Congratulations to all the crews. What a fantastic 2025 Doyle Sails Cavalli Islands Race. The front of the fleet turned it into a genuine drag race back from the Cavallis, and the elapsed times tell the story.
- First: Motorboat III (Damon Joliffe’s 2005 Thomson 1150)
Start: Fri 28 Nov, 10:00
Finish: Sun 30 Nov, 08:40:38
Elapsed time: 46 hours, 40 minutes, 38 seconds - Second: Equilibrium (Graham Matthews’ 2011 Botin Carkeek 55)
Start: Fri 28 Nov, 10:00
Finish: Sun 30 Nov, 08:46:08
Elapsed time: 46 hours, 46 minutes, 8 seconds - Third: Ocean’s Tribute (Guy Chester’s 1991 Crowther 40)
Start: Fri 28 Nov, 10:00
Finish: Sun 30 Nov, 08:55:37
Elapsed time: 46 hours, 55 minutes, 37 seconds - Fourth: Kick (Brendan Sands’ 1994 Elliott 1050)
Start: Fri 28 Nov, 10:00
Finish: Sun 30 Nov, 11:52:30
Elapsed time: 49 hours, 52 minutes, 30 seconds - Fifth: Whichway (Bruce Gault’s Davidson 52)
Start: Fri 28 Nov, 10:00
Finish: Sun 30 Nov, 14:05:49
Elapsed time: 52 hours, 5 minutes, 49 seconds
Also finished:
Sixth: Physical Favours (Ryan McCready’s 2008 Ross 914)
Seventh: Higher Ground (John Seely’s 1989 Ross 10.66)
Eighth: Carpe Diem (Rowan Smith and Lydia Boyd’s Elliott 1060)
3:30pm update – Whichway, Physical Favours, and Higher Ground have all crossed the line. Carpe Diem, the last of the fleet, is working through the Rangi Channel as I type.
1:30pm update – Brendan Sands’ Kick has finished in fourth place. Breeze through the Rangi Channel and out into the Gulf is building now and the mid-fleet is tearing towards the line.
Whichway, Bruce Gault’s Davidson 52, has just appeared on the Auckland side of the Rangi Channel at 9.2 knots and is on track for fifth in the 2025 Doyle Sails Cavalli Islands Race.
Further back, north and west of Oneroa Bay, Physical Favours is humming along at 10.2 knots. Higher Ground is holding 9.9 knots off the north-west of Waiheke, running parallel with Hooks Bay. Behind them, Carpe Diem is lining up her own run to the finish.
11:10am update – The Elliott 1050 Kick, skippered by Brendan Sands, is closing in on fourth place. They are currently running through the Rangi Channel between Motutapu and Motuihe islands, setting up for their final approach.
11am update – Equilibrium and Ocean’s Tribute are across the line – congratulations to both crews
What a race. The moves, the positioning, and the tiny gains and losses turned this into a clinic in offshore decision making and a gripping contest to follow.
Guy Chester summed it up neatly: “Third with line honours… VMG running in under 10 knots, Equilibrium and Motorboat III slid past… Too many times we could have made a different decision with a different result…🤣🤣🤣😢🥴🥴🥴🏴☠️”
That is offshore sailing in a nutshell. Every call counts, and the whole adventure comes down to inches.
VMG = the speed of a sailboat towards, or away from, the direction of the wind.
Sunday 30 November 9:51am update – Woohoo, we have a winner
The first boat is home in the Doyle Sails Cavalli Islands Race.
Motorboat III, the smallest of the front pack, has just crossed the line. Huge congratulations to Damon Jolliffe, Josh Tucker and the crew. A big effort and a cracking race to watch.
Official results are on the way, but the finish says plenty. Motorboat III, Equilibrium and Ocean’s Tribute spent the entire course locked together, trading gains and losses in a proper cat-and-mouse chase up and down the coast.
It has been epic to track; genuine edge-of-the-chartplotter sailing from the first mark to the line.
