Congratulations to every crew who made it to the finish.
The 2025 Doyle Sails Cavalli Islands Race delivered exactly what offshore sailing promises at its best: a drag race home from the Cavallis that had the front of the fleet separated by minutes after nearly two days at sea. The elapsed times alone tell the story.
First across the line was Motorboat III, Damon Joliffe's 2005 Thomson 1150, starting Friday 28 November at 10:00 and finishing Sunday 30 November at 08:40:38, for an elapsed time of 46 hours, 40 minutes and 38 seconds. Second was Equilibrium, Graham Matthews' 2011 entry, finishing at 08:46:08 after 46 hours, 46 minutes and 8 seconds. Third was Ocean's Tribute, crossing at 08:55:37 with an elapsed time of 46 hours, 55 minutes and 37 seconds. All three had started together at 10:00 on Friday. Fourth was Kick, Brendan Sands' 1994 Elliott 1050, finishing at 11:52:30 on Sunday, 49 hours, 52 minutes and 30 seconds after the gun. Fifth was Whichway, Bruce Gault's Davidson 52, crossing at 14:05:49 for an elapsed time of 52 hours, 5 minutes and 49 seconds.
Sixth was Physical Favours, Ryan McCready's 2008 Ross 914. Seventh was Higher Ground, John Seely's 1989 Ross 10.66. Eighth was Carpe Diem, sailed by Rowan Smith and Lydia Boyd, an Elliott 1060.
The 3:30pm update confirmed that Whichway, Physical Favours and Higher Ground had all crossed the line, with Carpe Diem, the last of the fleet, working through the Rangi Channel at that point.
At 1:30pm, Brendan Sands' Kick had finished in fourth. Breeze through the Rangi Channel and out into the Gulf was building, and the mid-fleet was making its run for home. Whichway had appeared on the Auckland side of the Rangi Channel at 9.2 knots, firmly on track for fifth. Further back, north and west of Oneroa Bay, Physical Favours was humming along at 10.2 knots. Higher Ground was holding 9.9 knots off the north-west of Waiheke, running parallel with Hooks Bay, and behind them Carpe Diem was lining up her own approach to the finish.
The 11:10am update had Kick, the Elliott 1050 skippered by Brendan Sands, running through the Rangi Channel between Motutapu and Motuihe islands, closing in on fourth place and setting up her final approach. At 11am, Equilibrium and Ocean's Tribute were confirmed across the line.
Every positioning call, every small gain and loss, made this a clinic in offshore decision-making and a genuinely gripping contest from start to finish. Guy Chester put it well: "Third with line honours… VMG running in under 10 knots, Equilibrium and Motorboat III slid past… Too many times we could have made a different decision with a different result…🤣🤣🤣😢🥴🥴🥴🏴☠️"
That is offshore sailing distilled to its essence. Every call counts and the whole adventure comes down to inches. (VMG: the speed of a sailboat towards, or away from, the direction of the wind.)
At 9:51am on Sunday 30 November, Motorboat III, the smallest boat in the front pack, crossed the line to claim the win. Huge congratulations to Damon Jolliffe, Josh Tucker and the crew. A big effort in a cracking race to follow.
Official results were still on their way, but the finish said plenty. Motorboat III, Equilibrium and Ocean's Tribute had spent the entire course locked together, trading positions in a proper cat-and-mouse chase up and down the coast. Edge-of-the-chartplotter sailing from the first mark to the line.
Equilibrium finished approximately six minutes behind Motorboat III, with Ocean's Tribute a little further back again. In a David-versus-Goliath match-up, the smaller boat showed exactly what it was capable of. Damon and Josh were heading off the following day to sail another 250 nautical miles to qualify for the Round North Island race. This would be Josh Tucker's sixth RNI and Damon's fifth, and their third together.
At 9:30am, the second group in the fleet, Kick, Physical Favours and Higher Ground, had passed Little Barrier Island and was on its way to Channel Island, the final mark before bows turned towards Ōrākei and a well-earned sleep. And Carpe Diem was still racing.
