Across more than 2000 nautical miles, four demanding legs, and the full circumnavigation of the North Island, one crew proved unshakeable. The official PHRF results for the 2026 Doyle Sails Round North Island Two Handed Yacht Race have confirmed Ragnar, the Division 3 Jeanneau Sunfast 3300 sailed by skipper Brett Elliott and co-skipper James Glidden, as the outright winner.
The final result came down to a tiebreaker. Ragnar and Motorboat III, the Division 1 Thompson 1050 crewed by skipper Damon Jolliffe and co-skipper Josh Tucker, each finished the series on 10 points under the low point scoring system. The tie was resolved by cumulative corrected elapsed time across all four legs, and on that measure Ragnar held a decisive advantage. Their total corrected time of 6 days 15 hours 11 minutes 22 seconds beat Motorboat III's 6 days 16 hours 44 minutes 57 seconds by 1 hour 33 minutes 35 seconds, settling the overall result beyond any argument.
The points series carries its own separate honours, and those went the other way. With the two boats inseparable on points, countback applied, and Motorboat III claimed that distinction by virtue of three leg wins on PHRF.
The boat itself is worth examining. The Jeanneau Sunfast 3300 has earned a quiet reputation as one of the most capable double-handed offshore race boats available anywhere. As Kevin Green noted in Boating New Zealand's 2021 review, "Jeanneau's Sunfast 3300 joins its well established siblings, the 3200 and later 3600, which have made names for themselves in European offshore events and are popular double handed race boats. The 3300 is highly competitive… and remains highly competitive, as has been proven in France and the UK." That pedigree translated directly into New Zealand waters over the course of this race.
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Ragnar's campaign signalled its intentions from the opening leg. On the passage from Devonport to Mangōnui, the crew moved to the head of the handicap race within nine hours, managing the corrected time contest while staying competitive in real time and crossing the finish line fifth on line honours. A corrected time of 15 hours 12 minutes 23 seconds gave them first in Division 3 and second overall on PHRF, marking Elliott and Glidden immediately as a pair worth watching.
Leg 2, the long and demanding passage to Queen Charlotte Sound, kept Ragnar firmly in contention. Shifting conditions tested every crew, yet Elliott and Glidden navigated the variables well enough to finish second in Division 3 and second overall on PHRF, recording a corrected time of 2 days 20 hours 3 minutes 24 seconds. It was not a leg win, but at a point in the series where other crews were surrendering ground, holding that position was a result in itself.
The third leg, finishing into Napier, was where steady performance began to harden into something more commanding. Ragnar led Division 3 from early in the passage and remained near the top of the broader handicap standings throughout. A corrected time of 23 hours 50 minutes 25 seconds secured first in Division 3 and fourth overall on PHRF. The pattern by this stage was unmistakable: a crew not hunting spectacular individual results, but refusing steadily and methodically to give anything away.
The fourth and final leg from Napier to Auckland brought the tension of the series to a point. Ragnar carried the overall lead into it, but Motorboat III retained a genuine chance at the title with a sufficiently strong handicap performance. By Saturday afternoon Ragnar held a clear Division 3 advantage while remaining in contention across the whole PHRF fleet. By Sunday, the top three boats were separated by minutes on corrected time.
Motorboat III set the benchmark with a corrected time of 2 days 3 hours 45 minutes 5 seconds. Ragnar's response was measured and controlled. They finished eighth on line honours, a placing that reflects the pace they found against a fleet dominated by larger Division 1 boats. Their corrected time of 2 days 4 hours 5 minutes 11 seconds secured first in Division 3 and second overall on PHRF for the leg. That second place was exactly what the situation required.
Taken across all four legs, Ragnar's campaign illustrated the particular discipline that offshore racing demands and rewards. Line honours were never the objective. Through every leg the crew stayed in contention, absorbed the pressure of holding a series lead, and never let the situation unravel. Minimising losses, finding gains where the conditions allowed, and trusting the accumulated corrected time to carry the result: that was the character of their race from Devonport to Auckland and every port in between.
Congratulations to Brett Elliott and James Glidden from Boating New Zealand.
