The 2026 Doyle Sails Round North Island Two Handed Yacht Race fleet has stretched dramatically over the past nine hours, with the leading boats now well past New Plymouth and Cape Egmont as they push toward the finish of Leg 2.
This leg, from Mangonui to Motuara Island in the Marlborough Sounds, is the longest of the race. By the end of today, two or more boats are expected to complete the demanding passage.
At the southern end of the fleet, Explore Racing, the Elliott 50 sailed by William Goodfellow and Jesse Turner, has maintained its overnight line honours lead. The pair now sit slightly south of the Manawatū town of Marton and are about 226 nautical miles from the finish. Their current estimated arrival time at Motuara Island is around 4.30pm this afternoon.
Chasing hard in second is Motorboat III, the Thompson 1150 sailed by Damon Jolliffe and Josh Tucker. Behind them sits High 5, the Cookson 47 sailed by Bernie Hyde and Thomas Hyde. Motorboat III also remains firmly in contention on corrected time and is likely to finish later today, while High 5 sits close to a midnight arrival.
The battle for overall PHRF honours is tight. Kick, the Elliott 1050 sailed by Brendan Sands and Ben Roff, currently holds first place, with Motorboat III just an hour and a half behind on corrected time. With so little separating the two crews, the final miles of this leg could prove decisive.
Across the fleet, boats have spread widely across the Tasman Sea. The small Ross 8 C U Later, sailed by Ben Stinton and Shaun Grigg, remains the northernmost boat in the fleet and now sits second in Division 4 on PHRF. Furthest west is Highline, the Dufour 455 Grand Large sailed by Andrew Mackmurdie and Jennifer Haliday, while L’Avanti, the Farr 1020 sailed by John Power and Richard Power, lies furthest east about 15 nautical miles off the Raglan coast.
Division racing remains close. In Division 1, Motorboat III leads ahead of Perfect Storm, the Stomp 38 sailed by Ken and Lori Ormandy, and High 5. A particularly close contest is unfolding between Explore Racing and Vixen Racing, the Verdier 40 sailed by Sharon Ferris-Choat and Taylor Edwards, with just over half an hour separating them on corrected time.
Division 2 has tightened overnight. Focus now leads, followed by Pipi, with Äkonga moving into third. Only six minutes separate the three crews on estimated corrected time.
In Division 3, the order remains unchanged with Kick leading ahead of Ragnar and Niksen, the latter two separated by only minutes. Division 4 continues to be led by Carpe Diem, followed by C U Later and L’Avanti.
With shifting winds expected through the day, the leaderboard is far from settled. The big question now is how many crews will reach the Motuara Island finish before midnight.