The 8:15am update showed the three lead boats, Equilibrium, Ocean's Tribute and Motorboat III, closing on the finish line with almost nothing separating them. Equilibrium held a slender lead, with Ocean's Tribute next. A video update from Josh Tucker on Motorboat III an hour earlier gave a useful clue to their position and the mood on board.
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At 1:30am on Sunday 30 November, the Cavalli race had truly come alive. Equilibrium had just rounded Channel Island, the final mark of the Doyle Sails Cavalli Islands Race, and was heading for home at around 7.6 knots. Not far behind, Motorboat III was still punching well above its weight, having stayed with the bigger boats throughout. The crew had put in a committed, no-quit shift. Ocean's Tribute was also on the move, lifting into the breeze in the Channel and skipping along at 11.7 knots after a couple of very slow days out on the water.
The 7:45pm update on Saturday 29 November noted that the three lead boats, Equilibrium, Ocean's Tribute and Motorboat III, were about to cross from the Northland region into Auckland waters. Equilibrium continued to set the pace, with Ocean's Tribute holding a strong line off the height of Hen Island at about 6.6 knots. The sun was dropping fast and it looked likely that at least the front trio would finish under cover of darkness. That prediction proved wrong.
By 5:00pm on Saturday, the three lead boats had reached Whangārei Heads.
The 4:40pm update brought a revealing message from Ocean's Tribute: "Forget about what came first, the chicken or the egg? We need to decide on east or west of the Hen and Chicken Islands. It is a shorter course to the east and boat speed is faster right now that way, but the usually reliable small-scale PWE and PWG weather routing is suggesting west is best, as a south then south-westerly change is predicted overnight. To decide on a model and route my usual plan is to focus on what we have now and rely more on the model closest. We have north–north-east wind here and models suggest east–north-east to south-east. We look at the observations – slightly confused and variable and not matching models. We hoisted the spinnaker to look at west of Hen and Chickens but now very slow VMG. Confused and indecisive. Ninety-two nautical miles to go."
By 3:00pm on Saturday, every boat had cleared the Cavallis and was pointing back towards Ōrākei via Channel Island.
At 1:13pm, Motorboat III checked in: "Beautiful out here. Three-sail reaching down the coast in 8 knots of easterly wind with the jib set inside the code zero and main. Equilibrium and Ocean's Tribute outside us. Equilibrium starting to pick up the pace and step away a bit now."
By 12:25pm, Equilibrium was edging ahead again, making 9.3 knots to Ocean's Tribute's 7.1 knots. It was a pattern the race had already shown more than once.
At noon, the chase had briefly flipped. Ocean's Tribute had picked up breeze and moved into the lead at 7.9 knots, but Equilibrium was hunting them down at 6.8 knots. Motorboat III had just reappeared on the tracker, sitting slightly further back at 4.9 knots. The front of the fleet was very tight.
The 11:15am update showed Equilibrium pulling away from Ocean's Tribute, with the difference in straight-line speed beginning to tell. At 11:05am, both boats had been neck and neck, just about to pass Hole in the Rock on their way towards Auckland. Breeze was light, but Equilibrium was squeezing just a touch more out of it, 3.6 knots against Ocean's Tribute's 3.3.
At 10:00am, both Equilibrium and Ocean's Tribute tacked to the east. Ocean's Tribute was recording 6.3 knots; Equilibrium 5.8. The race was very much alive. The tracker had yet to give an updated position for Motorboat III, while Carpe Diem appeared to have crossed paths with the homeward-bound boats.
The 9:35am update noted that Higher Ground had crossed paths with Equilibrium in parallel with Purerua Peninsula, and then a little later with Motorboat III. Ocean's Tribute was further out to the east. On a sad note, Motorboat II could be seen on the PredictWind tracker returning to Auckland from Matapōuri and then Tutukaka, no longer in the race.
