Greg Elliott's boats have earned a devoted following in New Zealand racing over the decades, and that loyalty will be on full display when the 2026 PIC Harbour Classic takes to Auckland's waters.
The PIC Harbour Classic draws its inspiration from the world-famous Barcolana regatta held in Trieste, blending competitive racing with a relaxed social spirit. The event's defining feature is its mass start format, with every boat in the fleet leaving the line simultaneously, producing one of the most visually striking moments in local sailing.
The main race fleet numbers 53 boats, with the start gun firing at 12 noon on Saturday. The last finishers are expected during the afternoon, and prizegiving is set for 5.30 pm. Once formalities are done, crews traditionally take the celebrations back aboard their own boats throughout the marina.
Among those 53 starters will be several Elliott designs, representing different eras and some of the Kiwi designer's most enduring work.
The Elliott 7.9 has long been valued for striking a genuine balance between competitive pace and day-to-day practicality. It carries a light, responsive helm, tracks cleanly and finds another gear upwind as the breeze builds, then settles into a stable and predictable rhythm downwind under spinnaker, making it equally at home in a fleet start or on a coastal passage. The 1995-built Radioactive, skippered by Daniel Leech, brings those qualities to this year's race.
Graeme Lucas will be at the helm of Chain Reaction, an Elliott 1050 that is a familiar name on Auckland's cruiser-racer circuit. The Elliott 1050 has built its reputation on offshore capability, remaining composed and well-balanced even when pressed hard. Efficient when beating and lively when running under kite, the design handles both coastal racing and longer passages with equal credibility.
Rounding out the trio of Elliott entries is Buoy Racer, an Elliott 8 sport boat that Holger Zipfel will skipper. Built around a high power-to-weight philosophy, the Elliott 8 generates fast planing speeds well-suited to tight buoy-to-buoy racing.
These harbour entries come off the back of a strong 2026 season for Elliott designs across the broader New Zealand racing calendar.
The Elliott 50 Explore Racing, skippered by William Goodfellow alongside co-skipper Jesse Turner, put together a commanding campaign in the 2026 Doyle Sails Round North Island Two Handed Yacht Race, taking line honours on each of the race's four legs.
A smaller Elliott also made its presence felt in the same event. Kick, an Elliott 1050 campaigned by Brendan Sands and Ben Roff, claimed a PHRF win on Leg 2, the longest leg of the circumnavigation.
Further afield, the Elliott 7.8 Ex Machina, helmed by Jaime Caisley, claimed victory on fastest corrected time in the 2026 Marsden Cove Route 66 Coastal Race.
From offshore passages and coastal circuits to the spectacle of a harbour mass start, Greg Elliott's designs continue to prove themselves a genuine force in New Zealand sailing, as relevant now as at any point in the designer's long career.
