Biggest fleet

A report from New Zealand's Easter spectacular, the Auckland to Tauranga race

Nearly 70 boats, the biggest fleet ever, set sail in the famous Auckland to Tauranga yacht race this Easter. The race, called the Quantum Challenge and sponsored by sailmaking company Quantum Sails, departed Auckland on Thursday morning, with the first boats arriving just over eleven hours later.

First to Tauranga was the giant yellow catamaran X-Factor, which is designed and built specifically to win large coastal races such as this.

Skipper Jon Vincent described the finishing touch as “sliding into Tauranga under a perfect full moon”, and the race as one in which everything that could go right, did. “We had the right wind direction, the right sails, and we made the right decisions,” he says. “Everything fell into place.”

Although the start was slow and it took some time for the breeze to build at the Auckland end of the course, by the time the frontrunners reached the inner islands of the Hauraki Gulf there was enough wind for them to start making average speeds of more than ten knots.

“We had a constant breeze which fluctuated up and down, and apart from the start we never found ourselves becalmed, and in fact we saw over 25 knots at one point,” says Vincent.

“It was an excellent race,” says Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club Commodore Roger Rushton, who himself sailed about Frenzy, a 35 foot yacht that raced into its home port of Tauranga at 3am on Friday morning.

While five tail enders are still struggling with little or no breeze on the course and expected to finish early to mid afternoon, only two boats have so far failed to complete the course: an 8.5m catamaran withdrew after a crew member had to be lifted to Great Barrier Island for medical attention, and another 8.5m keeler was dismasted near Colville. All crew onboard and both boats are safe.

Despite a set of serious race contenders within the fleet, the outright record of 9 hrs 35 mins remains as set by the 30m supermaxi Zana Konica Minolta in the 2004 race. Sundreamer still holds the multihull record of 9.55.23.

There are over 25 prizes being distributed at Saturday morning’s prizegiving. Every finishing crew member received a hot pie from Pat’s Pantry for their efforts too.

Sponsors include Quantum Sails NZ Ltd, Placemakers, Crew.org.nz, Steve’s Marine Supplies, Pat’s Pantry 2002 Ltd, Navman Marine Electronics, Battery Warehouse/Endurant Batteries, International Paints, Bridge Marina Travel Lift Ltd, Sheaff Autos, Thornburrow Sails, and Emerge Design & Print.