A tough weekend of wind, patience and persistence saw the Marauder 8.4 fleet finally get racing underway at the 2026 Class Championship, with Manawa and Long John Silver emerging as the standout performers. Based on a report written by Yvonne McGill.
The Marauder 8.4 fleet gathered on the Hauraki Gulf this summer for its annual Class Championship, an event that remains the highlight of the calendar for owners of Alan Wright’s popular Kiwi cruiser racer.
Hosted by Weiti Boating Club, the regatta began with high expectations but quickly ran into heavy weather. Strong easterly winds gusting above 30 knots forced race officials to postpone Saturday racing, with the entrance bar to the Weiti River looking particularly unforgiving.
Instead, crews waited it out onshore. By Sunday, the scheduled 9am start, seven of the eight entries were on the start line.
Racing finally gets underway
Even Sunday morning still carried plenty of breeze. The forecast suggested the wind would ease later in the day and race officer Penelope Wilson pushed ahead with the programme once a patrol boat issue was resolved.
Both divisions started together, though it appeared Long John Silver, skippered by Dave Hunt, was the only boat fully aware the race had begun.
While others were still sorting themselves out, Long John Silver crossed the start line and immediately took control.
Over the next five and a half hours, the fleet completed four windward leeward races. The day began with gusts between 25 and 30 knots, testing crews and gear alike. By the final race the wind had dropped to under 10 knots, shifting the challenge from survival sailing to tactical precision.
That change in conditions suited the leading boats.
Dominant performances across the fleet
In Division 2, the non spinnaker fleet, Long John Silver proved untouchable. Hunt’s crew finished first across the line in every race and even managed to beat the spinnaker boats twice.
Observers wondered whether the secret lay in the racing sails acquired from Southern Rebel, formerly owned by Don Wright, or the presence of Wright himself and his son Antonio aboard as crew.
Whatever the combination, it worked.
Pandour had been chasing the GHM Cup, but this year had to settle for second place. Blue Sapphire finished third, followed by Eyelure and Real MacCoy close behind.
In the spinnaker division, Manawa, skippered by Keith Bekker, took overall honours with Gentleman Joe finishing runner up.
Long John Silver also claimed the fleet handicap win for the day.
The event wrapped up with thanks to Weiti Boating Club for hosting another successful championship.
What is a Marauder 8.4?
The Marauder 8.4 Owners Association writes that the Marauder 8.4 is one of New Zealand’s quietly enduring yacht designs.
Created by respected Kiwi designer Alan Wright in 1976, the boat was conceived as a fast but practical family yacht suited to the conditions of the Hauraki Gulf. At 8.4 metres long with a beam just over three metres, it offered unusual interior space for a yacht of its size while still delivering lively sailing performance.
Early boats were built in wood before production moulds were created. Around 200 hulls and decks were produced in GRP, although about 80 boats are currently known to still exist.
Many were finished by owners themselves, resulting in a variety of interior layouts. Most follow the classic Kiwi cruiser racer arrangement with heads forward and twin quarter berths.
The design uses a seven eighths fractional rig, giving good control and strong upwind performance. Combined with relatively light displacement and a wide stern, the Marauder developed a reputation for being responsive and capable in heavy conditions while remaining comfortable for cruising.
A design with real offshore pedigree
While many Marauders spend their lives racing or cruising around the Gulf, some have gone much further.
The yacht Wisecrack, built on a Tauranga front lawn, completed the 1990 New Plymouth to Mooloolaba solo Trans Tasman race under skipper Bob Wise. Wise famously hand steered for almost the entire crossing after an autopilot failure, finishing sixth on line honours.
Another Marauder, Kid Charlmain, completed a circumnavigation, proving the design’s offshore capability.
Today Marauders can still be found around New Zealand, particularly in the Hauraki Gulf, but also in the Bay of Islands, Tauranga, Wellington, Waikawa Bay and Nelson, with a handful sailing in Australia and the Pacific.
A class sustained by its owners
The Marauder 8.4 Owners Association, formed in 1979, continues to keep the fleet connected. With around 47 active members, the association organises social gatherings, sailing events and publishes the regular Marauder Mainsheet newsletter.
Every time a Marauder changes hands, new owners are welcomed into what many describe as a family rather than simply a yacht class.
More than four decades after the first boats were launched, the annual championship remains proof that Alan Wright’s design still delivers the blend of space, performance and seaworthiness that made the Marauder successful in the first place.
