2026 PIC Coastal Classic
The great race north · 2026
2026 PIC Coastal Classic
Ninety five boats, 119 nautical miles and a fading breeze. The 2026 PIC Coastal Classic starts at 10am on Friday 23 October, off Devonport Wharf.
In Division 1A, Another Duchess and Wired renew a contest settled by just 59 seconds on elapsed time last year. Division 2 rivals Niksen and Force Eleven finished only 38 seconds apart on PHRF corrected time. With light winds and overnight shifts forecast, both battles are worth following.
Read Go Boating’s latest coverage, follow the fleet on the tracker and explore the entries below.
- Start date
- Course
- Devonport to Russell
- Distance
- 119 nautical miles
Coastal Classic fleet lines up under grey skies, with Russell a long way off
With 20 minutes to the start, the PIC Coastal Classic fleet is filling the harbour off Devonport. It’s ideal weather for a cruise up the coast. For a race to Russell, less so.
The sky is overcast and the breeze is close to what PredictWind’s Nick Olson has been forecasting all week. There’s enough to get the fleet over the line and heading north. Few skippers expect it to hold all the way.
The latest on the 2026 PIC Coastal Classic
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Will anyone make Russell by 2pm? Coastal Classic boats turn for home as the breeze dies
Another Duchess, Motorboat III and Diablo retire as the wind dies. Can any race boat reach Russell by the 2pm cut-off?
Ben Ball heads to Russell alone, with a roast in the oven
Solo Trans-Tasman runner-up Ben Ball sails his 1976 Cavalier 36 Camellia single-handed in the PIC Coastal Classic, with a roast in the oven.
Follow the fleet
2026 PIC Coastal Classic tracker
Follow the fleet from Devonport to Russell. Select a boat on the map to explore its position and track.
Tracking supplied by PredictWind. Positions update as tracking data becomes available.
More 2026 PIC Coastal Classic articles
View all Will anyone make Russell by 2pm? Coastal Classic boats turn for home as the breeze dies
Another Duchess, Motorboat III and Diablo retire as the wind dies. Can any race boat reach Russell by the 2pm cut-off?
Ben Ball heads to Russell alone, with a roast in the oven
Solo Trans-Tasman runner-up Ben Ball sails his 1976 Cavalier 36 Camellia single-handed in the PIC Coastal Classic, with a roast in the oven.
Malcolm Dickson and granddaughter Lily, 63 years apart, take Sarau to Russell
Twice a Solo Trans-Tasman winner, Malcolm Dickson starts his first PIC Coastal Classic with granddaughter Lily as crew aboard his yacht Sarau.
Coastal Classic crews told to settle in for a slow night north of Cape Rodney
Final briefing for the 95-boat PIC Coastal Classic: breeze for the start, then light air past Cape Rodney, a turning tide and a long night.
Let them drive to Russell: Mike Sanderson’s plan for a light Coastal Classic
Leave the moaners ashore, clean the bottom and climb the ladder: Mike Sanderson’s advice for a seven-knot PIC Coastal Classic run to Russell.
La Vagabonde’s second life: Scouts, a new forestay and the annual run to Russell
Dream Weaver, the original La Vagabonde, lines up for the 2026 PIC Coastal Classic rally with a new inner forestay and offshore plans.
100 boats entered for the PIC Coastal Classic, and nobody is defending line honours
Entries have closed for the 2026 PIC Coastal Classic. Romanza, Antaeus and last year’s division winners lead 100 boats north to Russell.
Entries open for 2026 PIC Coastal Classic, 23 October Devonport to Russell
Entries are open for the 2026 PIC Coastal Classic on 23 October, Devonport to Russell. New Zealand's largest coastal race welcomes all sailors, from cruisers to grand prix fleets.
Fleet analysis · The 2025 rematches
Familiar rivals, unfinished business
In Division 1A, Another Duchess completed the course 59 seconds faster than Wired on elapsed time. Another Duchess also won the division on handicap, ahead of returning rival Explore Racing.
+ More analysis − Less analysis
Division 1B brings back handicap winner Blue Dude, line honours winner Sassinate and third placed handicap boat Rehab.