At 9:05am, Kick had become the fourth boat to round the Cavalli Islands and was heading back towards Auckland at 4.8 knots. As the crew settled into the return leg, boat speed was expected to build. Further ahead, Motorboat III was cracking along at 9.8 knots.
At 8:55am, the Ocean's Tribute gamble had paid off. The boat was sailing in the best breeze it had seen for some time, storming along at 8.9 knots, the fastest speed recorded by any boat in the fleet for a while.
The 8:36am update had Whichway, the Davidson 52 skippered by Bruce Gault, passing Equilibrium and Motorboat III just north and east of Purerua Peninsula. Whichway was still on her way to the Cavallis, while Equilibrium at 6.1 knots and Motorboat III at 6.2 knots were working back towards Auckland. Ocean's Tribute was drawing back west to come closer in line with the other two leaders.
The 7:55am update confirmed that Carpe Diem was now visible on the PredictWind race tracker, positioned with Physical Favours and Higher Ground just east of Hole in the Rock. Higher Ground was making 3.5 knots, while Physical Favours and Carpe Diem were crawling at under 1 knot in light, very patchy winds. Kick had crossed paths with Equilibrium and Motorboat III. Kick was bound for the Cavallis while Equilibrium and Motorboat III were now pointing back to Auckland, all three moving at a steady rate: Kick at 4.1 knots, Motorboat III at 6.4 knots, and Equilibrium at 5.7 knots.
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Ocean's Tribute, which had chosen a more easterly route, had appeared to drop off the pace earlier but was expected to find better breeze as the morning developed.
At 7:30am, Ocean's Tribute, Equilibrium and Motorboat III had all rounded the Cavallis and turned for home. Ocean's Tribute had swung wide to the east, a bold call that could prove either inspired or expensive. Equilibrium was sitting on 6.6 knots, Motorboat III nudging ahead at 7.0 knots, and Ocean's Tribute easing along at 3.2 knots as they committed to their split.
At 6:00am, Motorboat III had woken to a classic Northland morning. Beautiful weather from a land-based perspective, but not ideal for chewing through offshore miles. The boat was lying just south of the Cavalli Islands, initially creeping along at 1.4 knots before a fresh map update showed a welcome puff pushing them to just over 2 knots.
Josh Tucker sent through a short video of their morning on board.
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Also at 6:00am, a bright morning greeting arrived from Guy Chester on Ocean's Tribute:
"Good morning. We are currently about 150 metres away from the westernmost Cavalli Island. It has taken us about three hours to cover the last four miles. We are surrounded by birds sitting on a glassy sea and we have Equilibrium about 500 metres behind us. We think the next one is Motorboat III about 100 or 200 metres behind them. We got ahead again on a nice reach, then parked in a calm and those two caught us. We cannot see anybody else behind us, but I do not think Motorboat III was on the tracker when I last checked, so we are pretty sure it is them. We are going to report in that we are rounding the Cavallis and dawn is coming. We had some lightning and a bit of rain. There was a decent downpour for about an hour before we reached Cape Brett, but it now looks like it will be a lovely day. Can you please turn the breeze on?"
At 5:30am, Brendan Sands reported from Kick that it "has been a challenging night keeping the boat moving towards the waypoint, with a spectacular lightning show over Cape Brett. Fortunately we missed most of the rain. We rounded Cape Brett at about 4am and are now in a steady 7 knots of breeze, doing 7 knots of boat speed with the FRO up."
The 4:55am update painted the early morning picture for the fleet. Conditions were soft, with a gentle 4–9 knot westerly blowing across a north-easterly swell of about 1.3 metres at 9-second periods. Boats that liked lighter airs were making the most of it, while heavier designs that preferred more punch were less comfortable.
Ocean's Tribute and Equilibrium were still very close together. Equilibrium sat slightly further east and looked likely to enjoy an advantage later that morning as both boats arced around the Cavalli Islands. Ocean's Tribute was tracking about 0.2 knots faster, though at 1.0 and 1.2 knots respectively, neither was exactly flying. Both were just north and east of Motukawaiti Island, with Motorboat III some distance behind.
