Twenty-six double-handed crews departed Victoria Wharf Devonport at 10.00am on Saturday 28 February, heading out in an easing easterly for the opening 154 nautical mile leg of the 2026 Doyle Sails Round North Island Two Handed Yacht Race. The fleet tackled a demanding coastal reach up the North Island's east coast, with the leading boats arriving in Doubtless Bay during the early hours of Sunday morning after 14 to 16 hours of hard racing.
Explore Racing, the Elliott 50 co-skippered by William Goodfellow and Jesse Turner, was first across the Mangōnui finish line at 00.47am on Sunday 1 March. A provisional elapsed time of 14 hours 47 minutes 38 seconds secured them line honours overall and in Division 1, placing the result among the quickest Leg 1 performances recorded in recent editions of the race.
PHRF handicap told a different story. Damon Jolliffe and Josh Tucker brought their Thompson 1150 Motorboat III home at 02.07am, clocking an elapsed time of 16 hours 17 minutes 54 seconds. Corrected to 14 hours 52 minutes 24 seconds, that was sufficient for provisional overall handicap honours and first place in Division 1 on corrected time.
The divisional battles were equally absorbing. Alan Quere and Vincent Trinquet co-skippered the Elliott 10.50 Motorboat 2 to a sweep of line and corrected honours in Division 2, completing the leg in 16 hours 11 minutes 42 seconds.
Division 3 produced one of the leg's standout performances. Brett Elliott and James Glidden guided their Sunfast 3300 Ragnar to fifth on the water overall, with that result converting to first in division on corrected time. Ragnar sits just 17 minutes 45 seconds adrift of Motorboat III in the overall standings, with fellow Sunfast 3300 Indis a further 5 minutes 40 seconds back, setting up a tight three-way battle across the remaining legs.
In Division 4, the Ross 930 Hotdogger, co-skippered by Nigel Bish and Sinisa Grujicic, finished 16th on the water yet claimed first in division on corrected time, building a 29 minute 27 second advantage over fellow Ross 930 Start Me Up.
The sole retirement from Leg 1 was Ākonga, which diverted to Marsden Cove for repairs.
Leg 2 is a 476 nautical mile passage from Mangōnui south to Waikawa at the top of the South Island. The start will be held no earlier than 24 hours after 60 percent of the fleet has finished, at the discretion of the Race Officer.
The 2026 Doyle Sails Round North Island Two Handed Race runs from 28 February to 15 March 2026, organised by the Short Handed Sailing Association of New Zealand and presented by naming rights sponsor Doyle Sails, with further support from NZL Sailing Foundation, Henri Lloyd Australia & New Zealand, The Chandlery, and Sea Lovers Gin.
