Craig Haslip's Hooters, a Sele Open 8.5 racing in Division 7, captured the true spirit of the 2025 PIC Coastal Classic. Built for speed rather than comfort, the compact catamaran and her three-person crew aimed to reach Russell before dark on Friday, a goal thwarted by light winds. After a long night drifting through calm seas, they crossed the line at 10:48 a.m. Saturday, completing the course in just under 25 hours. Despite missing their daylight finish, Hooters stayed competitive, finishing near the front of the 8.5 fleet and proving that perseverance is every bit as rewarding as victory.
Young sailors from Kick and Wild Thing are proving that the future of offshore racing in New Zealand is already under way.
A new wave of young sailors is reshaping New Zealand's great race north. We caught up with the Kick crew at the Russell wharf after their inspiring 2025 PIC Coastal Classic. Led by Brendan Sands under the SSANZ banner, the team blended experience with youthful drive, including teens from Manly Sailing Club's WASZP programme coached by Mathias Coutts. They faced long calms, night watches, and bursts of 16-knot speed, learning fast and loving every minute. With plans already forming for a youth-driven quarter-tonner project, Kick and crews like Wild Thing prove the next generation is not just learning, they are already leading.
The prizegiving ceremony at the PIC Coastal Classic marquee got underway at 19:00 hrs, bringing together a fleet that had given everything across 119 nautical miles of open water. Before that moment arrived, there was plenty of racing still to reflect on.
The 14:00 hrs cutoff marked the end of the race for a number of boats that had pushed hard but could not quite complete the course in time. Persevere, Babe, Copplestock, Hot Gossip, Motorboat, Pelagian 2, Red Baron, Satisfaction, Shimmer, Smokey, SV Thistle, Visage, Highline, and La Camargue all made it past Cape Brett, a fine achievement, but each fell just short of the Russell finish. A race well sailed by all.
Just before the cutoff, at 13:45:56 hrs, Ex-Machina, Jamie Paisley's 2004 Elliott 7.8 racing in Division 5, crossed the finish line in Russell to secure her place among the finishers.
The finishers had been rolling in throughout the morning. At 07:59:56 hrs on the 25th, Wild Card crossed in Russell, followed closely by Rehab at 07:52:54 hrs. Mike Sanderson's Shaw 35, racing in Division 1B, was one of several quality boats arriving in quick succession. At 07:50:14, Kaizen crossed the line. Simon Manning's 2003 Farr 36 is well known on the RNZYS, SSANZ, and Gold Cup circuits, and this finish added another impressive result to her record.
CAT+ION, Graham Catley's 2018 Roger Hill 18.5-metre catamaran in Division 6, arrived at 07:48:06 hrs, with Blue Dude, Chris Hornell's 2009 Shaw 9 in Division 1B, crossing just seconds later at 07:47:37 hrs. Vaughn Clarke's 2012 Soto 40 Alegre, also in Division 1B, followed at 07:43:32 hrs.
Shortly after, at 07:40:05 hrs, Steve Mair's 2013 Shaw 12 Clockwork crossed in Division 1B, finishing just moments after Explore Racing. William Goodfellow's 15.2-metre Elliott 50 SS had crossed at 07:36:22 hrs, completing more than 20 hours at sea. A consistent performer throughout, Explore Racing held its place firmly among the leading pack and rounded off an impressive showing from one of the fleet's standout crews.
First place in Division 1B went to Sassinate, Mikayla Plaw's 12-metre Melges 40, which crossed the line at 07:25:14 hrs on the 25th to claim sixth overall after more than 20 hours on the water.
The finish between fourth and fifth on line honours was one of the tightest moments of the entire race. Another Duchess, a 1998 Davidson 55 skippered by Evan Davies, crossed at 07:19:40 hrs to take fourth. The Division 1A entry had only recently arrived in New Zealand from Australia, making it to the start line just in time for the Coastal Classic. Just 59 seconds later, at 07:20:39 hrs, the Division 1A TP52 Wired, owned and skippered by Rob Bassett and Brett Russell under the Bakewell/White banner, crossed to claim fifth. A 59-second margin after more than 20 hours of racing made for a dramatic conclusion to what may have been the most breathless dash to the line in the whole fleet.
Third place on line honours went to Mayhem, which crossed at 06:33:01 hrs after more than 20 hours at sea. The 15.8-metre TP52, co-skippered by Harry Dodson and Tony Bosnyak, finished just 19 minutes and 37 seconds behind second-placed Callisto, completing the 119-nautical-mile course from Auckland's Waitematā Harbour to Russell in 20 hours and 33 minutes.
