After five days at sea, the last arrivals in the 2022 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race timed their finish to perfection.
Huge crowds of New Year's revellers on Hobart's waterfront gave New South Wales sailors Kathy Veel, 70, and Bridget Canham, 62, a raucous reception as they crossed the line at 11:42pm.
And then, the midnight fireworks topped it off, as they made their way around the dock in their 9.1-metre yacht, Currawong— the second-smallest in the fleet — to crowds chanting the boat's name.
"I expected there'd be a bunch of our friends to welcome us, [but] then the fireworks, and this roar … I didn't know what it was, then I worked out they were saying 'Currawong, Currawong'," Ms Veel said.
As the sun started to set on New Year's Eve, cruise ship passengers followed their journey and other boats joined them as they made their long-awaited approach to Hobart, rounding the Iron Pot lighthouse.
The earlier, 9:30pm fireworks suggested to them the scene they might encounter upon their arrival.
"I did see the fireworks from way down the river, I could see it in the distance, and that was a nice little cheer-on as well," Ms Canham said.
They had set the goal of completing the race before year's end.
"Our race was to get here before midnight, and that's what really kept us pushing so hard to get to that stage," Ms Canham said.
"We couldn't have had a better entry."
And they achieved their goal, celebrating with New Year's revellers and friends, before getting a well-earned four hours' sleep.
A long journey reaches perfect finish
Currawong's journey was keenly watched by many throughout the five days, particularly when the smaller vessels encountered challenging conditions ahead of the second night.
Strong down-winds were predicted, which spelled danger.
Ms Veel said she had found her limit, and decided to pull into Eden before attempting the Bass Strait crossing.
But retiring from the race was never a consideration.
"We're finishers," Ms Veel said.
"We've already shown in other races that we've done, that we'll see something through.
"That's what's hardwired into each of us, that once we commit to something we'll commit to it and just do it."
The pair were only able to get a few hours' sleep at a time, but they quickly became accustomed to the gruelling workload.
"The race itself, [is] certainly right up there with the most exciting and enjoyable sailing in my whole life," Ms Veel said.
"We carried our spinnaker for 21 hours non-stop in the first two days.
"You're basically alternating sailing the boat single-handed with the kite up and the breeze building, and that's why we were so tired at the end of day two.
"I feel fantastic now, I had four hours' sleep last night. I can run forever on that."
Sailing a labour of love for duo
The duo knew the race would be a challenge, attempting it on a tight budget and using a crowdfunding campaign.
Ms Veel — a retired teacher — had bought the 48-year-old yacht and sailed it, two-handed, from Melbourne to Sydney in preparation for the race.
With Ms Canham — a retired nurse — they completed the Bird Island Race in November when others chose to pull out.
"The whole enterprise of preparing your own boat, and doing it yourselves, we just did every single thing on the boat — we've made gear, we've repaired gear, we've serviced it, we've solved lots and lots of problems and set stuff up," Ms Veel said.
The pair have had a celebrated history in sailing.
They met on Kerry Goudge's all-women's crew in the 1993 Sydney to Hobart, one of the toughest editions of the 628-nautical mile race.
This was where they were taught their guiding principle of sailing: that finishing the race is a must.
