Across the ditch in 36 hours: A Record-Breaking Offshore Adventure on the XF75 ‘Mach4’

NZ to Australia May 2025

Departure: Bay Of Islands, New Zealand

Arrival: Gold Coast, Australia

Total Voyage Duration: 1.5 Days 

Total Passage Distance: 1,170NM

Crew: Mark, Darren, Nathan, Dave, Mitch, Ben

Some passages are about getting from A to B. Others become stories you’ll tell for a lifetime, and have a trophy to back it up. 

We departed the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, aboard the XF75 – the first ever offshore crossing on this model and the maiden voyage for Mach4. The XF75 is the latest in a proven range, but this trip would take it faster long range than any XF had gone before. With full tanks and a chosen weather window, we eased the throttles forward. The boat rose smoothly onto the plane, foil-assisted riding confidently in the water, and settled into a fast, stable cruise of 35 knots.

Rounding the tip of New Zealand and leaving the protection of the mainland, we faced a 2.8 meter forward-quarter swell on the port bow. You’d think it would slow us down. It didn’t. This wasn’t just fast; it was relaxed, Mach4 making herself clear that she wanted to run.

We passed the Jurassic silhouettes of the Three Kings Islands without stopping, bound for a place few reach: Balls Pyramid, a remote sea stack famed among sport fishers. On a glassy patch of ocean, we edged the cruise speed up slightly – 36 knots. The boat felt effortless.

The sea shifted around us as we ran – beam sea, stern quarter, then following sea, and finally starboard stern quarter. Yet over the next ~800 nautical miles, we maintained 36 knots, gliding easily.

At Balls Pyramid we paused to explore, admiring the jagged, otherworldly landscape. Ball’s Pyramid is no island in the traditional sense. There is no welcoming shore, no friendly cove – only a spear of basalt, 562 metres tall, thrusting up from the open ocean depths like some giant stone fang. Weathered and totally exposed, the Pyramid is home to monsters of the deep, for those who can get there and haul them up. Then we moved on to Lord Howe Island to top up a small amount of fuel – an intentional buffer considering what lay ahead. A cyclone was crossing the Tasman, and although the worst had passed, we knew the next leg would be rough.

We left Lord Howe Island into the tail end of the system. The conditions quickly turned messy. A confused swell of 3 – 4m from three directions collided beneath us, while 35 knots of wind blew sharp on the nose. Waves would rise, collide, stack, or vanish, huge peaks and holes shifting without warning. At times visibility dropped to under 200 meters in driving rain. Throughout this we reduced speed to around 25 knots.

As we approached the Queensland coast, the sea slowly started to settle. With 50 miles to go, the throttles eased forward. Back at 35 knots, we surged past the final markers and arrived just after midnight, docking quietly at the Southport quarantine berth.

Our total time: 39.5 hours dock to dock, including the stops at Balls Pyramid and Lord Howe Island. Our total travel time: just 36 hours. It was officially recognized as the fastest ever crossing of the Tasman Sea from New Zealand to Australia – awarded by Pacific Powerboat Magazine, who officiates the Trans-Tasman Speed Record.

At 8am, Australian Customs stepped aboard – smiling and excited. They’d been tracking us online through the journey, unable to believe the speed at which we’d made the crossing. Friends and followers were doing the same, calling in amazement: “You’re already there!?”

After clearing customs, we cruised to The Boat Works for a well-earned clean and reset, and to get ready. As the crew prepped for the weekend ahead, another journey was coming to its close above us. The H130 helicopter – having flown the width of the continent from Perth to meet the boat – touched down and was loaded aboard, now ready to live with Mach4 and explore the sea and sky together. By Wednesday, the boat was docked in the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show for the global debut of the XF75, where the gears shifted from offshore adventure to champagne. Four days of fine dining, wine tasting, and socialising followed. From record-breaking offshore to a polished showcase, the contrast said it all: this is a boat built for the extremes – and everything in between.