Division 2 has a rematch worth watching. Niksen beat Force Eleven by just 38 seconds on PHRF corrected time last year. Both return, along with Blackout, third on divisional handicap.
Some smaller margins sit further down Division 2. Physical Favours beat Mustang Sally by eight seconds on elapsed time. Savante finished 12 seconds faster than Nirvana. Those are elapsed time gaps, rather than handicap margins.
Starmaker returns to Division 4 after winning both divisional and overall monohull PHRF honours. Wasted Away, last year’s Division 4 line honours winner and handicap runner up, is back too.
Division 5 reunites handicap winner Paddy Wagon, runner up Young Mischief and line honours winner T-Rex.
In Division 7, Hooters returns after winning on both line and handicap, alongside handicap third placegetter Attitude.
Our entry snapshot includes 57 boats from the 2025 racing results. Nineteen retired or did not start last year.
Light winds and overnight shifts on the race north
Southerlies of five to eight knots are forecast around the 10am start off Devonport Wharf, with calm seas.
Further north, east of Kawau, afternoon southeasterlies ease to three to six knots. The breeze turns northerly during the evening, ranging from three to nine knots.
Off Tutukākā overnight, winds shift southwest at two to eight knots, with mostly fine weather and a small northeasterly swell. By morning, winds become light and variable.
Cape Brett also faces light and variable morning conditions. Afternoon northwesterlies build from five to eleven knots, with swell around 0.4 metres.
The changing breeze and lighter patches could make maintaining momentum difficult, particularly overnight and into the morning.
Based on the supplied PredictWind forecast images.
Meet the fleet
2026 PIC Coastal Classic entries
Explore the boats, skippers and designs entered for the race north to Russell.
Entries checked against TopYacht on . Each boat appears once. Entries and divisions may change. Names and entry details are reproduced as listed by TopYacht.
On smaller screens, swipe across each table to see all columns.
Monohull division 1a
5 boats| Boat name | Sail number | Skipper | Design | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANOTHER DUCHESS | 10153 | Evan Davies | Davidson 59 | SYC |
| ANTAEUS | 8199 | Charles Brown | Davidson 66 | RNZYS |
| EQUILIBRIUM | 9380 | Graham Matthews | Marten 55/Botin Carkeek 55 | SSANZ |
| EXPLORE RACING | NZL8899 | William Goodfellow | Elliott 50 Ss | RAYC |
| WIRED | NZL10303 | Rob/Brett Bassett/Russell | Tp52 Bakewell/White | RNZYS |
Monohull division 1b
17 boats| Boat name | Sail number | Skipper | Design | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALEGRE | 10033 | Vaughn Clark | Soto 40 | RNZYS |
| BLUE DUDE | 9191 | Chris Hornell | Shaw 9 | OCC |
| BULLISTIC | 9612 | Mike Phear | Bull 12000 | SSANZ |
| CLOCKWORK | NZ110011 | Steve Mair | Shaw 12 | RNZYS |
| GENERAL LEE | NZL01 | Cameron Thorpe | Bakewell-White 37 | RYC/WBCRNZYS/SSANZ |
| HIGHER GROUND | 6883 | John Seely | Ross 1066 | SSANZ |
| ITCHY FEET | 8145 | Jody Casey | Paul Stock | RYC |
