The Doyle Sails Gold Cup Series reaches its climax this Friday, 20 February 2026, with the Balokovic Cup, an 89 nautical mile overnighter that will decide the overall Gold Cup winner.
Delivered in collaboration between Royal Akarana Yacht Club, Bucklands Beach Yacht Club, Richmond Yacht Club, and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, the five race Doyle Sails Gold Cup Series has stretched Auckland’s offshore fleet over demanding coastal courses ranging from 35 to 48 nautical miles.
The Spring Regatta set the early benchmark and revealed who had come prepared. Roy McDell reshuffled the order and tightened the margins. Bean Rock tested patience and positioning across the Gulf. Percy Jones most recently added further twists, leaving both Line Honours and handicap standings far from settled.
Now the series comes down to one final lap of the Gulf.
Route and conditions
Balokovic Cup route
The Balokovic Cup starts in the Orakei Wharf area, with the warning signal at 1825 for the solo multihull, Ocean’s Tribute, and 1830 for the remainder of the fleet.
The primary route forms a large Gulf triangle. Boats leave Browns Island to starboard, Waiheke Island to port, Cow and Calf to port, Flat Rock to port, Rangitoto Beacon to port, before finishing back at Orakei.
Weather outlook
PredictWind tells us that a southwesterly of 10 to 16 knots is forecast Friday morning, building to 14 to 19 knots by late afternoon with a moderate chop around Waiheke. Overnight winds ease, dropping to 8 knots by early Saturday afternoon, then fading toward calm by the 2200 time limit.
Tactically, an early push may prove decisive. Boats still offshore late Saturday risk drifting in light patches.
Introducing the Balokovic Cup fleet
The Balokovic Cup fleet has a number of design groupings that might well shape this 89 mile contest. A strong 36 to 40 foot core forms the heart of the race, including the Titan 36, Farr 36 O.D, Bakewell-White 38, Melges 40 and Soto 40. These performance cruiser racers are well matched on handicap and may well drive the overall battle.
| Boat | Class or type | Sail | Helm | Club | PHRF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zen | Titan 36 | 1003 | Rob Derrick | BBYC | 0.814 |
| T-Rex | SR26 | 5159 | Lanny Walker* | Panmure | 0.740 |
| Explore Racing | Elliott 50 | 8899 | William Goodfellow* | RAYC | 1.064 |
| Kaizen | Farr 36 O.D | NZL 11102 | Simon Manning* | RAYC/RNZYS/GBC | 0.928 |
| Nirvana | Dufour 45e | 9270 | Nigel Hendy* | RNZYS | 0.848 |
| Visage | BW 38 | R2004 | Jonathan J Gravit* | RNZYS | 0.842 |
| Flying Boat | Young 11 | 6095 | Chris Beaumont* | RNZYS | 0.829 |
| Sassinate | Melges 40 | NZL 040 | Mikayla Plaw* | RNZYS | 1.078 |
| Magic Bus | Whiting 1/4 Tonner | KZ2499 | Ross Bannan | RNZYS | 0.659 |
| Apparition | Ross 35 | 5283 | Marcel Vroege* | RNZYS/RYC | 0.797 |
| Alegre | Soto 40 | 10033 | Vaughn Clark* | RNZYS/RYC | 0.970 |
| Carpe Diem | Monohull | 8380 | Rowan Smith* | RNZYS/RYC/SSANZ | 0.778 |
| Indis | Sun Fast 3300 | 9877 | Andrew Benton | RYC | 0.81 |
| Another Duchess | Davidson 58 | 10153 | Bryce Morrin | SSANZ | 1.035 |
| Motorboat | SR26 | 5820 | Gavin Woodward | SSANZ | 0.745 |
| Liquid Luck | E 30 S | 9974 | David Wade* | Sandspit Yacht Club | 0.866 |
| Oceans Tribute | Multihull | 7669 | Guy Chester | Tinaroo Sailing Club |
There is also a distinct Kiwi sportboat flavour, with two Windy SR26 entries, T-Rex and Motorboat, joined by the Ross 35 and the classic Whiting 1/4 Tonner. These lighter boats will relish pressure reaching legs but may suffer if the breeze fades late.
At the larger end, Explore Racing’s Elliott 50 and Another Duchess, a Davidson 58, bring genuine offshore horsepower and Line Honours potential. Production offshore designs such as the Dufour 45e Nirvana and Sun Fast 3300 Indis add modern European influence.
Finally, Oceans Tribute stands alone as the sole multihull, a trimaran capable of stretching clear if conditions favour outright speed.
Series standings going in
On PHRF handicap, Nigel Hendy’s Dufour 45e Nirvana holds a slender one point advantage over Liquid Luck. Alegre remains in contention eight points back.
On Line Honours, Graham Matthews’ Botin Carkeek 55, Equilibrium, leads the series on 9 points but is not racing the Balokovic Cup. That opens the door for Alegre, sitting just one point behind on 10. Liquid Luck is third on 18.
Several entries, Carpe Diem, Explore Racing, and Indis, are sharpening up for the 2026 Round North Island Race starting eight days later.
Visiting trimaran Oceans Tribute adds offshore flavour, while Another Duchess arrives fresh from success at Kawau Race Week.
With both Line Honours and handicap titles still mathematically alive, the Balokovic Cup will not just crown a race winner, it will settle the Doyle Sails Gold Cup for 2026.
Learn more: https://rayc.co.nz/event/25-26-doyle-sails-gold-cup-race-5-balokovic-cup/
