The second-to-last race of the Doyle Sails Gold Cup Series brings the season’s closest fight back to the Hauraki Gulf
Early-season rivals have “reignited” the Gold Cup fight. Equilibrium set the early pace, holding the rest of the fleet at bay through the first two races. In early November, Alegre struck back at the Bean Rock Race, halting Equilibrium’s momentum and forcing the series wide open. The tone has been set for what could be one of the most compelling Gold Cup campaigns.
Tomorrow, the fleet shifts into a critical phase with Race 4, the Percy Jones Memorial, hosted by Bucklands Beach Yacht Club. At roughly 48 miles, and with only the Balokovic Cup to follow, this race will shape the championship picture across both Line Honours and PHRF.
Cavalli Islands Race added fresh drama
Last weekend’s Doyle Sails Cavalli Islands Race revealed more than expected. Equilibrium finished second on line honours after playing a cat-and-mouse game with Motorboat III (Thomson 1150) and Ocean’s Tribute (Crowther Design 93 trimaran), but slipped to last on handicap after boats lying toward the back of the fleet caught a tail-wind, giving them a faster run home.
Handicap heroes and tight battles in the 2025 Doyle Sails Cavalli Islands Race
The surprise was Carpe Diem, which won the race on handicap. After mixed Gold Cup results earlier this season (2-7-RET), the Cavalli victory is a valuable lift for the crew heading into Saturday’s start. But fair warning, they are a force to be taken into account.
Bean Rock recap: the moment the season tightened
Alegre’s win at Bean Rock remains the race that changed everything. Vaughn Clark’s Soto 40 made smart gains through the pressure lanes and beat Equilibrium on corrected time, while Liquid Luck continued a run of tidy, well-managed performances to finish third.
Carrera 3 and Fulcrum delivered their best results of the season. Several expected contenders, including Kaizen, Carpe Diem and Champosa VII retired, leaving them little margin in the final two races.
The standings after three races
Line Honours
- Equilibrium – 5 points
- Alegre – 7 points
- Liquid Luck – 13 points
- Nirvana – 17 points
- Flying Boat – 24 points
PHRF
- Liquid Luck – 12 points
- Nirvana – 12 points
- Alegre – 15 points
- Apparition – 17 points
- Equilibrium – 18 points
With no drop yet applied, both tables are wide open. Liquid Luck continues to outperform her waterline length. Nirvana’s steady pace keeps them tied for the lead. Alegre’s Bean Rock success puts them in play for both titles. Equilibrium’s Cavalli battle shows how quickly the door can open.
New threat at the front: Sassinate
One of the biggest additions to the Percy Jones entry list is Sassinate, the Melges 40 skippered by Mikayla Plaw. This is a line-honours machine, and she proved it in the 2025 PIC Coastal Classic, winning line honours in PredictWind Division 1b. If Saturday brings light to moderate breeze, Sassinate could disrupt the usual Alegre–Equilibrium drag race.
Another Duchess rising
Another team worth close attention is Another Duchess, the Davidson 55 co-owned by Evan Davies and Evolution Sails’ Rodney Keenan. Already entered in the inaugural Kawau Race Week 2026 – Keenan lives at Snells Beach, overlooking the racecourse, and was the event’s first entrant – Another Duchess also impressed in the 2025 PIC Coastal Classic, where she topped Doyle Sails Division 1A with a corrected time of 22:04:27, winning the division on handicap by almost fifty-five minutes after an immaculate run north. Their upward form curve puts them squarely in the hunt for a top result this weekend.