Motorboat III have crossed the finish line in the Doyle Sails Cavalli Islands Race. From left: Josh “Booboo” Tucker, Damon Jolliffe, Jacqui Jolliffe (co owner), Garry Jolliffe, and Chris “Chopper” Beaumont. // Photo credit: Josh Tucker / Motorboat III
Equilibrium is about six minutes behind, with Ocean’s Tribute a little further back again. In a David versus Goliath match-up, the smaller boat showed exactly what it can do. Damon and Josh head off tomorrow to sail another 250 nautical miles to qualify for the Round North Island race. This will be Josh Tucker’s sixth and Damon’s fifth RNI, and their third together.
9:30am update – where are the rest of the fleet?
The second group in the fleet – Kick, Physical Favours and Higher Ground – has passed Little Barrier Island and is on the way to Channel Island, the final mark before bows turn towards Ōrākei and a very well-earned sleep.
And yes, Carpe Diem is still racing.
08:15am update – we will soon have a winner
The three lead boats – Equilibrium, Ocean’s Tribute, and Motorboat III – are closing on the finish line, and there is almost nothing in it. Equilibrium holds a slender lead, with Ocean’s Tribute next.
A video update from Josh Tucker on Motorboat III an hour ago gives a useful clue to their position and mindset on board.
The three lead boats in the final stretch of the race. The finish line is just ahead. // Snapshot from PredictWind tracker.
Sun 30 Nov 01:30am update – the Cavalli race is firing
SailGP has wrapped for the day and the Black Foils are still searching for their best form. Out on the Cavalli course, though, things have really switched on.
A new day and Equilibrium has just rounded Channel Island, the final mark of the Doyle Sails Cavalli Islands Race, and is heading for home at about 7.6 knots.
Not far behind sits Motorboat III, still punching well above its weight and staying with the bigger boats all the way through this race. The crew has put in a committed, no-quit shift.
Ocean’s Tribute is moving too, lifting into the breeze in the Channel and skipping along at 11.7 knots after a couple of very slow days out there.
Sat 29 Nov 7:45pm update – Shortly, the three lead boats – Equilibrium, Ocean’s Tribute, and Motorboat III – will cross from the Northland region into Auckland waters. Equilibrium continues to set the pace, with Ocean’s Tribute holding a strong line off the height of Hen Island at about 6.6 knots.
The sun is dropping fast now and it is looking likely that at least the front trio will reach the finish under cover of darkness. (Again, I was proved wrong; I should stop with predictions.)
5:00pm update – The three lead boats have reached Whangārei Heads.
4:40pm update – A heart-wrenching update from Ocean’s Tribute: “Forget about what came first, the chicken or the egg? We need to decide on east or west of the Hen and Chicken Islands. It is a shorter course to the east and boat speed is faster right now that way, but the usually reliable small-scale PWE and PWG weather routing is suggesting west is best, as a south then south-westerly change is predicted overnight.
To decide on a model and route my usual plan is to focus on what we have now and rely more on the model closest. We have north–north-east wind here and models suggest east–north-east to south-east. We look at the observations – slightly confused and variable and not matching models. We hoisted the spinnaker to look at west of Hen and Chickens but now very slow VMG. Confused and indecisive. Ninety-two nautical miles to go.”
3:00pm update – Every boat has cleared the Cavallis and is now pointing back towards Ōrākei (via Channel Island).
1:13pm update – Update from Motorboat III: “Beautiful out here. Three-sail reaching down the coast in 8 knots of easterly wind with the jib set inside the code zero and main. Equilibrium and Ocean’s Tribute outside us. Equilibrium starting to pick up the pace and step away a bit now.”
View from Motorboat III // Photo credit: Josh Tucker / Motorboat III
12:25pm update – Equilibrium is edging ahead again – 9.3 knots versus Ocean’s Tribute at 7.1 knots. We have seen this pattern before.
12:00pm update – The chase is on. Ocean’s Tribute has picked up breeze and moved into the lead at 7.9 knots, but Equilibrium is hunting them down again at 6.8 knots. Motorboat III has just reappeared on the tracker, sitting slightly further back at 4.9 knots. The front of the fleet is very tight.
11:15am update – Equilibrium is pulling away from Ocean’s Tribute. The difference in straight-line sailing speed is beginning to show.
11:05am update – Equilibrium and Ocean’s Tribute, still neck and neck, are just about to pass Hole in the Rock on their way towards Auckland. The breeze is light, but Equilibrium is squeezing a little more speed than Ocean’s Tribute – 3.6 knots versus 3.3 knots respectively.