A map refresh at 5:45am showed Motorboat III slightly astern of Ocean's Tribute and Equilibrium. With daylight now up, the crew would have had a clear view of their rivals ahead. Kick and Whichway were close together, both having passed Hole in the Rock, with Higher Ground further south and Physical Favours behind. Neither Motorboat II nor Carpe Diem were showing on the PredictWind tracker at that stage, and it was not yet clear whether they had retired.
Day 1, Saturday 28 November: the 11:00pm update came as attention shifted back to the Cavalli fleet after the New Zealand Yachting Excellence Awards had wrapped for the evening. The grassroots sailors putting in the hard miles in races like this deserve a mention, alongside the sponsors who support them. These are the people who keep the sport alive and help shape the culture of yachting in Aotearoa.
Fleet positions at that point had Ocean's Tribute leading, with Equilibrium sitting slightly to the south. The two boats were close enough to see each other, and Equilibrium was nudging along just a touch quicker. Both yachts were north and east of Whangaruru, with another four to five hours still to sail before reaching the Cavalli Islands turn, though in the end it proved a little longer. Further back, almost parallel with Helena Bay, Kick and Whichway were tracking side by side, even closer to each other than the two leaders. There was another gap back to Motorboat II, sailing alone to the north and east of Whananaki, and then further astern again, in line with Whale Bay, Higher Ground was followed by Physical Favours.
The 8:00pm update confirmed that Ocean's Tribute still held the lead, maintaining the advantage as the fleet settled into its first night offshore.
At 5:20pm, Guy Chester had checked in from Ocean's Tribute with an early progress report: "We are well underway in the Royal Akarana Yacht Club Cavalli Islands Race. A light wind start with many shifts and patches of variable pressure up to Cape Rodney. Then the wind filled in from the south-west and gave us a blast reach with a reef in the main. We are now reaching with the screecher past the Hen and Chickens. We crossed tacks all day with the leading monohull Equilibrium but are now ahead. Still 70 nautical miles to go to the Cavallis."
And later: "Things are going pretty well now. We had a frustrating, slow morning with plenty of shifts and areas of pressure, crossing tacks with Equilibrium a lot, and Motorboat III getting ahead of us for a while as well. We have a nice little reach before Kawau and are now reaching past Cape Rodney and Sail Rock. We are just about to go past Bream Head and start working our way toward Cape Brett. At the moment we have the screecher up and a full main, doing around 15 knots. For about an hour earlier we had a reef in the main and were blasting along under main and jib in 25 knots plus of south-westerly. We are expecting a change as we get past Bream Head and are hoping to reach the Cavallis before the breeze drops out tonight. It would be lovely to hold 15 knots all the way there, but we are not counting on it."
In the end, the wind backed off earlier than hoped.
There was still a long way to go for every crew on the course.
The 4:45pm update had Kick in happy hour mode on board, with another competitor lying off to starboard in the evening light. The fleet remained reasonably tight as the yachts pushed into their first night at sea.
At 4:00pm, Josh Tucker sent a fresh update from Motorboat III: "Very fickle conditions out here. One-hundred-and-eighty-degree wind shifts. A game of snakes and ladders. We have won some but lost a few. Westerly has filled back in now and we are reaching along Omaha Beach."
And later: "Ocean's Tribute and Equilibrium headed offshore. Beautiful day but frustrating sailing."
The 2:10pm update brought welcome news that two boats had reappeared on the PredictWind tracker. Guy Chester's trimaran Ocean's Tribute and Rowan Smith and Lydia Boyd's Elliott 1060 Carpe Diem had both dropped off the display for a short spell, raising a question over whether they had pulled out. Ocean's Tribute had sailed further north along the starboard side of Kawau Island and was sitting nearly three-quarters of the way up, appearing to curve east. Carpe Diem was trailing the rest of the fleet, lying to the south and east of Motuora Island.
