The evening's celebrations took over the Wynyard Pavilion on Saturday, with Matt Flynn, skipper of Krakatoa II, the Pogo 40, stepping up as Master of Ceremonies to call the results in front of a boisterous, cheering crowd.
Before a single trophy changed hands, the room dealt with one piece of unofficial but clearly important business. A yellow floating duck had been catching the eye of crews and swimmers throughout the event, and competitors had been invited to propose a name for it. The winning suggestion was "Duck Norris," a result that produced a wave of hooting and applause and set an immediately festive tone for everything that followed.
The night's premier award went to Sequesta, the Ed Dubois 42 skippered by Philip Deibert, who took first overall on PHF handicap. Out on the water earlier in the day, Alegre, the Soto 40 skippered by Vaughn Clark, had been first of the monohulls across the line, while Simon Hull's GC32 Frank Racing claimed multihull line honours.
In the PHF divisional standings, the multihull Division 1 was won by Selah, Andrew Turnbull's Spirited 380, with Guy Chester's Crowther 40 Ocean's Tribute second and Jackson Keon's Turissimo 10 Alien third.
Division 2 honours went to Extreme, the Jim Young skippered by Mark Roberts (Moulet), with John Kensington's Mg Whitbread 30 Sham Pain filling second place and Matt Flynn's Krakatoa II completing the podium in third.
Southern Fun, the Laurie Davidson skippered by Aaron Hume-Merry, headed Division 3 ahead of Graeme Lucas's Elliott 1050 Chain Reaction and Anne Hirst's Magic 25 Team Sex.
Division 4 was taken by Colin Booth's Young 88 Perfect Alibi. Second went to Chris Dickson's Princess, a 6 Metre Class vessel that, despite the class designation, actually measures 10.20 metres overall. Melissa Logan's Alan Wright 12 Aoelian rounded out the top three.
Philip Deibert's Sequesta also topped Division 5, with Jon Nash's Stewart 34 Princess second and Ken Fyfe's Farr Titus Canby third.
Among the class prizes, Coen Ursem's 8.5 Great Barrier Express Freedom took the 8.5 multi class title, while Anne Hirst's Team Sex doubled up by also winning the sports boats award. The Battle of the Clubs was settled in favour of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, whose campaign was built on the combined contributions of Sequesta, Extreme, Sham Pain, and Team Sex.
From around 3pm that afternoon, Jellicoe Harbour had been gradually filling again as boats made their way back in. Frank Racing was first to arrive, followed by Guy Chester's Crowther 40 Oceans Tribute. The monohulls were not far behind, with John Kensington's Sham Pain among the early arrivals. Raft-ups took shape as crews shed any remaining competitive focus and shifted well clear of racing mode.
The race had got away at noon. A northerly was expected to fill in through the afternoon, building from around 6 knots early to 8 knots between 1pm and 5pm over calm seas. Low tide at 4pm, dropping to 0.3 metres, added another variable for navigators to weigh up as the fleet worked towards the finish.
The course had been announced at 11.30am: Course 5, running approximately 8 nautical miles between Takapuna and Rangitoto Island. Starting from the North Head Yellow Racing Buoy, the route took the fleet around the Takapuna Yellow Racing Buoy, then the Northern Leading Yellow Racing Buoy, before heading back to the starting mark.
Race morning had arrived in fine autumn form, with clear skies and good sunshine, though the wind was slow to establish itself. The fleet's broad spread of performance levels was reflected in how the divisions had been structured.
Division 1 contained the high-performance contingent, anchored by Frank Racing and a group of Open 8.5s, Attitude, Epsom Salts, and Lucifer, joined by offshore-capable designs including Oceans Tribute and the multihull Selah. Division 2 gathered a cluster of well-regarded Kiwi boats, Another Duchess, Krakatoa II, and Innismara among them. Division 3 looked to be among the most competitive fleets on paper, with Chain Reaction, Kaimai Flyer, and Southern Fun all expected to feature. Divisions 4 and 5 demonstrated the breadth of the overall entry, mixing classic New Zealand designs with modern cruisers, and featuring Sailena, a 7-metre Moonraker 23 that stood out as one of the smallest boats in the fleet.
The event had begun the previous evening with a welcome gathering in the courtyard of the Wynyard Pavilion at Jellicoe Harbour, Wynyard Quarter. The function drew crews, supporters, and industry figures, including members of the 36 Degrees Brokers Beneteau and Lagoon rally fleets, as well as a number of familiar faces from Emirates Team New Zealand, providing a strong show of support for grassroots sailing.
PIC Insurance flags lined the waterfront along Jellicoe Harbour, and the berths were packed with competing boats while others in nearby marinas completed their preparations ahead of the start.
New Zealand Multihull Yacht Club Commodore Adrian Percival addressed competitors during the evening, setting out the safety expectations for the fleet and adding a good-natured reminder to avoid any contact with his starter boat.
