Left: when preparing your yacht for the worst it can be sensible to keep a few photos like this to hand. One boatbuilder we know keeps a photo on his desk of the V060 Intrum Justitia barrelling down a big wave in the dark in the Southern Ocean – simply to remind him of his responsibilities when it comes to whether or not to add that extra piece of pre-preg. This is Sydney skipper Geoff Boettcher’s 42-footer Secret Mens Business pounding across Bass Strait in the stormy 1998 Hobart race. Boettcher would finally win the race in 2010 on his 22nd attempt. Top man
of sailing in a glorious natural environment.
They are not the only ones drawn back from grand prix careers to the world of wooden classics. Chris Dickson, who owns a summer home on the nearby Kawau Island, is a longstanding supporter of this regatta, sailing a Bermuda One Design that he restored with the help of his father, Roy.
Roy Dickson is also part of New Zealand yachting history: among many other achievements, he crewed aboard Chris Bouzaid’s Rain- bow II, which won the One Ton Cup in 1969, setting the foundations for New Zealand’s rise on yachting’s world stage. Fully restored, Rainbow II was also sailing at Mahurangi – as was its namesake, the 50ft Robert Logan grande dame Rainbow, which was once owned by Chris Bouzaid’s sailmaker father. Rainbow was built in 1898 and now counts Brad Butterworth in its syndicate of owners. Chris Bouzaid was slated to sail Rainbow II at Mahurangi, but missed the opportunity. He did, however, sail the Auckland Anniver- sary Day regatta on the Monday aboard another Logan masterpiece, Rawhiti. ‘They put me on the bow calling tactics and sail trim,’ Bouzaid said. ‘The last time I did an entire race on the bow must have been 60 years ago.’ Owner of a Luders 24 classic in the US, Bouzaid is very impressed by the health of the classic boat scene in Auckland, noting they have also done a good job of preventing an arms race by outlawing exotic materials.
While the Mahurangi event has grown beyond the wildest expec- tations of its contrarian founders, it has managed to retain most of its original charm. But there are concerns it might now be reaching a tipping point where it is a victim of its own success. Funding assistance comes from local authorities, who require
compliance with consent stipulations and health and safety regulations. Establishment yacht clubs in Auckland also assist. With participants swarming to the river by land and sea, the small communities along the banks of the river can no longer cope with the influx; parking becomes a nightmare. To ease congestion and tempers shuttle buses now ferry people to and from the after-match party while police cars make discreet patrols. The race fleet of 120 or more yachts has to weave its way through massed avenues of spectator boats along the length of the course. ‘I am afraid we contributed to that,’ Salthouse confessed. ‘Seven of those launches came up to support us!’
That entourage contained another Who’s Who of yachting luminaries, among others America’s Cup winners Glenn Ashby and Tony Rae (who also counts two Whitbread victories among his six round-the-world campaigns), Volvo Race winner Mike Sanderson and his wife, Emma Richards, the first British woman to complete the Around Alone solo round-the-world race.
Judging by the size of this year’s gathering, a 7:1 ratio of spectator boats to competing yachts was probably about right. Nowadays it would take a mighty tree stump to accommodate the burgeoning fan base of the Mahurangi Cruising Club, which, however, remains steadfast in its determination not to be a yacht club. Ivor Wilkins
AUSTRALIA Think it through
Within just under 40 minutes, early on 5 January off the fire-ravaged NSW south coast, distress calls were activated on three different yachts. At 02:35 Mark Griffith’s Ker 40 Showtime announced their keel had fallen off, and the seven crew had taken to a liferaft, who were then picked up by emergency services three hours later. At 03:10 the 30ft Jarkan-designed Gun Runner called for help when it was dismasted in a 50kt gust, and then five minutes after that the crew of the Murray 42 Secret Mens Business issued a call to report two injuries onboard.
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