The 2:00pm update had recorded only seven boats on the PredictWind tracker, with Ocean's Tribute and Carpe Diem having dropped off again momentarily. Equilibrium was the leader, midway up the starboard side of Kawau Island, having turned east, with Motorboat III tracking closely behind and also heading east. Further back lay Whichway, then Motorboat II with Kick just to starboard.
Brendan Sands from Kick reported: "Hey, was a very tricky start waiting for the westerly to fill in, but we are now approaching Kawau. A few sail changes between the number one and FRO and back to the number one. Just holding on to Motorboat II and Whichway."
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Behind them, north and east of Motuora Island, Physical Favours was making its way north with Higher Ground slightly to the south and east. Conditions around Kawau Island at that point were a northerly of about 10 knots, gusting to 12, with a sea height of around 0.9 metres from the east. Equilibrium remained in the lead.
At 11:00am, one hour into the race, the picture had already taken shape. The Doyle Sails Cavalli Islands Race had started at 10:00am in a northerly that had already climbed past 15 knots and looked set to build through the day. It was not a gentle easing into an offshore passage. As soon as the fleet cleared Ōrākei, crews were dealing with showers, a half-metre north-east swell and an early tide beginning to stand up against the breeze.
Within the first hour the boats had broken free of the Rangitoto channels and stretched along the North Shore from Takapuna to Milford, each crew settling into its own approach for the long leg north. Boat speeds were healthy and positions were shifting quickly.
At the front, Equilibrium was already into her stride. Graham Matthews' Botin Carkeek 55 held both height and pace in the northerly, tracking neatly offshore from Campbell's Bay. It was an early reminder of why the 55-footer had arrived as the line-honours favourite and why so many Round North Island hopefuls had been watching her closely.
Just to the west, the only multihull in the fleet was sailing a different race. Ocean's Tribute, the Queensland-based Lock Crowther trimaran, had tacked away from the monohulls and punched into clear water of her own, before tacking again and heading further east towards Equilibrium, out where the gusts and shifts were easier to work.
Behind them, a cluster of familiar names was sorting itself out. Motorboat III, the Thomson 1150 steered by Damon Jolliffe, held a solid lane just south of Campbell's Bay. The boat looked settled early, a relief after a busy week of structural work, water-ballast adjustments and a rapid interior tidy-up to make the start. Not far astern, Kick and Whichway were sailing almost side by side off Castor Bay. Kick carried her typical sharp Elliott 1050 angle, while Whichway, the Davidson 52, used her longer legs to stay in the hunt.
Milford marked the start of the second tier of the fleet. Motorboat II, helmed by Alan Quere, sat just inside the line of Physical Favours, the Ross 914 sailed by Ryan McCready. Both were still within reach of the mid-fleet battle, though they had work to do before joining the contest between Motorboat III, Kick and Whichway. Close behind came Higher Ground, the Ross 10.66 sailed by John Seely, and Carpe Diem, the Elliott 1060 with Rowan Smith and Lydia Boyd aboard. Both were sailing cleanly but had yet to find the conditions that would allow them to compress the gap.
All of this played out under thickening cloud and a freshening breeze, with the first hint of building northerly chop appearing off the bays. For most crews, that opening hour would become the benchmark against which the rest of the race was measured.
As the wind continued to strengthen and the boats settled into the long rhythm of the passage north, the stories that had shaped the build-up were already visible in the tracker. Some were pushing early, some playing the long game, and some still working into their offshore rhythm. By the time the fleet reached the stronger winds north of Whangaparāoa the picture would sharpen again. The Cavalli Islands Race had delivered a clean start, rising conditions and a fleet already showing the outlines of the contest to come.
The fleet got away at 10:00am on Day 1, 28 November 2025. Two boats from the long-course entry list, Radio Active, Daniel Leech's Elliott 7.9, and C U Later, Ben Stinton's Ross 8m, did not start, leaving nine yachts heading north.
