Few races on the New Zealand offshore calendar carry quite the weight of the Three Kings. With 500 nautical miles of demanding sailing between start and finish, the 2026 edition looks set to continue that tradition.
The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron organises the event, which departs Auckland and tracks north toward Cape Reinga before rounding the remote Three Kings Islands and returning south to finish on the Waitematā. Crews can expect to work through the full range of conditions the northern coastline can produce, from patience-testing light airs in the early stages to serious offshore sailing in exposed, unpredictable waters around the top of the country.
Part of what gives the Three Kings its standing is a reputation for genuine difficulty. The 2024 race made that plain: only seven boats crossed the finish line, while eight retired before completing the course. Conditions were kinder in 2022, when 15 boats finished and five pulled out. Many crews treat the race as meaningful preparation for events such as the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, and the record suggests it earns that role.
Since entries first opened for the 2026 race, the fleet has shifted. Carpe Diem and Mr Kite II have joined the line-up, while Persevere, the Hanse 545, and Vixen Racing, Sharon Ferris-Choat's Verdier 40, have both withdrawn. Ten monohull entries are now confirmed, leaving eight boats on the start line.
The fleet spans a wide range of designs. At the top end, Equilibrium, the Botin Carkeek 55 belonging to Graham Matthews, measures 16.7 metres and is the largest boat entered. At the other end of the scale, Carpe Diem, the Elliott 1060, is now the smallest in the fleet following the arrival of later entries. Other confirmed starters include Clockwork, Steve Mair's Shaw 12, and Flyer, Mark Findlay's Elliott 1350.
Three boats in the 2026 field arrive with recent offshore miles already banked, having contested the 2026 Doyle Sails Round North Island Two Handed Yacht Race. Motorboat III, Damon Jolliffe's Thompson 1150, Akonga, Nick Robert's Dehler 41, and Higher Ground, John Seely's Ross 1066, all raced that event and will carry that form into the Three Kings.
The standard entry deadline was extended to 29 March 2026, with late entries accepted through to 2 April, the same date on which sailing instructions are released.
Handicap scoring across the fleet is handled through several systems to account for the variety of boats. Fully crewed monohulls race under PHRF passage ratings, while two-handed entries are measured on short-handed PHRF. Any multihulls would be scored under ratings issued by the New Zealand Multihull Yacht Club, and boats holding IRC certification may also compete under that system. Whether separate divisions are formed in each category will come down to how many entries ultimately confirm.
The course record belongs to Wired, the BW52 skippered by Rob Bassett, who set an elapsed time of 2 days, 3 hours, 42 minutes, and 39 seconds in 2022. That is the benchmark any 2026 starter will need to chase down on raw speed. Wired returned to the top of the elapsed-time leaderboard in 2024 as well, though the harder conditions that year pushed their finishing time out to 2 days, 5 hours, 24 minutes, nearly three hours slower than the 2022 record.
Overall honours are decided on corrected time, and the 2024 results illustrated just how tight competition across the fleet can be. Equilibrium, sailing fully crewed as a Marten 55 that year, took the overall win with a corrected time of 2 days, 11 hours, 9 minutes, and 36 seconds. Akonga, racing two-handed, finished not far behind on a corrected time of 2 days, 20 hours, 4 minutes, and 18 seconds. Among the seven 2024 finishers, the first six crossed the line within a nine-hour elapsed time window, showing how little separated the fleet after several days at sea. Both Equilibrium and Akonga return in 2026.
The 2022 overall result also went to Wired, whose corrected time of 2 days, 3 hours, 42 minutes, and 39 seconds proved beyond challenge. Second in the two-handed category that year was Titanium, a Thompson measuring 11.58 metres skippered by Shane Bellingham, with a corrected time of 2 days, 16 hours, 38 minutes, and 5 seconds, finishing just under 13 hours behind Wired on corrected time.
What draws crews to the Three Kings is a particular kind of balance. The course is within reach of a well-prepared offshore boat, yet the waters around Cape Reinga and the Three Kings Islands are exposed enough to demand sound seamanship and clear heads when conditions turn. For most of the sailors who enter, that combination is the whole point.
The race starts at 11am on 16 April, with the warning signal five minutes before. A compact but experienced fleet has assembled, and this biennial event looks set for another closely fought edition.
Updated: 30 March 2026. Updated: 10 April 2026.
