Special Interest Matter - Tristan Gourlay

Tuesday 19 May 2026

Mr President,

As stated in the Afloat magazine of May 2026 by Kevin Green  “Tasmanian sailors are known for their hardiness and none more so than the Gourlay family with both father Ken and now son Tristan completing circumnavigations”.

Today I highlight the extraordinary efforts of yachtsman Tristan Gourlay, who recently broke the Australian record for a solo, unassisted, non-stop circumnavigation of the globe.

At 1.35pm on the 9^th of November, Tristan departed Hobart onboard his 17 metre yacht, “Blue Moon 2” on his mission to be the fastest Australian to circumnavigate the world carrying with him a Tasmanian flag given to him by the Hon. Jo Palmer, Member for Rosevears.  His course was to take on the five major capes:

·      South Cape, New Zealand

·      Cape Horn, South America

·      Then up, across the equator and around St Peter and St Paul rocks

·      Cape Agulhas, South Africa

·      Cape Leeuwin, Western Australia

·      And finally, South East Cape, Tasmania.

Mr President, the boat Blue Moon 2 is an Adams 16.4 design that Tristan and his father Ken purchased in 2023, with the plan to compete in the 2025 Melbourne to Osaka – a two-handed yacht race, in which they came second in their division.

After delivering her back from Osaka to Tasmania, Tristan started preparing her for the circumnavigation, using the expertise of local businesses and professionals, feeling confident that he was ready for the trip.

Using the Iron Pot and the top of Bruny Island as his starting line, he headed east, passing under New Zealand, then the long isolated miles across the South Pacific.

Tristan passed 200 nautical miles off Point Nemo during this time, which is the most isolated spot in any ocean in the world. Then, he headed for Cape Horn. The day before he rounded this great milestone, Tristan had a small fire in the galley, caused by a degraded flexible gas hose.

This was Tristan’s most frightening time of the trip, but thankfully, he was able to put the fire out without any major damage being done. He was able to find another similar hose and jury rig it up for the rest of the trip.

Tristan then passed east of the Falkland Islands, at which time the motor started playing up, but thankfully Tristan was able to stop it before any major damage was caused.

A diaphragm in a fuel pump had leaked fuel into the engine oil which was something that really needed a mechanic’s expertise to repair. Additionally, after that, Tristan’s internet connections were cut due to a transformer failing, which left him without weather or social media.

Thankfully, the rest of his trip up the South Atlantic went smoothly and Tristan managed to catch a few fish to supplement his food and provide him with fresh yellowfin sashimi: his favourite meal. Soon, it was time to head south out of the tropics and enter the Indian Ocean, which Tristan says always seems to have a couple of steady swells running.

This made it a bit rougher, and with some overcast days, Tristan started running out of power for his auto pilots. This required him to hand-steer a lot of the time, which became physically draining.

Needing to stop meant it would take longer to finish, and passing Tristan da Cunha, Tristan worked out that if he kept pushing, he could make it under 140 days. This required a great deal of mental and physical stamina as he steered towards Tasmania.

During this time Tristan recounts seeing amazing aurorae in the night sky, as well as a meteor shower – a truly incredible experience.

Seeing Tasmania after all this time was elating – conquering a solo navigation – 22,500 nautical miles – in record time was in Tristan’s grasp. At 6.20am on the 28^th of March, Tristan crossed the finish line at the Iron Pot. It was official: Tristan Gourlay had become the fastest Australian to circumnavigate the world, leaving from Australia with the voyage timed by the Tasmanian Yacht Club. His finishing time was 138 days, 16 hours and 49 minutes.

I should note Mr President that this is 41 days ahead of the existing record, held by none other than Tristan’s own father, Ken, from 2007.

Mr President, this is such an incredible achievement and an extraordinary story, and Tristan has stated how proud and honoured he is to have left and returned home to Tasmania and showcased the potential of Tasmanian sailors on the world stage. I think I speak for the entire community when I say just how proud we are of Tristan’s achievement and our sincerest congratulations to him and his supporters on his incredible journey.