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Clockwork-Start-of-2026-Three-Kings-Offshore-Yacht-Race.jpg
Three Kings Offshore Yacht Race

Three Kings fleet charges home with handicap title still wide open

4 min read
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Nearly 48 hours after the start gun fired, the Three Kings Offshore Yacht Race is hurtling toward a finish that no one can predict. The leading boats are pressing hard for home, the handicap standings are separated by seconds, and the tension is entirely justified.

Clockwork holds line honours, 61 nautical miles from the finish and tracking at 9 knots. Steve Mair's Shaw 12 is running hard from roughly 25 nautical miles offshore of Ruakaka, and the crew kept their morning message short: absolutely sending it home, not long to go now.

Race Tracker

Line Honours

Pos Boat DTF Dist Sailed VMG 24h DMG Est Finish Est Elapsed
1 Clockwork 61 NM 472 NM 9.0 kts 202 NM 18 Apr 16:45 2d 5h 45m 1s
2 Mr Kite II 75 NM 442 NM 8.7 kts 204 NM 18 Apr 18:38 2d 7h 38m 5s
3 Equilibrium 77 NM 438 NM 8.7 kts 209 NM 18 Apr 18:55 2d 7h 55m 4s
4 Motorboat III 84 NM 428 NM 8.5 kts 211 NM 18 Apr 19:50 2d 8h 50m 22s
5 Higher Ground 169 NM 340 NM 6.7 kts 151 NM 19 Apr 11:10 3d 0h 10m 22s
6 Akonga 209 NM 299 NM 5.9 kts 120 NM 19 Apr 21:36 3d 10h 36m 0s
7 Carpe Diem 222 NM 282 NM 5.6 kts 114 NM 20 Apr 01:47 3d 14h 47m 24s

Positions as at 18 Apr 10:00 • All boats started 16 Apr 11:00 • DTF = Distance to Finish

On corrected time, a different story is playing out. Motorboat III leads the PHRF standings by a considerable margin, with Damon Jolliffe's crew having posted a corrected elapsed time of 2d 4h 55m, nearly two and a half hours clear of the next boat on paper. Converting that advantage into an actual result still requires 84 nautical miles of racing. Clockwork carries a 14 nautical mile lead over Mr Kite II on the water yet sits third on handicap, showing how far the corrected-time picture can diverge from raw positions on the tracker.

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At the start of the RNZYS Three Kings Offshore yacht Race, Mr Kite II

The morning reports from Motorboat III have been consistently energetic. An earlier sked placed them near Cape Brett, enjoying a beautiful kite ride south from the Three Kings in a slowly building breeze. A later audio update captured the atmosphere: 18.5 knots on the dial, Red Bull for breakfast, and the captain on the helm. The reasoning was offered without hesitation. "That's why we're flying."

Race Tracker

PHRF Results

Pos Boat Handicap DTF Dist Sailed VMG 24h DMG Est Finish Est Elapsed Corrected Elapsed
1 Motorboat III 0.931 84 NM 428 NM 8.5 kts 211 NM 18 Apr 19:50 2d 8h 50m 22s 2d 4h 55m 3s
2 Mr Kite II 0.995 75 NM 442 NM 8.7 kts 204 NM 18 Apr 18:38 2d 7h 38m 5s 2d 7h 21m 24s
3 Clockwork 1.030 61 NM 472 NM 9.0 kts 202 NM 18 Apr 16:45 2d 5h 45m 1s 2d 7h 21m 46s
4 Equilibrium 1.059 77 NM 438 NM 8.7 kts 209 NM 18 Apr 18:55 2d 7h 55m 4s 2d 11h 13m 1s
5 Higher Ground 0.888 169 NM 340 NM 6.7 kts 151 NM 19 Apr 11:10 3d 0h 10m 22s 2d 16h 5m 22s
6 Carpe Diem 0.778 222 NM 282 NM 5.6 kts 114 NM 20 Apr 01:47 3d 14h 47m 24s 2d 19h 31m 21s
7 Akonga 0.833 209 NM 299 NM 5.9 kts 120 NM 19 Apr 21:36 3d 10h 36m 0s 2d 20h 48m 21s

Positions as at 18 Apr 10:00 • All boats started 16 Apr 11:00 • DTF = Distance to Finish • Corrected Elapsed = Est Elapsed × Handicap

After close to two days at sea, Nathan Williams' Cape 40 Mr Kite II and Clockwork are divided by just 22 seconds on corrected elapsed time. Mr Kite II is 75 nautical miles from the finish, tucked in close to the coastline just off Tutukaka, and their morning update was suitably terse: coming in hot.

Equilibrium is 77 nautical miles out, also sitting near the Tutukaka coastline, only 2.2 nautical miles behind Mr Kite II on the water. The Botin/Carkeek 55 crew reported a great night's sail, briefly touching 19 knots under A2 and full main, and described a building tussle with Mr Kite II as the morning progressed. They plan to reduce sail for the final run home.

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Clockwork following Mr Kite II, in Waitemata Harbour

A notable uncertainty clouds the PHRF standings. Rowan Smith's Elliott 1060 Carpe Diem has had an unreliable YB tracker throughout the race and has been trackable by AIS only. On current data, Carpe Diem sits third on corrected time, ahead of Equilibrium, but their actual position remains uncertain. Once the fleet finishes and times are confirmed, Carpe Diem's handicap position could shift, making them the anomaly that may yet define the final result.

All three boats at the back of the fleet have rounded the Three Kings Islands and turned for home, though each faces a considerably longer journey back. Higher Ground had a rough and tumble ride out to the Kings but is now on a beautiful run south. John Seely's crew are 169 nautical miles from the finish and, by their own account, most excited about stew for breakfast. They sit fifth on PHRF.

The most eventful night in the fleet went to Ākonga. Around five miles from the Three Kings, the shackle on the head swivel of the roller furler broke, bringing the J1 to the deck. Nick Roberts' crew rounded the Islands under full mainsail and storm jib, fixed what they could, and have since hoisted the A2 for the run home. Repairing the shackle properly remains on the list for today. A setback, certainly, but the crew have sounded composed throughout. Ākonga sits seventh on PHRF corrected time.

Carpe Diem summed up their night in nine words: rough night bashing upwind, but we've turned right. On AIS tracking they sit sixth on handicap, though that position remains subject to confirmation once the tracker situation is resolved.

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Ākonga at the start of the race

The first four boats are expected to finish today. On the water, the order heading into the final stretch is Clockwork, Mr Kite II, Equilibrium and Motorboat III. On handicap the standings read Motorboat III, Mr Kite II, Clockwork and Equilibrium. With 22 seconds separating Mr Kite II and Clockwork on corrected time and Motorboat III's lead still to be defended across 84 nautical miles of open water, this race is far from over.

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