10:00am update – Equilibrium and Ocean’s Tribute both tack to the east Ocean’s Tribute: 6.3 knots; Equilibrium: 5.8 knots. The race is very much on.
We are still waiting for the tracker to give an updated position for Motorboat III.
Carpe Diem appears to have crossed paths with the homeward-bound boats.
9:35am update – Higher Ground about to cross paths with returning fleet
Higher Ground has crossed paths with Equilibrium in parallel with Purerua Peninsula, then a little while later Motorboat III. Ocean’s Tribute is further out to the east.
On a sad note, Motorboat II can be seen on the PredictWind tracker returning to Auckland from Matapōuri and then Tutukaka; they are no longer in the race.
9:05am update – Kick has rounded Cavalli Islands
Kick is the fourth boat to round the Cavallis and is now heading back towards Auckland at 4.8 knots. As they settle into the return leg their boat speed should lift. Further ahead, Motorboat III is currently cracking along at 9.8 knots.
8:55am update – Ocean’s Tribute gamble has paid off
Ocean’s Tribute is now sailing in the best breeze they have seen for some time and are storming along at 8.9 knots – the quickest speed we have had from any of the fleet for a while.
8:36am update – Whichway passes returning crews
Whichway, the Davidson 52 skippered by Bruce Gault, has passed Equilibrium and Motorboat III just north and east of Purerua Peninsula. Whichway is on her way to the Cavallis, while Equilibrium (6.1 knots) and Motorboat III (6.2 knots) are working back towards Auckland.
Ocean’s Tribute is drawing back towards the west to come closer in line with Equilibrium and Motorboat III.
2025-11-29 at 8.42.12 AM
7:55am update – Carpe Diem are in the race, and an update from Kick
Carpe Diem is now visible on the PredictWind race tracker and is currently with Physical Favours and Higher Ground just east of Hole in the Rock. Higher Ground is making 3.5 knots, while Physical Favours and Carpe Diem are crawling at under 1 knot. Tough going. Winds are light and very patchy.
Kick (latest video below) has crossed paths with Equilibrium and Motorboat III. Kick is bound for the Cavallis, while Equilibrium and Motorboat III are now pointing back to Auckland. All three are moving at a steady rate: Kick at 4.1 knots, Motorboat III at 6.4 knots, and Equilibrium at 5.7 knots.
Ocean’s Tribute, which chose a more easterly route, seemed to have dropped off the pace earlier, but should find better breeze as the morning unfolds.
7:30am update – first three crews have rounded the Cavallis
Ocean’s Tribute, Equilibrium and Motorboat III have all rounded the Cavallis and turned for home. Ocean’s Tribute has swung wide to the east, a bold call that could prove either inspired or expensive. Equilibrium sits on 6.6 knots, Motorboat III is nudging ahead at 7.0, and Ocean’s Tribute is easing along at 3.2 as they commit to their split. We will keep an eye on whether that wider line pays off.
6:00am update – Motorboat III
Motorboat III has woken to a classic Northland morning. It is beautiful weather from a land-based point of view, but not ideal if you are trying to chew through miles offshore. The boat is lying just south of the Cavalli Islands and, at first, only creeping along at 1.4 knots. A fresh map update shows a welcome puff and they are now making just over 2 knots.
Josh Tucker has also sent through a short video of their morning on board.
6:00am update – Ocean’s Tribute
A bright morning greeting from Guy Chester:
“Good morning. We are currently about 150 metres away from the westernmost Cavalli Island. It has taken us about three hours to cover the last four miles.
We are surrounded by birds sitting on a glassy sea and we have Equilibrium about 500 metres behind us. We think the next one is Motorboat III about 100 or 200 metres behind them. We got ahead again on a nice reach, then parked in a calm and those two caught us. We cannot see anybody else behind us, but I do not think Motorboat III was on the tracker when I last checked, so we are pretty sure it is them.
We are going to report in that we are rounding the Cavallis and dawn is coming. We had some lightning and a bit of rain. There was a decent downpour for about an hour before we reached Cape Brett, but it now looks like it will be a lovely day.
Can you please turn the breeze on?”
