August and early September. Following the Sydney to Auckland
Ocean Race, yachts have time to return to Australia for the legendary Sydney Hobart and Melbourne to Hobart yacht races, should they desire. Otherwise, crews have an ideal opportunity to stay on in New Zealand and take part in in the famous Pic Coastal Classic, held later in October. Open to monohull, multihull and rally boats, it regularly attracts large fleets. Starting in Auckland, the 119-
events and our Youth Development programme has produced stars of now, such as siblings James (Jimmy) and Katie Spithill and upcoming stars of the future. Our Olympic medallists include Bill Northam, Peter O’Donnell, Colin Beashel, Nina Curtis and many others.’ Early entrants include the host
club’sMark Griffith, a regular in offshore races with the DK46, LCE Old School Racing. ‘I think it’s going to be a premier race. It’s certainly the longest fully-crewed (fromAustralia) and an international race. This is the first time anyone gets to do it, so there should be quite a bit of interest and a strong fleet,’ he says. On the subtleties of the race, he predicted, ‘It will probably take six or seven days. The Sydney Hobart and Melbourne to Hobart are a sprint by comparison. We’ll have to pace ourselves more with the various conditions.’ New South Wales yachtswoman
Sibby Ilzhofer was the first entrant with her Dare Devil. She says, ‘Like the quadrennial Sydney Noumea (1,064 miles), it will be challenging. It’s a new race, so it starts our hearts beating again. I think It’ll also bind Australia and New Zealand as sailing nations.’ Ilzhofer, from Newcastle, is already bonded to our Kiwi friends and their country: ‘I love
68 SEAHORSE
New Zealand. Some of my crew from past races are from there. Not only that, Dare Devil is a Farr/Cookson, designed and built in New Zealand.’ ‘We have a new mast and rigging
that are also from New Zealand. It’s about to go in the boat, which has been painted black, has a new black mast and black sails like the All Blacks,’ she laughs. ‘So, the boat will be heading home in a way.’ On preparing, she says, ‘It hasn’t
been easy but the Alfreds have been so helpful. I had a call to see if I needed any help. You don’t get much of that these days. To have internal support makes you feel connected.’ Elliott points out that Sydney and
Auckland are two prominent sailing playgrounds and that the race has been created to take a major programme into consideration, enticing would be entrants to Australia and New Zealand. ‘We are trying to create is a circuit, which would justify the cost and logistics of committing to a campaign, he says. Therefore, the timing of the race
was all-important. The date was chosen to allow prospective competitors to compete on the popular northern circuit in Queensland beforehand, such as the popular Airlie Beach, Hamilton Island and Magnetic Island Race Weeks, held annually between
Above: Mark Griffith's DK-46 Old School Racing was recently crowned IRC champion yacht at the Sydney Harbour Regatta 2023. Left: French yachtsman Marc Depret recently bought the first Figaro 3 in Australia and has been working his TH campaign towards the inaugural Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race in 2023
nautical mile Coastal Classic race finishes in the Bay of Islands. A more picturesque place to end a race would be hard to find. It is world-renowned for its stunning beauty and is a subtropical micro- region known for its history. For those who love cruising, swimming and all water activities, it is akin to paradise. A three-hour drive north of Auckland, it comprises 144 islands between Cape Brett and the Purerua Peninsula. And the time of year could not be better. It leaves the door open for yachties tomake a holiday out of themain event, inviting family and friends to do some cruising. Owners also have the option of then taking part in the Bay of Islands SailingWeek, starting Tuesday 23 January 2024. Alternatively, competitors could
leave their boats in New Zealand and return for Sailing Week, which is open to anything from Elliott 5.9s to large racing yachts, multihulls and anything in between. Mark Griffith is among those that
have already suggested the Bay of Islands is on the “must do” list. The LCE Old School Racing crew plans to take full advantage of the New Zealand end of the race. ‘We’ve got plans to stay over,’
Griffith says. ‘The Coastal Classic is only a week later and gets around 160 entries. We don’t want to miss that. We also plan to cruise to the Bay of Islands, which is one of the most spectacular places on the planet. That’s on the way home, so we might leave the boat there and come back and do the Bay of Islands Regatta. This is not something we get to do every day, so we want to go hard at it,’ he adds. Entries for the Category 1
Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race close on 1 September 2023. For all information, including entry and Notice of Race, please visit:
www.sydneytoauckland.com Sailing Instructions will be
available on the event website from 1 October 2023. For further enquiries regarding
the race, please contact RPAYC Race Director, Nick Elliott, at:
nick.elliott@rpayc.com.au
❑
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