Three divisions have now found their rhythm at Bay of Islands Sailing Week, with the fleet taking shape as the regatta pushes into its final stages. Better weather has arrived just in time, though with one day lost to unraceable conditions at the start of the week, the margin for error heading into the last day of sailing is slim for everyone.
Racing A
Three races are on the board in Racing A, following one on Day 2 and two more on Day 3. The points remain tight on handicap, but clear patterns have emerged at the front end of the fleet.
Line honours has, so far, belonged entirely to Wired. Rob Bassett and Brett Russell's TP52 has been faultless across all three races, leading from the front in rain, pressure, and unsettled conditions alike, converting raw speed into three consecutive elapsed time victories.
Equilibrium has kept the pressure on throughout. Graham Matthews' Marten 55 has posted consistent finishes near the head of the fleet, and that steadiness has translated well on corrected time. After three races, Equilibrium heads both the EHC and PHRF standings, with clean sailing and well-judged positioning delivering a lead at the top of the handicap scoreboards.
John Muir's Farr 43 Georgia One has grown into a genuine threat. A key handicap win in Race 2 has the boat sitting second on EHC and third on PHRF, sailing accurately to her numbers and remaining firmly in contention as the series approaches its conclusion.
William Goodfellow's Elliott 50 Explore Racing has been reliable rather than dazzling, with regular top four finishes keeping her third on line honours and competitive on handicap. A standout result in the final races may be needed to close the gap at the top.
Vixen Racing has faced a harder road. Sharon Ferris-Choat's Verdier 40 was unable to contest Races 3 and 4 after a broken winch sidelined the team, leaving little opportunity to recover ground before the final day.
With conditions continuing to settle and racing still to come, nothing at the top of the handicap leaderboard is decided.
Racing B
Five races into the regatta, Racing B is producing some of the tightest competition of Sailing Week, with line honours, EHC, and PHRF each painting a slightly different picture.
On the water, Daisy Duke has set the standard. Matt Gottard's Shaw 7 has crossed the line first in every race, discarding a non-start in the final race of the day to hold a narrow lead on line honours. Quick off the start and difficult to chase down once clear, the small boat has punched well above its size throughout the week.
Kevin Peet's Ross 9.14 Blackout sits second on the water after building its regatta on consistency, rarely dropping far from the front of the fleet.
On handicap, Blackout must be considered the key contender, currently first on EHC and second on PHRF. Apparition lies second on EHC and third on PHRF, keeping that battle close. Hans Wehmeyer's Thompson 850 Men at Work 3 leads the PHRF standings, level on five points with Blackout.
On EHC, Daisy Duke and Chain Reaction are tied at ten points in third and fourth, though Daisy Duke did not start the final race today. Just one point further back sits Men at Work 3 in fifth on EHC.
Under PHRF, with Men at Work 3 and Blackout sharing five points at the top, Apparition, Mustang Sally, and Chain Reaction form a tight pursuit group with only a single point separating all three.
Further down the fleet, Radix, Physical Favours, Margaritaville, The Farm, and Snatch have all shown glimpses of pace at various points in the series.
Daisy Duke has controlled the tempo on the water, but today's non-start raises questions about tomorrow. Snatch and Men at Work 3 also retired from the final race of the day, and with Men at Work 3 currently leading on PHRF, a non-start tomorrow could prove costly to their overall ambitions. Racing B on handicap remains entirely unresolved heading into the last day.
Racing C
Nautilass has stamped real authority on line honours in Racing C. Paul King's Beneteau First 36 has won all three races run so far, sitting clear at the top of the division. Giovanni Belgrano's Young Magic remains close behind, with Ilex consistently nearby in third overall.
The order tightens considerably from there. The Racoon holds a one-point advantage over both Fifth Dimension and Heartlight, two boats that have traded places throughout the racing without either managing to pull clear of the other. Cotton Bud has been steady, while Opportunity, The Bondi Tram, Farr South, and Platupus are all racing consistently through the fleet.
The handicap standings tell a different story from line honours. On EHC, Opportunity leads, ahead of Young Magic, with Nautilass dropping back to third. PHRF diverges further still, with Young Magic yet to be beaten on corrected time across the entire series, sitting ahead of Ilex and Nautilass. Carrying that momentum into the final day, Young Magic is well placed to claim both handicap scoreboards if the form holds.
One story from Racing C reaches well beyond the results. Cees Romeyn, Race Week's eighty-plus year veteran of Bay of Islands Sailing Week, is competing aboard Nexus alongside his daughter and grand-daughter. Taking each day as it comes, he expects to be on the water tomorrow. Having already raced in Race 4, he can confirm this is his 23rd edition of Sailing Week.
One final day of racing
Front runners have established themselves across all three divisions, but very little is truly locked in. One misjudgement or a piece of bad luck with equipment remains enough to unravel days of solid racing.