5:30am update – Kick
Brendan Sands reports that it “has been a challenging night keeping the boat moving towards the waypoint, with a spectacular lightning show over Cape Brett. Fortunately we missed most of the rain. We rounded Cape Brett at about 4am and are now in a steady 7 knots of breeze, doing 7 knots of boat speed with the FRO up.”
4:55am update – early morning conditions
A new dawn for the fleet. Conditions are soft at the moment. A gentle 4–9 knot westerly is blowing across a north-easterly swell of about 1.3 metres at 9-second periods. Boats that like lighter airs will be creeping away from the heavier designs that prefer a bit more punch.
Ocean’s Tribute and Equilibrium are still very close. Equilibrium sits slightly further east and may enjoy an advantage later this morning as they arc around the Cavalli Islands. Ocean’s Tribute is tracking about 0.2 knots faster. At 1.0 and 1.2 knots, neither is exactly flying. Both are just north and east of Motukawaiti Island, with Motorboat III some way behind.
A new map refresh at 5:45am shows Motorboat III slightly astern of Ocean’s Tribute and Equilibrium. With daylight now up, the crew will have a clear view of their rivals ahead.
Kick and Whichway are close together, both having passed Hole in the Rock. Further south sits Higher Ground, followed by Physical Favours.
Neither Motorboat II nor Carpe Diem are showing on the PredictWind tracker at this stage. It is not yet clear whether they have retired.
Day 1 – Saturday 28 November
11:00pm update – With the New Zealand Yachting Excellence Awards wrapped up for the night, attention swings back to the Doyle Sails Cavalli Islands fleet. Before diving into the latest tracker data, it is worth acknowledging the grassroots sailors doing the hard miles in races like this, and the sponsors who support them. These are the people who keep the sport moving and help shape the culture of yachting in Aotearoa.
Fleet update:
Ocean’s Tribute leads with Equilibrium slightly to the south. The two boats are close enough to see each other and their speeds reflect that – Equilibrium is nudging along just a touch quicker. Both yachts are north and east of Whangaruru and likely have another four to five hours to sail before reaching the Cavalli Islands turn. (This was a little longer in the end.)
Further back, almost parallel with Helena Bay, sit Kick and Whichway, even closer to each other than the two leaders.
There is another gap to Motorboat II, sailing alone to the north and east of Whananaki. Further astern again, in line with Whale Bay, are Higher Ground and, a little behind, Physical Favours.
8:00pm update – Ocean’s Tribute still lead
Ocean’s Tribute remains at the front of the fleet, holding the advantage as the race settles into its first night offshore.
5:20pm update – Ocean’s Tribute
Guy Chester checks in from Ocean’s Tribute with an early progress report:
“We are well underway in the Royal Akarana Yacht Club Cavalli Islands Race. A light wind start with many shifts and patches of variable pressure up to Cape Rodney. Then the wind filled in from the south-west and gave us a blast reach with a reef in the main. We are now reaching with the screecher past the Hen and Chickens. We crossed tacks all day with the leading monohull Equilibrium but are now ahead. Still 70 nautical miles to go to the Cavallis.”
And later: “Things are going pretty well now. We had a frustrating, slow morning with plenty of shifts and areas of pressure, crossing tacks with Equilibrium a lot, and Motorboat III getting ahead of us for a while as well.
We have a nice little reach before Kawau and are now reaching past Cape Rodney and Sail Rock. We are just about to go past Bream Head and start working our way toward Cape Brett.
At the moment we have the screecher up and a full main, doing around 15 knots. For about an hour earlier we had a reef in the main and were blasting along under main and jib in 25 knots plus of south-westerly.
We are expecting a change as we get past Bream Head and are hoping to reach the Cavallis before the breeze drops out tonight. It would be lovely to hold 15 knots all the way there, but we are not counting on it.”
(In the end, the wind did back off earlier than hoped.)
There is still a long way to go for every crew on the course.
4:45pm update – Kick
Kick is into happy hour mode on board, with another competitor lying off to starboard in the evening light. The fleet remains reasonably tight as the yachts push into their first night at sea.
4pm update – Motorboat III
A fresh word from Josh Tucker on Motorboat III:
“Very fickle conditions out here. One-hundred-and-eighty-degree wind shifts. A game of snakes and ladders. We have won some but lost a few. Westerly has filled back in now and we are reaching along Omaha Beach.”
