gone to her bunk when the boat was flattened.
"I remember being airborne, hitting my head and ending up in the navigation seat, trapped in my sleeping bag, bleeding from the head."
However, Ms Tuck had to quickly bandage herself to get up on deck to help a crew member pinned underneath the boat's steering column.
"The way the team rallied was incredible. There was no panic. Everyone stuck to their roles. It was perfect."
Da Nang-Viet Nam finished sixth in the race overall.
Tuck is a professional sailor based at the CYCA, where she is an instructor and skippers corporate charters, including taking Russell Crowe and Oprah Winfrey out on Sydney Harbour.
So how will she unwind before gearing up to compete again in her 10th Sydney to Hobart? "I'm going sailing in Croatia with my friends," she laughed. "But we're cruising. I'll be just sitting there saying, can you fill my drink?"
The Clipper round-the-world yacht race was started by legendary English sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who was the first person to sail solo, non-stop around the world in 1968-69.
The race attracts mainly amateur crew of about 700 people from 44 different countries who race 40,000 nautical miles over 11 months. One of the Australian crew was Ross Ham, from Brisbane, who also competed in the previous race.
"I love sailing. Love the discipline. It's a very set routine. Eat, sail, sleep. And repeat."
He said he was looking forward to reuniting with his "very understanding" wife, walking his dog and enjoying "the peace and quiet of everyday life".
