2024 PIC Coastal Classic: Romanza takes line honours; 13 boats still racing after 24 hours at sea
by Zoe Hawkins/PIC Coastal Classic 25 Oct 2024 17:52 PDT
Getting prepared for some long hours on the rain - Clockwork - 2024 PIC Coastal Classic - October 25, 2024 © Richard Gladwell - Sail-World.com/nz
The 2024 PIC Coastal Classic will go down in sailing history as one where resilience and determination to finish won the day.
The 18m trimaran Romanza, skippered by Dougall Love, crossed the finish line at 01:46hours on Saturday morning for elapsed time of 15 hours and 46 minutes, claiming the honour of line honours victory. It was followed at 0318hours by Levity, and just a few seconds later by the first monohull, Graham Matthew's Equilibrium.
The trio used their size and performance to seal the top three places on line but soon after, the first of the smaller keelboats arrived: Clockwork at 0359hrs, Zephyrus 0420hrs and Vixen and 0515hrs.
Amidst this bunch was Sir Peter Blake's 1989 Whitbread winning yacht, Steinlager 2 - now owned by the New Zealand Sailing Trust and at 25m in length, likely the most comfortable boat in the fleet to undertake an upwind race onboard. Steinlager 2 finished at 04:47hrs.
By 1000hrs, after 24 hours of racing, just 28 boats - 41% of the fleet had finished. 26 had retired, and 13 were still on the water, aiming to finish before the time limit expires at 2pm.
Conditions have been described as uncomfortable, but achievable by those who arrived in Russell this morning.
The crew of the Elliott 1050 Kick which arrived in Russell at breakfast time, said the worst sea state of the race was off Kawau Island and for the most part wind strength was around 14-18 knots - so they never needed to reef. At Tapeka Point it increased to 25 knots but by then, it was time to crack sheets and hoist the kite anyway.
There are no wind warnings in place, and PredictWind observations show wind speeds of 15-20knots at Paihia, with gusts up to 30 knots. The wind direction is still consistently from the north, with a direction change expected from early Sunday morning.
The PIC Coastal Classic is an iconic feature on the New Zealand sailing calendar, attracting experienced sailors and passionate newcomers alike.
The race is organised by the New Zealand Multihull Yacht Club. As well as welcoming back long-term supporter PIC Insurance Brokers, the Coastal Classic is supported by some of New Zealand's pre-eminent marine brands: Doyle Sails, Mount Gay, B&G, Port Whangarei Marine Centre, Yachting New Zealand, Burnsco, PredictWind.com, and Burnard International.
For ongoing updates and results, visit the official PIC Coastal Classic website coastalclassic.co.nz/watch page or follow us on social media.