Loosely based on the traditional Beaujolais Nouveau delivery from France to the UK each year, it was first run in 2001 between Picton and Wellington to deliver the first of the year’s Marlborough vintage to the capital and is one of the three flagship events on the Waikawa Boating Club annual racing calendar.
More recently the race has been run from Picton to Resolution Bay. Yachts carry wine from the wineries that enter and race to see who can deliver this year’s vintage first. Racing is on a first-over-the-line and a handicapped basis.
On Race Day the nine racers were greeted with steady breezes and bright sunshine ahead of a 10am starting gun. Things were looking good for a flying fleet start…until the wind dropped.
Nonetheless, the starting gun went off with nine yachts fighting it out to see who could get an early advantage.
Those honours went to Matt Michel, the only solo sailor in the fleet, onboard his racing yacht Astruso, carrying the pinot noir from Catalina Sounds. Matt picked the best line over towards Whatamango Bay, closely followed by Clive Ballett on Coup d’Etat carrying Grove Mill. Next to get the better breeze was Aaron Blackmore onboard the quick racer Oldsmobile carrying two wines, Eradus and Cirro, and these three boats set the pace for the rest of the fleet for the initial part of the race.
Tom Hutchison picked up the pace on Indelible carrying Rock Ferry, closely followed Tom and Maree van der Burgh on Satu with the Catalina Sounds sauvignon blanc, and Chris Williams on Tequila II carrying The Marlborist. Mike Williams in the little Easterly 30 Felice picked a more central line, looking for the breeze to fill in. Whilst Felice isn’t your typical racing yacht, and was the smallest in the fleet, she added a bit of fizz by carrying the No1 Family Estate Assemble on board.
The starting breezes were less kind to Phil Jarvis on Ocean Gem, carrying Nautilus and Ant Moore wines, and the wind gods seemed to be looking the other way for the unfortunate Geoff Brodie on Duetto, carrying the Two Rivers entry.
The fickle nature of the breeze divided the fleet up into three distinct groups and it remained that way heading towards the Tory Channel entrance at Dieffenbach Point. Then the wind gods struck again: Astruso mostly managed to stay on the move, closely followed by Coup d’Etat, but things were getting a bit mixed up behind them. Indelible was hunting for more breeze and Oldsmobile was heading towards land looking for a bit of a catapult back out. Felice and Satu were swapping places regularly, before Felice got a bit more of a steady run, at one point looking like she might catch the usually fast Indelible. However, Satu picked up some great breeze heading across the mouth of the Tory Channel and soon started to show the following fleet a clean pair of heels.
Whilst Oldsmobile hunted breeze, the sparkling Nautilus on board Ocean Gem fizzed up a little and finally pushed her up past Felice. Felice briefly caught up with Ocean Gem and, in a remarkable turn of events, even managed a brief lead on Oldsmobile. Indelible was never far away and worked her way steadily up the race track. Poor Tequila II and Duetto never really copped a break and seemed to be perpetually stuck in flat water.
Not to be outdone by the smaller Felice and Satu ahead, Ocean Gem hoisted her gennaker and Oldsmobile finally found some elusive breeze to pass Felice and start hunting down Satu. They kept the pressure on the chasing boats as they tacked from breeze to breeze, even briefly flying her black gennaker in a vain attempt to chase down Astruso and Coup d’Etat. That one-two never changed, with Matt taking Astruso to the line, finally crossing first in a time of 4 hours, 45 minutes and 6 seconds.
The four closest following boats fought hard to get to the finish line at Resolution Bay in soft and patchy wind with Coup d’Etat eventually coming home 13 minutes later in second place. Next over the line was Oldsmobile in third place, followed by Satu and Ocean Gem.
With time ticking away, what little breeze there was died completely, preventing Indelible getting across the line despite being agonisingly close. Further behind Felice, Tequila II and Duetto all stalled with their sails hanging limply in the still air and blistering sun, unable to make any progress past the Bay of Many Coves. So close to the finishing line and yet so far away!
Nine boats started the race carrying 11 of the finest Marlborough wines, and while the corks only popped for five boats in the end, the consensus at the wine tasting and dinner back onshore at beautiful Resolution Bay was that it had been a fantastic day in the glorious Marlborough Sounds!
Line honours
Catalina Sounds pinot noir, Astruso (Matt Michel) Handicap results:
1st Grove Mill, Coup d’Etat (Clive Ballett)
2nd Catalina Sounds pinot noir, Astruso (Matt Michel)
3rd Catalina Sounds sauvignon blanc, Satu (Tom & Maree van der Burgh)
4th Eradus & Cirro, Oldsmobile (Aaron Blackmore)
5th Nautilus & Ant Moore, Ocean Gem (Phil Jarvis)
6th Rock Ferry, Indelible (Tom Hutchison)
6th No1 Family Estate, Felice (Mike Williams)
6th The Marlborist, Tequila 2 (Chris Williams)
6th Two Rivers, Duetto (Geoff Brodie)
