After more than fifteen hours of racing northward along 66 nautical miles of New Zealand coastline, it was the smallest boat in the entire fleet that sat atop the overall handicap standings. The Elliott 7.8 Ex Machina, skippered by Jamie Caisley (WCC) in the A2 Open Keeler (~0.75-) division, recorded a corrected time of 11 hours 20 minutes 39 seconds, the quickest PHRF result anywhere in the 2026 Marsden Cove Route 66 Coastal Yacht Race.
The margin separating victory from second place was just 53 seconds. That runner-up spot went to SR26 T-Rex, skippered by Lanny Walker (PYBC), also an A2 Open Keeler and, by coincidence, the second-smallest boat racing on the day. Across a course that consumed most of the daylight hours, less than a minute was all that divided the two.
Designed by New Zealand naval architect Greg Elliott, the Elliott 7.8 has earned a reputation over many years as one of the country's most capable small performance yachts. A lightweight hull, retractable keel and powerful sail plan combine to produce a dry sailing weight of around 900 kg with roughly 400 kg of ballast carried in the keel. When conditions and crew execution align, that combination can deliver outsized results, as Ex Machina showed on the day.
The Marsden Cove Marina Route 66 Coastal Yacht Race has been a fixture of northern offshore sailing since its inaugural running in 2012. Organised by Richmond Yacht Club together with Onerahi Yacht Club, the race sends fleets from Auckland to Marsden Cove in Whangarei, passing Little Barrier Island and Sail Rock before turning toward the Whangarei entrance. The course covers 66 nautical miles in total.
In the lead-up to the 6-7 March 2026 race, those involved already had a sense of what the conditions might bring. "The wind may be light, but there's treasure to be claimed," organisers noted on the eve of the start, and that assessment proved accurate. By race morning the forecast remained uncertain, with early commentary describing the day as "a bit of a floater for the Route 66 today, but any day is a good day to be out on the water." For every crew on the start line, that translated to a contest where tactical decisions, smart positioning and keeping boatspeed alive in the soft air would count for more than raw speed.
*A2 Open Keeler division*
The A2 Open Keeler (~0.75-) division produced both the divisional winner and the boat that claimed overall honours across the whole fleet.
Ex Machina took the division on corrected time with her 11 hours 20 minutes 39 seconds, with T-Rex following 53 seconds later. Third place went to Stewart 34 Perception II, skippered by Richard Stubbs (SSANZ). Others contesting the division included Chico 30 Chico Too skippered by Trish Beken (RYC), Townson 34 Citation skippered by Bob Nevill (GHYC), Stewart 34 Precedent skippered by Mike Parker (PCC), Beale 9m Predator skippered by Tony Evans (RYC), Young 88 Time Out skippered by Jeremy Cope and Matt Vandervecht (RYC), and Elan E3 Belle skippered by Steve Morriss (RYC).
On elapsed time, Ex Machina again led the division, crossing in 15 hours 07 minutes 32 seconds, with T-Rex and Perception II filling the line honours places behind her.
*A1 Open Keeler division*
The A1 Open Keeler (~0.75+) fleet contributed some of the fastest monohulls seen on the water during the race.
Ross 35 Apparition, skippered by Marcel Vroege (RYC), took divisional honours on corrected time with 11 hours 30 minutes 21 seconds. Beneteau First 35 First Priority, skippered by Keith Trask (RNZYS), finished second, and Thompson 850 Men At Work 3, skippered by Hans Wehmeyer (FGSC), was third. The division also included Hanse 385 About Time skippered by Mike Matthews (RYC), Ross 40 Revs skippered by Keith Edwards (MYBC), Ross 930 Wasted Away skippered by Luke Judge (SSANZ), and Dufour 36P Cest La Vie skippered by Leo McCullough (MYBC).
The fastest monohull across the line in the entire race was Ross 40 Revs, which finished in 13 hours 59 minutes 26 seconds. Apparition followed, with Men At Work 3 just 32 seconds further back. Despite leading the A1 fleet home on the water, Revs fell to sixth place once handicap corrections were applied.
*B2 Open Two Handed division*
J88 Juniper, skippered by Lode Missiaen (RNZYS), won the B2 Open Two Handed division with a corrected time of 11 hours 37 minutes 50 seconds. Young 11 Future Feedback, skippered by James Blackburn (OYC), took second, and another Young 11, Peppermint Planet sailed by P Barnard and R Janes (RYC), completed the podium in third.
On elapsed time, Juniper also led the division, crossing in 14 hours 47 minutes 50 seconds. Thompson 38 Titanium and Young 11 Future Feedback followed close behind, with the three boats finishing within five and a half minutes of each other. That was a tight finish after a full day of coastal racing.
*B1 Open Single Handed division*
The B1 Open Single Handed division featured two experienced solo sailors. Sunfast 3600 Katana, sailed by Nigel Garland (RYC), claimed both handicap and line honours, finishing ahead of RR36 Monotone sailed by Tony McAlwee (CCYC).
*Multihulls division*
The quickest passage of the entire race came from the Multihulls division. Crowther 40 Oceans Tribute, skippered by Guy Chester (TSC), completed the course in 13 hours 21 minutes 11 seconds, faster than any other boat in the fleet on elapsed time. The handicap result went a different way, with the win awarded to 8.5 Great Barrier Express trimaran Freedom, skippered by Coen Ursem (NZMYC).
*Small margins, all day long*
Light, shifting conditions turned the 2026 Route 66 into a race of patience and precision, where the gaps between boats told the real story. Nowhere was that more apparent than in the B2 Open Two Handed division, where Hanse 430e Perchanse, sailed by Keeley Sander (RYC), finished just three seconds ahead of Thompson 38 Titanium, sailed by Steve Green (WCC), on corrected time. Three seconds, after a full day at sea.
At the top of the overall standings the margin was 53 seconds. For Ex Machina and Jamie Caisley, that was precisely enough to secure the fastest corrected time across the whole fleet and claim overall PHRF honours in the 2026 Marsden Cove Marina Route 66 Coastal Yacht Race.
