Following the success of last year’s one-day regatta, the Bonus Contractors Bay of Islands Etchells Cup returned as a two-day event over the weekend of 8–9 March. Sailed just off the picturesque Russell township—with its natural amphitheatre setting—the event provided locals and visiting sailing enthusiasts with a front-row view of the action.
Nine teams lined up on the start line, and Principal Race Officer Tony Hanlon kept them on their toes, running three races on both days. Saturday opened with light airs, and racing was delayed by around an hour as sailors waited for a southerly breeze to settle in at around six knots. By the second race, the wind had shifted northward, keeping the mark boat crew busy with adjustments.
The first two races followed a traditional two-lap windward-leeward format. For the third race, organisers added a reaching leg by incorporating the northern channel markers following the windward mark near Kororāreka Point—providing a tactical twist to finish the day.
Sunday brought very different conditions—15 to 20 knots from the south delivered physically demanding racing and left a few sore bodies in its wake. Many of the sailors, and several of the boats, fall into the ‘experienced’ category, so the aches and bruises were all part of the game. Once again, windward-leeward courses were used for the day’s first two races, with the top mark placed just north of Toretore Island. For the final race, Caters Buoy—well known on the local race course and located near Pomare Bay—was included to create an easterly reaching leg.
There was plenty of close-quarters racing all weekend, with some encounters perhaps closer than the Racing Rules strictly allow. The tight mark roundings led to a few dramatic broaches, and at least one crew member took an unexpected dip.
What wasn’t close, however, was the final result. Jon Henderson, Andrew Vance and Joweal Klaase from Auckland’s Wakatere Boating Club took out a commanding win aboard Vilda Hilda—a boat they had only borrowed for the event. With five race wins and a discarded second, their boat handling left no room for doubt.
The top result for a Russell-based crew came from Bobby’s Girl, skippered by Alex Koukourakis, who secured second overall. Third place was tightly contested between Quantum from Opua Cruising Club and The Business from Russell Boating Club. Both boats finished on 19 points, but Quantum edged ahead on countback with three second-place finishes to The Business’s best result of third.
A special mention goes to Kiki and David Nicholson, along with Keiko Giovanni, who raced Matauwhi—the RBC Etchells—for the first time, having only recently stepped aboard in the lead-up to the regatta. An impressive effort for a first outing.
The regatta was another standout success, underpinned by the generous support of volunteers and sponsors. Stephen and Paula Pepperell took the reins for event organisation, supported behind the scenes by Ian Holt with registration and race documentation. The Pepperells also made their beautiful launch Volantis available as the committee boat and provided their RIB for mark-setting duties.
Race Officer Tony Hanlon was ably supported on the committee boat by Raewyn Hanlon, Anne McGregor, Ian Holt and Bruce Mitchinson, with Phil Sweetapple, Richard Stephens and Mark Thomson on the mark-set boat.
Thanks go to our lead sponsor Bonus Contractors, and to Kuku Construction, Bay of Islands ITM, Boating New Zealand magazine, Cater Marine, Harken, Phat House Brewing, and NZ Yacht Services. Please support the businesses that support our sport!
