The Doyle Sails Cavalli Islands Race began at ten this morning in a northerly that had already settled above fifteen knots and showed every sign of rising through the day. It was the sort of start that gives boats little time to ease into the rhythm of an offshore passage. From the moment the fleet cleared Ōrākei, crews were dealing with showers, a half-metre northeast swell and the first signs of the tide beginning to stand up against the breeze.
By the end of the first hour the race had taken on a clear shape. The boats had broken free of the Rangitoto channels and were stretched along the North Shore from Takapuna to Milford, each settling into its own approach to the long leg north. They are going at a good speed, with positions changing easily and frequently.
At the front, Equilibrium was already in her stride. Graham Matthews’ Botin Carkeek 55 held height and pace in the northerly, tracking cleanly offshore from Campbell’s Bay. It was an early reminder of why the 55-footer entered the season as the line-honours favourite and why so many RNI hopefuls have been watching her form.
Doyle Sails Cavalli Islands Race set to test Kiwi crews offshore
Just to the west, the only multihull in the fleet was choosing to sail a different race. Oceans Tribute, the Queensland-based Lock Crowther trimaran, had tacked away from the monohulls and pushed into a lane of her own. Soon after she tacked and headed further east towards Equillibrium, out where the winds and gusts are easier to catch.
Behind them, a cluster of familiar names was beginning to sort itself out. Motorboat III, the Thompson 1150 steered by Damon Jolliffe and the focus of a determined Round North Island build-up, held a solid lane just south of Campbell’s Bay. The boat looked settled early, which will be welcome relief after a busy week that included structural work, water-ballast adjustments and a rapid interior rebuild to make today’s start. Not far astern, Kick and Whichway were sailing almost side by side off Castor Bay. Kick carried her typical sharp angle for an Elliott 1050, while Whichway, the Davidson 52, used her longer legs to match the pace of the boats ahead.
Doyle Sails Cavalli Islands Race brings Round North Island contenders north
Milford marked the beginning of the second tier of the fleet, where two more Elliott and Ross designs were working their way north. Motorboat II, helmed by Alan Quere, sat just inside the line of Physical Favours, the Ross 914 sailed by Ryan McCready. Both were well within reach of the mid-fleet battle, though they had ground to regain before joining the contest between Motorboat III, Kick and Whichway. Close behind them came Higher Ground, the Ross 10.66 sailed by John Seely, and Carpe Diem, the Elliott 1060 with Rowan Smith and Lydia Boyd aboard. Both were sailing cleanly but had yet to find the conditions that might allow them to compress the gap to the boats ahead.
All of this played out under thickening cloud and rising breeze, with the first signs of a building northerly chop appearing off the bays. For most crews, this opening hour will serve as a baseline.
Two boats from the long-course entry list (Radio Active, Daniel Leech’s Elliott 7.9, and C U Later, Ben Stinton’s Ross 8m) were not on the start line, which means nine yachts are heading north today. As the breeze strengthens and the boats slip into the long rhythm of the day, the stories that shaped the build-up to this race are already asserting themselves in the tracker. Some boats are pushing early, some are playing the long game and some are still working into their offshore mode.
By the time the fleet reaches the stronger winds north of Whangaparaoa, the picture will sharpen again. For now, the Cavalli Islands Race has delivered a clean start, rising conditions and a fleet already revealing the shape of the contest to come.
