Event
Serious business
The Sydney to Auckland ocean race is not to be undertaken lightly. But what a great feeling when you step ashore after the finish...
The trans-Tasman rivalry is set to reignite when the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club’s (RPAYC) inaugural Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race, which starts on Saturday, 7 October 2023 at 1pm, from Sydney Harbour and finishes in Auckland, New Zealand. Originally, the challenging 1,250-nautical mile race was to start in January 2021, taking in the America’s Cup in New Zealand. In the meantime, Covid intervened and RPAYC, based at Pittwater on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, was forced to leave it to one side until travel restrictions were removed. Organisers at the Club sat down
to look at a new date for the race: ‘It had to be carefully planned, allowing crews of boats from both sides of the ditch to make the most of their time in both countries,’ organising committee chairman, Robert McClelland, said. A Category 1 race, competitors will
feel the thrill of starting on one of the most stunning harbours in the world with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House as its backdrop. The finish line will be in Auckland, home of the America’s Cup and the breeding ground of a horde of the worldsmost revered sailors. In between is nothing but ocean -
a true ocean race - a rarity in the Southern Hemisphere. RPAYC’s new partner, Royal
Above: Blackjack is one of the five 100-footers looking at the potential of a new long distance ocean race. She is pictured here at the start of the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Classic, where she secured overall victory and set a new course record in 2022
Akarana Yacht Club (RAYC), will be on hand to finish the race. The Auckland club will also host the prizegiving where the overall IRC winner will receive the new Sydney to Auckland Perpetual Trophy. To have one’s yacht name
engraved on an inaugural trophy is a once in a lifetime experience and a historical one, so organisers expect to see rife inhouse competition instigated from each country and fierce trans-Tasman rivalry. Otherwise good friends, when it comes to sport, no matter the sport, competition between the two nations has always been intense. Open to monohulls from around
the globe in IRC, ORCi and PHS – including Cruising and Short-Handed divisions, the race is also open to ocean racing multihulls under OMR. ‘Double-handed racing is one of
the fastest growing markets in Australia and New Zealand, with new boats being built and participants looking for fresh challenges. The Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race offers such a challenge without having to travel thousands of miles to Europe and the large expense that entails,’ Nick Elliott, race director at the RPAYC says. The Sydney to Auckland Ocean
Race has piqued serious interest but it will be no walk in the park. Participants will have to deal with
the vagaries of the weather from start to finish. A marginal sea in the part of the south-west Pacific Ocean that lies between Australia and New Zealand, the western margin of the Tasman Sea is formed by the coastlines of mainland Australia a nd Tasmania, the eastern margin by the Norfolk Ridge, the New Zealand coast and the Macquarie Ridge. Between April and October, the
northern branch of these winds from the west changes direction toward the north and pushes against the trade winds. It translates to the sea dispatching regular south-westerly winds during this time. However, as any sailors worth
their salt know, anything could happen, the norm is not a given and the forecast is not always on song. Each yacht will be fitted with a tracker so family, friends and sailing fans will be able to follow the race blow-by- blow. On the partnership between
RPAYC and RAYC, McClelland says, ‘The Royal Akarana Yacht Club has a similar ethos to the RPAYC and similar core values. The club hosts major events such as the Auckland Fiji and Auckland Noumea races as well as major Olympic, skiff and youth class events and conducts cruising. The club is a good fit with ours for this new race.’ Elliott adds, ‘We host major
SEAHORSE 67
ANDREA FRANCOLINI
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