Sean Vernon's Wraith II made a powerful statement at the 2026 Balokovic Cup, the concluding event of the 2025–2026 Doyle Sails Gold Cup series. The MOD 70 stormed around the 89 nautical mile Gulf course in 5 hours 44 minutes 22 seconds, finishing just under nine minutes short of the outright course record.
A note on that record: following confirmation from the race organisers, the course record continues to stand with TeamVodafoneSailing. In 2016, TeamVodafoneSailing was the first multihull home in just over 5 hours 35 minutes, while the Volvo 70 Giacomo, skippered by Jim Delegat, led the monohull fleet in 8 hours 10 minutes. Corrected times for the multihull division have also been updated.
Racing got under way off the Orakei Wharf area on the evening of Friday, 20 February 2026, with an 18:25 warning signal for the two-boat multihull fleet, comprising Wraith II and Oceans Tribute, and 18:30 for the remainder of the starters. A strong southwesterly built through the Gulf, generating real pressure and chop, conditions that reward decisive sailing and punish hesitation. Wraith II met every demand, crossing the line at 00:14:22 on Saturday, 21 February 2026 to secure multihull line honours. The result underscored the pedigree of a vessel formerly campaigned as Snowflake and Beau Geste, and transformed a classic overnighter into a high-speed demonstration of what a MOD 70 can deliver on a Gulf circuit.
Line honours was not, however, the final word in the multihull division. On corrected time, Ocean's Tribute, helmed by Guy Chester, took the division win with a corrected time of 10 hours 19 minutes 14 seconds, coming in just under two hours clear of Wraith II once ratings were applied. Congratulations to Guy Chester and Ocean's Tribute.
{{TABLE_1}}
Nine monohulls took the start, though Liquid Luck and Motorboat both retired before the finish, leaving seven crews to complete the 89 mile course through the overnight conditions. First among them was Equilibrium, the Botin Carkeek 55 skippered by Graham Matthews of SSANZ, which stopped the clock at an elapsed time of 9 hours 16 minutes 30 seconds to take monohull line honours convincingly.
The gap back to second place was a substantial one. Carrera 3, helmed by John Meadowcroft of RNZYS, finished 2 hours 29 minutes 07 seconds adrift of Equilibrium, with an elapsed time of 11 hours 45 minutes 37 seconds. Third home was Andrew Benton's Sun Fast 3300 Indis from RYC, completing the course just 8 minutes 24 seconds after Carrera 3 but 2 hours 37 minutes 31 seconds behind the leader.
Nigel Hendy's Dufour 45e Nirvana crossed 24 minutes 58 seconds behind Indis, with Chris Beaumont's Young 11 Flying Boat following a further 15 minutes 48 seconds later. Marcel Vroege's Ross 35 Apparition arrived 10 minutes 18 seconds after that, and Ross Bannan's Whiting 1/4 Tonner Magic Bus brought up the rear of the finishing fleet, completing the course 5 hours 51 minutes 19 seconds behind Equilibrium. Across all seven finishers, the elapsed spread from first to last was just under six hours.
When PHRF corrected times were applied, the picture shifted considerably. Indis claimed handicap honours with a corrected time of 9 hours 38 minutes 21 seconds, edging out Equilibrium by just 11 minutes despite the Botin Carkeek 55 having dominated on elapsed time. Carrera 3 rounded out the podium in third on corrected time. That 11-minute margin reflects how effectively Benton and his crew sailed to their rating, navigating the transitional overnight breeze with particular skill. Through the mid-fleet, corrected time margins stayed tight, reflecting the competitive depth within the 36 to 45-foot core that has defined this Doyle Sails Gold Cup Series throughout the season.
{{TABLE_2}}
The Balokovic Cup also counts towards the Royal Akarana Yacht Club BlueWater Championship for 2025–2026, a series that includes the 2025 PIC Coastal Classic, the 2026 Doyle Sails Cavalli Islands Race, and the forthcoming 2026 Route 66. That final event, the Marsden Cove Marina Route 66, is a 66 nautical mile coastal race from Auckland to Marsden Cove in Whangarei, organised by Richmond Yacht Club and run under Category 4 plus safety requirements. It will serve as the last offshore test of the season and close out the BlueWater Championship.
Season achievements will be recognised at the Gold Cup Prizegiving on 12 March at Royal Akarana Yacht Club, held in conjunction with the BlueWater Championships finale.
