There are boats that do one thing well. Kick does everything well, and her record proves it before you ever set foot aboard.
Fresh from the 2026 Doyle Sails Round North Island Two Handed Yacht Race, she finished with fourth on corrected time, third on points, second in Division 3, and seventh overall on line honours. On Leg 2 alone, she won outright on handicap. For a 35-footer entering one of New Zealand's most demanding offshore events, that result speaks clearly.
Long-distance racing has been a regular feature on Kick's calendar, with the 1,250 nautical mile Round North Island race and the 500 nautical mile Three Kings Yacht Race both appearing repeatedly. At Three Kings in 2022, she placed sixth overall on PHRF. At the 2025 Cavalli Islands race, she took line honours in the two-handed division and finished second overall on handicap across the full fleet.
The PIC Coastal Classic is familiar territory too, her most recent result a seventh in Division 2 with a youth crew aboard. Across the SSANZ short-handed series, she has proven herself in precisely the conditions that format demands. Without apology, she remains the highest-rated 35-foot cruiser racer in New Zealand.
What distinguishes Kick from most boats carrying a racing résumé like hers is how readily that capability transfers into genuine family cruising. Owner Brendan Sands and his family use her in the fullest sense: weeks at a stretch through the Gulf and beyond, two to three weeks living aboard through summer, and most weekends on the water from October through April. Both roles coexist without compromise.
She is a 1994 custom Elliott 1050, designed by New Zealand naval architect Greg Elliott together with Ian Harvey of Eagle Yachts, who was also her original owner. The 10.5-metre platform stays true to its origins, with a 9.7-metre waterline and 3.7-metre beam, but the build has taken the design considerably further in several meaningful directions.
Her draft sits at 2.45 metres, deeper than standard, and you feel that difference the moment she starts moving. For a boat of her length, that is a generous figure, translating into real working room under sail. When the anchor goes down, the whole character shifts. There is space for children, friends, and long evenings, and the layout never becomes an obstacle.
The deck arrangement stays clear through manoeuvres, with no need to climb over seating. Carbon foot chocks can be added for racing and removed when the family comes aboard. Below the waterline, she carries a deeper keel without the Elliott Jandal. Above it, the rig stands around one metre taller than standard, delivering additional sail area, while a shortened cabin top opens up both the foredeck and the cockpit. The outcome is a longer, more practical working deck with no loss of interior volume. The raised, flat cockpit ranks among her most distinctive features, equally at home in a competitive race fleet or sitting quietly at anchor.
Below decks, the volume still catches people off guard, and it was a decisive factor when Brendan first looked at her. Even alongside many modern 40-footers, the usable interior holds its own. Forward there is a large V-berth, to starboard aft a private double, complemented by a port quarter berth and generous storage throughout the cabin.
Displacement comes in at 4,359 kg, giving Kick genuine offshore substance without blunting her speed. She performs across a wide range of conditions, but she comes alive in winds under 10 knots, where she will comfortably run past much larger boats. In heavier weather, she holds her shape and stays composed. Carbon-reinforced keel floors have added structural stiffness, and she drives upwind with confidence while tracking cleanly downwind under full masthead gear. She is direct and predictable, the kind of boat that stays composed when conditions build rather than demanding extra management.
Much of the recent development has been shaped by short-handed sailing. A hydraulic autopilot has transformed how Kick can be managed offshore, handling the steering reliably in demanding conditions, while the boat remains balanced and effective with a full crew when the occasion calls for it.
At her core, though, she is a family boat. In cruising configuration she carries hot and cold water, indoor and outdoor showers, 300 litres of water storage, a full-sized oven, a 12-volt fridge and freezer, and enough storage to make extended passages genuinely practical. That setup has been tested and refined through repeated Gulf cruising and long stays aboard.
Kick's history stretches well before Brendan came into the picture. In her early years she raced hard out of Bucklands Beach Yacht Club, lining up in many of Auckland's major events until 2002, when she crossed to Australia for Airlie Beach Race Week and was sold there.
Brendan grew up sailing with his father, Richard Sands, known to many as the owner of Outlaw. Richard had entered the Round North Island race previously but never finished it, and in 2018 father and son began talking seriously about taking it on together. That conversation set the search in motion. Kick was found in Pittwater, the broker was contacted, a deal was done, and she was brought back to New Zealand in 2018, returning to the waters she was built for.
The work since then has been substantial. A full deck repaint, refinished topsides, and the hull taken back to an epoxy barrier coat before antifouling. Standing and running rigging replaced throughout. The boat has been largely rewired, with new B&G electronics and the hydraulic autopilot installed. Structural development has continued in parallel, including carbon-reinforced keel floors, a new Thompson-designed keel fitted in 2024, and a new Thompson rudder added in 2026. The sail wardrobe has kept pace, headlined by an Evolution carbon membrane square-top mainsail.
Since returning home, Kick has competed in the Round North Island, Three Kings, Route 66, Akarana 350, Cavalli Islands, and numerous SSANZ Triple Series events, as well as regular club racing out of Weiti Boating Club and Gulf Harbour Yacht Club. The three Round North Island campaigns in 2020, 2023, and 2026 stand as the centrepiece of that record, each supported by continued development of her systems, sail plans, and foils.
Through all of it, she has remained recognisably herself: forgiving to sail, straightforward to manage when cruising, and reliably competitive when the racing gets serious.
She currently sits in full cruising configuration for summer, set up exactly as a family boat should be. For Brendan and his family, the focus is shifting further offshore. With school years approaching, the plan is for extended time at sea with the children before that window closes. Racing will give way to cruising, but the time on the water continues.
Kick has been central to that life on the water. Now she is ready for her next one.
