Richmond Yacht Club Spring Regatta delivers close racing around Waiheke

Richmond Yacht Club’s 2026 Spring Regatta brought 27 boats onto the Hauraki Gulf, racing across four divisions, with seven also contesting the opening round of the 2026 Doyle Sails Gold Cup Series. The fleet brought together a broad cross-section of Auckland yacht racing, from the increasingly popular Open 8.5 multihulls Hooters, Lucifer, and Freedom to established club racers and some of New Zealand’s most active offshore boats.

At the bigger end of the fleet were Graham Matthews’ 55 footer Equilibrium and Quintin Fowler’s More 55 Rum Bucket, both returning after strong results here last year. Equilibrium was the first monohull home in the 2025 Spring Regatta, while Rum Bucket finished fourth across the line and second on PHS.

Both had plenty of offshore form behind them. Equilibrium finished third on line in April’s 500nm Three Kings Offshore Yacht Race, won in course-record time by another boat in the Spring Regatta fleet, Steve Mair’s Shaw 12 Clockwork. At the other end of the size range, Richard Limbrick’s Ross 850 Cool Change brought its own offshore and shorthanded pedigree, returning after winning last year’s Spring Regatta Short Haul division on PHS.

There was 2025 Spring Regatta form throughout the fleet. Coen Ursem’s Freedom had won both line honours and PHS in the multihulls in 2025, Murray Johnson’s Resonance had done the same in No Extras, while Gary Vogels’ Flojo had finished second on both line and handicap in Long Haul.

Richmond Yacht Club sends the fleet around Waiheke

The course decision was made on the water that morning. Significantly shorter alternatives were available, but race officials opted for the full courses. Long Haul, Gold Cup and the multihulls sailed 50nm, rounding Rangitoto and Motutapu before continuing to Gannet Rock and around Waiheke. Short Haul and No Extras took a slightly more direct route, passing Motuihe Island before heading northeast towards Gannet Rock and then around Waiheke, returning to the Waitematā Harbour to complete their 45nm course.

What began as a reasonable, sunny morning became a much greyer and wetter day on the Gulf. A fresh southwesterly of around 12 knots built towards 20 knots through the day, with gusts pushing towards 30 knots as the afternoon wore on. Passing showers brought some stronger bursts, particularly around Waiheke, where dark rain clouds periodically swallowed parts of the course, reducing visibility and making the next stretch of the Waitematā harder to pick out.

For the boats rounding Waiheke, the southwesterly meant some fast reaching and running, but also plenty of hard upwind work on the way back towards Auckland. From Achilles Point, we watched Clockwork, Equilibrium and two of the multihulls, Lucifer and Mike Mackey’s multihull Levity emerge from beneath the rain around Waiheke and begin working their way west. There were plenty of directional changes across the Gulf and Waitematā, continuing almost to the western end of Rangitoto before they could make their final run towards the finish.

Equilibrium sets the pace around Waiheke

Graham Matthews’ Botin Carkeek 55 Equilibrium set the fastest elapsed time of the day, completing the 50nm course in 5h 14m 13s. It was the second year running that Equilibrium had been the fastest monohull in the Spring Regatta, and this time it completed the course 21m 11s quicker than in 2025.

Steve Mair’s Shaw 12 Clockwork was next on elapsed time, completing the course in 5h 20m 03s, 5m 50s behind Equilibrium. Ed Ayre’s Open 8.5 Lucifer was only another 3m 29s back at 5h 23m 32s, with Mike Mackey’s Schionning CM46 Levity fourth fastest at 5h 26m 10s, 2m 38s behind.

That put four very different boats within 11m 57s on elapsed time after 50nm around the Gulf. Craig Haslip’s Open 8.5 GBE Hooters was next at 5h 36m 54s, before a larger gap to Cameron Thorpe’s Bakewell White 37 General Lee at 6h 00m 36s and Quintin Fowler’s More 55 Rum Bucket just 1m 02s behind at 6h 01m 38s. This was tight racing.

PHS reshuffles the Gold Cup, Long Haul and multihulls

Once the fleet was separated back into its divisions and handicaps applied, much of that finishing order changed.

Equilibrium had beaten Clockwork by 5m 50s on the water in the Gold Cup fleet, but PHS turned the result around. Clockwork took the handicap win, and suddenly Quintin Fowler’s Rum Bucket was right in the middle of it as well. Just 3m 06s separated Clockwork, Rum Bucket and Equilibrium on corrected time after more than five hours of racing, setting up an intriguing three-way contest for the season ahead.

Long Haul produced an even bigger reversal with the handicap rating playing its part. General Lee had beaten Flojo home by nearly 27 minutes, a margin that looked substantial at the finish. On PHS it disappeared completely. Flojo corrected to 5:27:25 to win by 7m 13s, while Ben Storey’s Farr 1220 Tonto made an even larger move through the fleet, climbing from sixth on the water to third on handicap.

The multihulls followed much the same script. Lucifer had beaten Levity by 2m 38s for line honours, with Hooters third. Handicap turned that order almost completely upside down: Hooters won, Levity stayed second and Lucifer dropped to third.

It meant that across the three 50nm fleets, not one of the boats that crossed first also won on PHS. Equilibrium gave way to Clockwork, General Lee to Flojo, and Lucifer to Hooters.

Katana completes the No Extras double

The 45nm No Extras fleet was different.

Nigel Garland’s Jeanneau Sun Fast 3600 Katana was already well clear when it crossed at 16:10:57, beating Damon Paling’s J/112E Oro Rosa home by 37 minutes. This time handicap could not undo the advantage. Katana remained comfortably in front on PHS to complete the double.

The closer contest was behind them. Ken Kok’s Elliott 1050 High Voltage beat Murray Johnson’s Hanse 415 Resonance home by just 2m 04s, and the same pair remained third and fourth after correction. That brought Resonance’s run at the top to an end after it had won both line honours and PHS here in 2025.

John Marshall’s Davidson 35 Dream Machine, meanwhile, was still racing long after most of the fleet had finished. It finally crossed at 20:27:57, after 10h 42m 57s on the course. Warren and Simon Devoy’s Ross 930 Scarlet Fever retired.

Patere holds off Flashwave in Short Haul

Short Haul also produced a double, although the handicap result became considerably closer than the finish on the water suggested.

Alan Retter’s Stewart 34 Patere beat Andrew Macdonald’s Farr 1020 Flashwave home by 13m 39s, with Steve Morriss’ Elan E3 Belle and Peter Osboldstone’s Lotus 9.2 Sigma 11 following.

Once corrected, however, Flashwave had closed to within 2m 56s. Patere had done enough, taking both line honours and PHS.

For Richard Limbrick’s Ross 850 Cool Change, there would be no repeat of its 2025 result. Last year it missed line honours by only nine seconds before winning Short Haul on PHS; this time it retired.

Auckland’s spring racing season is under way

That spread between the front and back of the fleet perhaps says more about the day than another list of results. Equilibrium needed a little over five hours to complete the 50nm course; Dream Machine was on its 45nm course for nearly eleven.

More broadly, Richmond Yacht Club’s Spring Regatta helped usher in Auckland’s spring racing season, with a healthy fleet and close competition across a wide range of boats. It also opened the 2026/27 Doyle Sails Gold Cup Series, and if the racing around Waiheke is any indication, there should be plenty more close competition to come as Auckland’s season gathers pace.

2026 Richmond Yacht Club Spring Regatta Results

Doyle Sails Gold Cup Series

Spring Regatta Long Haul

Multihulls

No Extras

Short Haul