Canberra's Erin Molan was the only non-sailor aboard the supermaxi Perpetual Loyal when it smashed the Sydney to Hobart race record by nearly five hours.
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The Channel 9 sports presenter said she couldn't contain her excitement as the 100-footer powered across the finish line on the Derwent River at 2.31am, followed by an entourage of media and spectator vessels.
"We were trying to keep it under wraps the whole way, but I was probably the worst getting so excited," she said.
"The guys have seen it so many times, and I have too as a journalist, that you can make your way into the Tasman and you can be 30 nautical miles from the finish only to sit there stagnant for six hours."
With the finish line four boat-lengths away she nudged the bowman to ask: "Can I get a bit excited now?"
"Until you hear that firework and cross you can't get ahead of yourself," she said.
It's the second year in a row Molan has geared up for the gutsy race.
In 2015 she faced fierce conditions when the boat retired due to hull damage, one of 31 yachts to retire from 108 starters.
To be given a second shot at it was a dream, and only possible because skipper Anthony Bell was a man of his word.
"[In 2015] he said to me before we left 'I promise we will get you to Hobart' and at the time I was terrified about going," she said.
Travelling back to Sydney without finishing in 2015 she joked Bell had broken his promise and he agreed if he raced again he'd take her.
"It was never going to be a big celebrity thing, he just wanted to win," she said. "I'm the most competitive person in the world so I was chuffed about that and just wanted to do whatever I could to help."
The Canberran said she tested her sea legs in 2015 when boats were battered by 15-metre swell. So she knew feeling cold, tired, hungry and sick was going to part of it again this year.
"It is so out of my comfort zone. I didn't grow up on the water and Lake Burley Griffin was about as close as I got," she said.
"For me it was really hard. I didn't enjoy most of the actual experience. But now, I don't even remember a second of how awful it was because the end was just so good."
Celebrations kicked off in the wee hours on the docks and continued throughout Wednesday.
Molan said while some had been "on the rums since 3am" she was opting for sparkling waters and hunting for painkillers after almost two and half days without sleep.
"It is so incredible, it hasn't all really sunk in yet what we have done which is just amazing," she said. "I just want to have a big sleep. You are just so emotional and so drained."
