Rainbow leads classic fleet home at Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta

Few sights on the Waitemata carry quite the same weight as a fleet of classic yachts under sail. Timber hulls, long overhangs, and not a modern sailing aid in sight, these vessels draw a direct line back to the earliest chapters of Auckland's racing history. The afternoon's classic yacht racing delivered exactly that connection, with five extraordinary boats contesting the course on handicap.

Taking the win was Rainbow, the 1898 Arch Logan masterpiece widely regarded as one of the most significant yachts ever built in this country. She completed the course in an elapsed time of 2 hours 11 minutes 06 seconds, and when the corrected times were calculated her result came through at 1 hour 47 minutes 07 seconds, enough to secure first place on handicap. That a yacht launched more than a century ago can still lead a competitive fleet home speaks to the extraordinary balance, elegance, and outright performance Arch Logan built into her from the very beginning.

Second on handicap went to Aramoana, a yacht that rewards patient, precise sailing with results that consistently surprise. Designed by Arch Logan and built by Bill Couldrey in Northcote in 1938, she is often described as dainty, though anyone who has raced against her will tell you that word only tells half the story. Aramoana crossed the line after an elapsed time of 2 hours 21 minutes 37 seconds, finishing just over two minutes behind Rainbow on corrected time. She continues to be raced actively with the Classic Yacht Association, and her second place here was a fine demonstration of what careful handling can achieve.

Ariki claimed third on handicap, and her elapsed time of 2 hours 09 minutes 19 seconds made clear that age and displacement are no barriers to genuine speed. Built in 1904 by Logan Bros as a cruiser racer, she measures 54 feet overall and carries a sail plan to match. The pace she showed across the course confirmed that the design thinking behind these vessels has lost nothing over the intervening decades.

Fourth on handicap, though first across the line with an elapsed time of 2 hours 8 minutes 34 seconds, was Rawhiti. Another Logan Bros A Class yacht, launched in 1905 and restored during the mid-2000s, she carried her pedigree visibly throughout the race, posting a result that reflected both her heritage and the work that has gone into maintaining her to racing standard.

Rounding out the fleet was Tawera, the 1935 Arch Logan A Class keeler whose restoration has been completed to an immaculate standard. Her presence on the water serves as a quiet reminder of the craftsmanship and ambition that characterised New Zealand yacht design in the early twentieth century.

Between them, these five vessels brought a depth and texture to the day's racing that no modern fleet can quite replicate. Auckland's harbour has a long memory, and afternoons like this one are proof that the past is still very much afloat.

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