The second leg of the 2026 Doyle Sails Round North Island Two Handed Yacht Race has already turned into a strategic contest, with crews making markedly different routing decisions as the 26-boat fleet tracks south along the west coast of the North Island following a Cape Reinga rounding earlier today.
The fleet left Mangōnui at 9.00am on Monday, and within the opening hour the boats had spread across the top of the island, each pairing committing to its own approach for the 480 nautical mile passage to Queen Charlotte Sound. Explore Racing, the Elliott 50 helmed by William Goodfellow and Jesse Turner, was moving at 8.8 knots, with the Thompson 1150 Motorboat III, crewed by Damon Jolliffe and Josh Tucker, sitting close behind in second. The Stomp 38 Perfect Storm, co-skippered by Ken and Lori Ormandy, held third place as the fleet pressed west along the Northland coast in 15 to 18 knot southerlies.
As the fleet approached North Cape around midday, Explore Racing and Motorboat III had pulled clear of the field. Behind them, the battle for third tightened between Perfect Storm, the Verdier 40 Vixen Racing, and the Bakewell White 37 General Lee.
The Cape Reinga rounding was where the race opened up tactically. Most crews pointed further into the Tasman Sea in search of stronger pressure, while Motorboat III chose to stay closer to the coast and hold the inside line. Explore Racing sailed a wider offshore arc. By the evening tracker updates, the split between Motorboat III and the rest of the fleet was plain to see.
At 8pm, Motorboat III led on elapsed time and held roughly seven nautical miles over Explore Racing. Conditions were broadly similar across the fleet, though small variations in wind strength were already influencing speeds and positioning. Boats further west encountered slightly lighter air, while those nearer the coast had marginally stronger pressure working in their favour.
By 9pm the tactical picture was clear. Twenty-five crews had angled out into the Tasman Sea, leaving Motorboat III as the only boat still running close to the coastline. The Thompson 1150 continued to lead on elapsed time, with Explore Racing in second and Whichway moving into third ahead of Vixen Racing.
On corrected time, the smaller boats were making the most of the early leg conditions. The Farr 1020 L'Avanti headed the overall PHRF standings, with the Ross 930s Hotdogger and Start Me Up close behind, all three Division 4 entries benefitting from the circumstances. Within Division 1 on PHRF, Motorboat III led, with Perfect Storm in second.
With more than 400 nautical miles remaining and a long night offshore ahead, the central question is how far west the offshore group will push before turning south. The routing decisions made in these early hours may yet shape the final outcome of Leg 2.
