For more local news and photos grab a copy of the Bay Post or Moruya Examiner.

“It is a really special feeling to be part of such an iconic race,” he said.

“It is a childhood dream which has become a reality, and I am still on a high.”

Imashev has plenty of reason to be on a high, as his yacht finished third out of 20 yachts in their performance handicap division.

“It was not a bad result and we were really pleased,” Imashev said.

Imashev said the prevailing conditions during the race were not as demanding as they might have been.

“Bass Strait was fairly normal and the winds were not particularly forceful,” he said.

“However, when we were coming down the East Coast past Shouten Island, the wind blew up quite strongly, to about 40 knots. On our way past Tasman Island the wind just dropped, and for one-a-half hours we did not move. However, it picked up again and took us down to the Derwent.”

Despite the less than treacherous conditions, the race was still demanding for each crew member.

“You don’t really get any long sleep,” Imashev said.

“Because the crews are changing, you only get about two or three hours sleep at one go over the five days, and that catches up with you. The night time sailing is more taxing.”

This was quickly forgotten as the Namadgi crossed the finish line at 10.35am on December 31.

“The people down there are very friendly,” Imashev said.

“They cheered us in their hundreds as we finished the race.”

Imashev’s wife Margaret was there to greet him at the Hobart docks with a bottle of Tasmanian champagne as he disembarked the yacht.

The Namadgi crew are currently enjoying the more leisurely cruise back up to Sydney, where they will moor the yacht at Pittwater, after dropping Imashev home in Batemans Bay.