Motorboat III last raced the Three Kings in 2024, though she was called Serena back then, and Josh Adams was at the helm. Adams has since sold the boat to Damon Jolliffe, and the handover comes with a twist: Adams is back in this year’s fleet too, crewing on Clockwork, one of Motorboat III‘s closest rivals. Jolliffe, meanwhile, raced the 2024 Three Kings on Clockwork himself. The two men have effectively swapped boats, and the dark blue Thompson 1150 just keeps coming back.
A race with a reputation
The Three Kings race is only in its third edition, run biennially since 2022 under the flag of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. The course covers 500 nautical miles: north from just off the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in the Waitemata Harbour, past Cape Reinga, out to the Three Kings Islands, and back to Auckland. It is not a race that goes easy on its entrants. In 2024, eight of the fifteen starters retired, undone by blown-out sails, rigging failures, and the rough sea state that builds when the Tasman and the Pacific collide above the North Island.
The crew
Jolliffe goes north with a crew of five. Regular sailing partner Josh Tucker is alongside him, bringing his own Three Kings experience from the 2022 race—Tucker raced in Kick in that year. The two have built up considerable offshore time together, most recently in the 1250 nautical mile Doyle Sails Round the North Island Two Handed Yacht Race in which they won first in Division 1 on handicap. Earlier Motorboat III took line honours after a 46-hour contest with Equilibrium and the trimaran Ocean’s Tribute. The Thompson 1150 was the smallest boat of the three, and she crossed first, pulling clear in the closing stages.
Now for sale, Kick, the Elliott 1050 cruiser racer with Round North Island pedigree
The rest of the crew are Jacqui Jolliffe, Damon’s wife and co-owner, who grew up racing dinghies in Christchurch and whose enthusiasm for offshore sailing was one of the reasons they bought the boat; Chris Beaumont, crew nickname Chopper, who was also a crew member in the Cavalli Island race; and Mike Grant, who Damon has known for 25 years, having come through the sailing scheme together at the RNZYS.
Josh ‘booboo’ Tucker, Damon Jolliffe, Jacqui Jolliffe (Damon’s wife and co owner) Garry Jolliffe (Damon brother), Chris ‘Chopper’ Beaumont. In the Three Kings race, Mike Grant will crew while Garry Jolliffe takes a breather. // Photo credit: Josh Tucker / Motorboat III
The fleet
Seven boats will start after Vixen Racing, Perservere and Flyer withdrew over the weekend. The absence of Vixen is palpable. She and Motorboat III are similar in size and have been trading places on the offshore circuit for a while, and the prospect of another contest between them had been one of the race’s talking points. The cyclone damage at the boatyard made the decision for them: they won’t finish the repairs in time.
Jolliffe has a clear understanding of the competition. “Equilibrium‘s going to go, then it’ll be Clockwork, then Mr Kite II, and then it’ll be us,” he says. “Something’s got to go drastically wrong for us to beat them. But it’s actually kind of handy having a few more boats in front of us this time. Unlike the RNI, where we were kind of going a little bit blind with what was happening further up the track, at least we’re going to have a few more indicators.”
Strategy and conditions
The forecast is pointing to a quick race. A southwesterly start, slowly clocking forward, with the bulk of the course on a reach or a run. The sting comes on the way home, where a building northerly wind is expected to be well established by the time the fleet turns for Auckland. “The strategy will be to conserve a little bit of energy throughout the first half and get around the Three Kings in good shape so we can hold on for the ride home,” Jolliffe says. “For us, sailing downwind in breeze is a lot harder than sailing upwind in breeze, particularly when it comes to crew rest in the middle of the night.” His routing has them finishing between 2pm and 8pm Saturday.
Life on board
Five crews over an estimated two-plus days means the watch system needs to work. Jolliffe runs two pairs: he partners with Tucker, while Beaumont partners with Grant, rotating opposite each other with one person changing every hour. Jackie moves freely between both watches, putting out four meals a day and keeping the boat in order. “A two-hour watch goes real fast,” says Jolliffe. “You’re only just settled in with one person before it’s time for them to go and the next one comes up.”
Off the water
When they are not racing, Damon and Jackie run Hauraki Fenders, a mobile marine fender business they have owned for twelve years, working out of Albany and covering marinas from Auckland to Tauranga.
Heading north
Two previous editions of this race, two demanding finishes, and a fleet that has shrunk before the start gun fires; Motorboat III has been here before, even if she was wearing a different name last time. Jolliffe knows the course, knows several of the skippers he is racing against, and has a crew around him that he trusts. Thursday’s 11am start cannot come soon enough.