And later: “Ocean’s Tribute and Equilibrium headed offshore. Beautiful day but frustrating sailing.”
2:10pm update – two yachts found again
Guy Chester’s trimaran Ocean’s Tribute and Rowan Smith and Lydia Boyd’s Elliott 1060 Carpe Diem have reappeared on the PredictWind tracker. For a short spell they had dropped off the display and there was a question mark over whether they had pulled out.
Ocean’s Tribute has sailed further north along the starboard side of Kawau Island and now sits nearly three-quarters of the way up, but appears to be curving east.
Carpe Diem is trailing the rest of the fleet and lies to the south and east of Motuora Island.
2pm update – down to seven yachts?
The PredictWind race tracker is currently picking up the position of only seven boats. Ocean’s Tribute and Carpe Diem have dropped off again for the moment.
The leading boat, Equilibrium, is midway up the starboard side of Kawau Island and has now turned east. Motorboat III is tracking closely behind and has also turned to the east. Further back lies Whichway, then Motorboat II with Kick just to starboard.
Brendan Sands from Kick reports: “Hey, was a very tricky start waiting for the westerly to fill in, but we are now approaching Kawau. A few sail changes between the number one and FRO and back to the number one. Just holding on to Motorboat II and Whichway.”
Behind them, north and east of Motuora Island, is Physical Favours, with Higher Ground slightly to the south and east.
At this stage, conditions around Kawau Island are a northerly of about 10 knots, gusting to 12, with a sea height of around 0.9 metres from the east.
Equilibrium remains in the lead.
11am update – one hour into the race
The Doyle Sails Cavalli Islands Race started at ten o’clock this morning in a northerly that had already climbed past 15 knots and showed every sign of building through the day. It was not a gentle easing into an offshore passage. As soon as the fleet cleared Ōrākei, crews were dealing with showers, a half-metre north-east swell and the first signs of the tide starting to stand up against the breeze.
By the end of the first hour the race had already taken on shape. The boats had broken free of the Rangitoto channels and stretched along the North Shore from Takapuna to Milford, each crew settling into its own approach for the long leg north. Boat speeds were healthy and positions were changing quickly.
At the front, Equilibrium was already into her stride. Graham Matthews’ Botin Carkeek 55 held both height and pace in the northerly, tracking neatly offshore from Campbell’s Bay. It was an early reminder of why the 55-footer arrived as the line-honours favourite and why so many Round North Island hopefuls have been watching her form.
Just to the west, the only multihull in the fleet was sailing a different race. Ocean’s Tribute, the Queensland-based Lock Crowther trimaran, had tacked away from the monohulls and punched into clear water of her own. Soon after she tacked again and headed further east towards Equilibrium, out where the gusts and shifts were easier to work.
Behind them, a cluster of familiar names was beginning to sort itself out. Motorboat III, the Thomson 1150 steered by Damon Jolliffe and the focus of a detailed Round North Island build-up, held a solid lane just south of Campbell’s Bay. The boat looked settled early, which will be a relief after a busy week of structural work, water-ballast adjustments and a rapid interior tidy-up to make the start. Not far astern, Kick and Whichway were sailing almost side by side off Castor Bay. Kick carried her typical sharp Elliott 1050 angle, while Whichway, the Davidson 52, used her longer legs to stay in the hunt.
More on the RNI contenders here.
Milford marked the start 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 still well within reach of the mid-fleet battle, though they had work to do before joining the contest between Motorboat III, Kick and Whichway. Close behind 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.
All of this played out under thickening cloud and a freshening breeze, with the first hint of a building northerly chop appearing off the bays. For most crews, that opening hour will be the measure they use against what follows.
As the wind strengthens and the boats settle into the long rhythm of the passage, the stories that shaped the build-up to this race are already visible in the tracker. Some 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 Whangaparāoa the picture will sharpen again. For now, the Cavalli Islands Race has delivered a clean start, rising conditions and a fleet already showing the outlines of the contest to come.
Day 1, 28 Nov 2025 – 10am start
The fleet is away. 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 – did not start, which means nine yachts are heading north this year.