| MOTORBOAT II | NZL641 | Vincent Trinquet | Elliott 10.5 | CNC/SSANZ |
| MOTORBOAT III | 28538 | Damon Jolliffe | Thompson 1150 | SSANZ |
| MR KITE II | 16522 | Nathan Williams | Cape 40 | RNZYS |
| PERFECT STORM | 9565 | Kenneth Ormandy | Stomp 38 | SSANZ/RYC |
| POWER PLAY | 8892 | Nick Yates | Cookson 12 | RNZYS |
| REHAB | 9163 | Mike Sanderson | Shaw 35 | RNZYSSSANZ |
| REVS | 8234 | Chris Middleweek | Ross 40 | MYBC |
| RUM BUCKET | NZL9674 | Quintin Fowler | More 55 | RNZYS |
| SASSINATE | 40 | Mikayla Plaw | Melges 40 | RAYC |
| WASABI | AUS88 | Jerry Lawrence | Sayer 12 | BBYC |
Monohull division 2
26 boats| Boat name | Sail number | Skipper | Design | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIZZARRE | 8247 | Barry Martin | Senior 11.4 | RNZYS |
| BLACKOUT | 9140 | Kevin Peet | Ross 9.14 | OCC |
| BOOGIE FLASH | 8295 | Chris Marsh | Mumm 36 | BBYC |
| CARRERA 3 | 31007 | Stuart Ewington | Mc31 | RNZYS |
| CHARMONET | 9165 | Ross Chapman | Beneteau First 45 | RNZYS |
| DAYTRIPPER | 9212 | Ross Brownlie | Elliott 1050 | SSANZ |
| DRINKS TROLLEY | 8737 | Nicholas Gardiner | Thompson 30m | SSANZ/WEITI |
| FORCE ELEVEN | 156 | Peter Schischka | Young 11 Super Sport | RNZYS |
| INDIS | 9877 | Andrew Benton | Sun Fast 3300 | RYC |
| INNISMARA | A81 | Olivia Wimsett | Modern Classic | CYA |
| KATANA | 36000 | Nigel Garland | Jeanneau Sunfast 3600 | RYC |
| MUSTANG SALLY | 8208 | Bob Still | Woolley 10.66 | RNZYS |
| NIKSEN | NZL30040 | Marc Michel | Dehler30 Od | RNZYS/SSANZ |
| NIRVANA | K9270 | Nigel Hendy | Dufour 45e | RNZYS |
| NOSAKA | 8560 | Mike Elley | White 40 | SSANZ |
| PHYSICAL FAVOURS | 8976 | Ryan McCready | Ross 9.1 | KCC |
| PIPI | 9933 | Steven Newcombe | Pogo 36 | SSANZ |
| RUMPUS | 1334 | Rupert Wilson | Beneteau 44.7 | RNZYS |
| SAVANTE | NZL8282 | Brian Watson | Beneteau 44.7 | RNZYS |
| SECOND NATURE | K8147 | Tim Johnston | Elliott 1050 | MBBC |
| SURREAL | 8753 | Marc Grise | Beneteau First 47.7 | WBC |
| THE BLACK PEARL | 9117 | Tony Wallis | Young 13 | RNZYS |
| TICKETTY BOO | 112112 | Peter Cunningham | J Boat J112 E | RNZYS/RYC |
| VISAGE | R2004 | Jonathan Gravit | Bakewell-White 38 | RNZYS/RYC |
| WINSLOW | 10455 | Paul Watson | Hanse 455 | BBYC |
| ZEALOUS | 9705 | Brent McKenzie | Salona 41 | RNZYS |
Monohull division 3
16 boats| Boat name | Sail number | Skipper | Design | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C MCGUIRE | 8232 | Wayne Mills | Lidgard 35 | GHYC |
| CAMELLIA | 2983 | Ben Ball | Cavalier 36 | SSANZ |
| CEST LA VIE | 9715 | Leo McCullough | Dufour 36 P | MYBC |
| COPPELSTOCK | 2310 | John Greene | Bavaria 42 | OPUA |
| FIRST PRIORITY | 9269 | Keith Trask | Beneteau First 35 | RNZYS |
| ICHIBAN | NZ010 | Fletcher Sunde | Lapworth 50 | RBC |
| ILEX | 934 | Sefton Powrie | Brin Wilson 44 | WAKATERE |
| LA CAMARGUE | K8979 | Warren Geange | Jeanneau 40.3 | PHCC |
| MARISA | 8487 | Shae Donahoe | Arch Davis 12m | SSANZ |
| MEMPHIS | 6220 | Warren Henderson | Lotus 1280 | GHYC |
| PAHI | K854 | Mark Taylor | Stewart 34 | RAYC |
| PINTA | 10168 | Hamish Brown | Bavaria 44 | WYC |