Callisto had crossed the line at 06:13:24 hrs, exactly 20 hours, 13 minutes, and 24 seconds after departing Auckland's Waitematā Harbour at 1000 hrs on the 24th. Congratulations to Jim (James) Murray and his crew on an outstanding race.
Line honours in the 2025 PIC Coastal Classic went to Lucky, which crossed in Russell at 03:22:55 hrs on the 25th after 17 hours, 22 minutes, and 55 seconds of racing. Congratulations to Bryon Ehrhart and his crew on a superb effort.
To understand how Lucky secured that victory, it helps to step back to the race itself. At 19:46 hrs on the 24th, a moderate south to southwest breeze sent the fleet charging at hull speed on a tight reach toward North Head. Lucky, USA 2872, made an impressive sight as she tightened her huge headsail and pulled away from the TP52s. Wired had taken an excellent start and showed real pace off the line, with beautiful conditions across the fleet and spinnakers and gennakers adding colour to the spectacle as the boats headed north.
By 17:30 hrs, Mayhem had caught up with Wired, the two running in parallel on the tracker. At 17:00 hrs, Mayhem was lying fourth with Wired third, with updates flowing through as teams shared information throughout the day.
The crew aboard Lucky were keeping their supporters well supplied with exclusive updates. Bryon, Brad, and the team were making their move. By 12:02 hrs, between Tiritiri Matangi and Whangaparaoa, Lucky had pushed to the front, with Callisto sitting close to Shakespear Regional Park.
The 19 boats in Division 1B were driving forward with equal determination. At 11:15 hrs, that group included Fez, the previous year's handicap winner, Vixen running with a 50/50 crew of women and men, and Sassinate, which held the lead in the division at that point.
The two American entries, both owned by Chicagoans and crewed largely by Kiwis, were making their presence felt at 11:00 hrs. Both Lucky and Callisto, racing in Division 1A, were leading the fleet, but only narrowly. Divisions 1A and 1B had effectively pulled clear of the rest of the fleet in their push north.
The final groups to get away had done so at 10:00 hrs, when the start signal sounded for Divisions 1, 6, and 7. These were the multihull divisions and the Division 1A and 1B fleets, all potentially quick in the right conditions. Wired, skippered by Rob Bassett and Brett Russell, took an early lead at the gun, chased closely by Callisto under Jim Murray and race favourite Lucky with Bryon Ehrhart at the helm. Mayhem, co-skippered by Harry Dodson and Tony Bosnyak, followed just behind, while Sassinate under Mikayla Plaw flew past on the inside, rumoured to have Olympic sailor Blair Tuke at the helm.
Divisions 2 and 3 had started at 09:45 hrs, sending a fresh wave of lighter, agile boats across the Waitematā in a brilliant display of colour. The breeze had lifted slightly by this point, pushing the fleet toward Rangitoto Island Channel with added pace. Crews were trimming hard, calling tactics, and fighting for every metre. Among the front-runners was Kick, Brendan Sands' 1994 Elliott 1050, crewed by a talented youth team whose sharp start and confident handling stood out as one of the memorable moments of the morning. Seeing so many young sailors on the course was a genuine highlight, a new generation already making its mark on New Zealand's great race north.
Earlier still, at 09:30 hrs, Divisions 4, 5, and 8 had launched the 2025 race. SV Thistle, the only sloop racing this weekend, stood alone in Division 8. Among the early leaders was Grunt Machine, a Ross 930 skippered by Grant McKilliam, though only by a slender margin. The light breeze set the stage for a vivid spectacle of colour over the Waitematā Harbour, a stunning opening to New Zealand's great race north.
Crews had been lining up from 09:00 hrs onward, making final preparations ahead of the staggered starts. The Waitematā was alive with activity as sailors checked their gear, fine-tuned their sails, and readied themselves for the long passage north. The conditions promised spinnakers in the air, a welcome change from the previous year when strong winds had kept them packed away. The breeze was light but steady, perfect for a colourful and competitive beginning.
The staggered start schedule had three line-ups: 09:25 hrs warning with a 09:30 hrs start for Divisions 4, 5, 8, and Solo; 09:40 hrs warning with a 09:45 hrs start for Divisions 2 and 3; and 09:55 hrs warning with a 10:00 hrs start for Divisions 1, 6, and 7.
