'I hope the win will inspire other skippers in Hong Kong and Asia to attempt the Sydney-to-Hobart. I want this victory to act as an incentive,' Kwok said.

'But for me, I think it is extremely unlikely I will take part again. The costs in getting a boat and crew together are very high and it is always going to be more difficult the second time around,' he added.

Pryde, whose 46-foot Hi Fidelity clinched the team's overall win together with Warwick Miller's Exile, echoed Kwok's sentiments but stopped short of ruling out a repeat attempt.

'It would be great if this could motivate other teams from Hong Kong and China in the future,' he said.

'When we stepped off the boat in Hobart we all swore we'd never do it again. But when you leave it 48 hours and start to relax, you start thinking about doing it again . . . no matter what Karl says,' Pryde added.

Both Pryde and Kwok said they had been confident of launching a strong challenge but had not 'seriously believed' they would win.

'With the yachts and the crews we had we knew we could be competitive, but I don't think any of us really seriously believed we could win. The initial target was to be competitive,' Pryde said.

Pryde said the team's triumph was comparable to a new Formula One motor racing team winning their first Grand Prix. 'I don't think people really understand what was achieved . . . it would be like a team starting up in Formula One and winning the first Grand Prix they took part in,' he said.

The Sydney-to-Hobart was the toughest big-boat race in the world, Pryde added. 'For more than 60 per cent of the race we were racing into strong winds and having to deal with heavy seas. It's probably the toughest race in the world . . . I think the fact that the Australian team have only won twice before indicates how difficult it is to be successful in the race,' he said.