| QUESTA | 9358 | Dave Church | Beneteau Sense 55 | RYC |
| RED BARON | NZ9932 | Thomas Baron | Bavaria 41 | RNZYS |
| SARAU | 8733 | Malcolm Dickson | Dickson 55 | OCC |
| SATISFACTION | 4366 | Paul Smith | Don Senior Reacher 37 | WCC |
Monohull division 4
5 boats| Boat name | Sail number | Skipper | Design | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C U LATER | 8586 | Ben Sinton | Ross 8m | SSANZ |
| HOT PROPERTY | 6821 | Sam Kynman-Cole | Elliott 9 | GHYC |
| HOTDOGGER | 4812 | Sinisa Grujicic | Ross 930 | RYC |
| STARMAKER | 5147 | Kim Krogstad | Farr 1020 | BBYC |
| WASTED AWAY | 8032 | Luke Judge | Ross 930 | SSANZ |
Monohull division 5
11 boats| Boat name | Sail number | Skipper | Design | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUOY RACER | 8791 | Holger Zipfel | Elliott 8 | PYBC |
| CHICO TOO | 4994 | Trish Beken | Chico 30 | RYC |
| DIABLO | 1342 | Peter Bourke | Sparkman And Stephens | SYC |
| MOTORBOAT | 5820 | Gavin Woodward | Sr26 | SSANZ |
| PADDY WAGON | 4674 | Gary Fowler | Young 88 | PHCC |
| RADIO ACTIVE | 6744 | Daniel Leech | Elliott 7.9 | SSANZ/RNZYS |
| RATTLE N RUM | K8039 | Ben Hubbard | Sr26 | SSANZ |
| SMOKEY | 5664 | Wayne Mackenzie | Young 88 | PHCC |
| T-REX | 5159 | Lanny Walker | Sr26 | PYBC |
| WAKA HUIA | K8022 | Craig Anderson | Young 88 | PHCC |
| YOUNG MISCHIEF | 6548 | Daniel Wise | Young 88 | KCC |
Multihull division 6
3 boats| Boat name | Sail number | Skipper | Design | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APACHE | 7585 | Erle Williams | Murray Ross | NZMYC |
| LEVITY | 7778 | Mike Mackey | Schionning Cm46 | RNZYS |
| ROMANZA | NZ101010 | Dougall Love | Rapido 60 | RNZYS |
Multihull division 7
5 boats| Boat name | Sail number | Skipper | Design | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATTITUDE | 7593 | Andrew Johnson | Open 8.5 Jt | NZMYC |
| EXCALIBUR | 7417 | John Hughes | Knaggs | NYMYC |
| FREEDOM | 7235 | Coen Ursem | 8.5 Gbe | NZMYC |
| HOOTERS | 7475 | Craig Haslip | Open 8.5 Gbe | NZMYC |
| SUPERBIRD TO CRUZ | 7212 | Graeme Rodney | Delaveau-Tenant | NZMYC |
Rally entries
7 boatsTopYacht lists rally division numbers as TBA. The Club column uses its “From” field for these entries.
| Boat name | Sail number | Skipper | Design | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DREAM WEAVER | 9628 | Ian Ashton | Cyclades 43.3 | MILFORDCRUISINGCLUB |
| GABRIELLE II | 9400 | Richard Harris | Hanse 400e | DYC |
| LADY NADA | 8874 | Adrian Percival | Lavranos 44 Catamaran | NZMYC |
| MY FIX | 9743 | Steven Dunlop | Given 1500 | NZMYC |
| SKYESONG | 8696 | Victoria Koenig | Beneteau 370 | NIL |
| TIKI | 8996 | Bruce Ellingham | Passport 45 Ketch | NSC |
| TINTIN | 10159 | David Saggs | Lagoon 42 | NIL |
Source: official TopYacht entry list ↗
Discover the Coastal
The race behind the headlines
Explore the PIC Coastal Classic’s history, course map and line honours records on our permanent race page. You’ll also find coverage from previous editions.
Explore the PIC Coastal Classic →For official race documents and notices, visit the PIC Coastal Classic website ↗