X-Factor takes 25th HSBC Coastal Classic

by Event Media on 20 Oct 2006 At 9.55pm on Friday night, the giant yellow catamaran called X-Factor was the first of 244 boats to complete the 25th edition of the HSBC Coastal Classic, the famous Auckland to Russell yacht race and the largest of its kind in Australasia.

The race started with a lot of promise for the 55 foot boat that was built specifically to win this race. 'For the first three hours, we were ahead of the record breaking time,' says owner Jon Vincent, explaining that they reached Sail Rock earlier than the catamaran Split Enz did when it achieved its record run of 7 hours and 21 minutes in 1996. But the breeze soon dropped and the crew were left thinking that it could be a long night, until they made the decision to head out to sea, which paid off for them tactically. The race was very close at times, and the crew always had to remain alert and sail the boat hard, even when they were sitting in a windless hole for nearly an hour.

Of the win Jon says 'it’s not a light boat, but it did the job in a light race. We are very pleased to take the trophy.'

Second across the line was McMoggy owned by New Zealand Multihull Yacht Club Commodore Rex McCamish.

The HSBC Coastal Classic started at 10am on Friday morning from Devonport Wharf and finishes off Russell Wharf in the Bay of Islands, is 119 nautical miles long, with a prize pool worth $40,000.

Sponsors include HSBC, Sunday Star-Times, Mount Gay Rum, Steinlager, Masport, Doyle Sails, Dirty Dog, Yamaha, Navman, Loaded Hog, Russell Cottages, Trade-A-Boat, Dubarry, Line 7, SailNZ, the Duke of Marlborough Hotel, Loaded Hog, Telecom, De Walt, and Crew.org.nz.. The prize pool is worth $40,000.