The pies were in the oven on Ākonga yesterday. This morning the crew of Motorboat III were up their mast. And somewhere out ahead of them all, Clockwork is charging north on what her crew called brilliant sailing — very fast, very wet.
Twenty-four hours into the Three Kings Offshore Yacht Race, all seven boats are still in it, the crews are talking, and the race is very much alive.
Every boat in the fleet still has more than half the course ahead of them. Race leader Clockwork hit light winds at 2am this morning and dropped behind the race record set by Wired in 2022. This is already beyond reach. At the equivalent point in that race, Wired was rounding back past Cape Reinga with just 214 nautical miles to go. The current fleet leaders are still heading north with 259 nautical miles on the clock.
It has, by all accounts, been wet. Fast in places, wet everywhere.
Clockwork leads, but the handicap is watching
Steve Mair’s Shaw 12 has been the standout performer of the first day. Clockwork leads on line honours by 17 nautical miles over Mr Kite II, posting the strongest 24-hour distance made good in the fleet at 225 nautical miles. At 11:08pm last night the crew summed it up neatly: “Brilliant sailing, very fast, very wet, and now a bit lighter. Dinner was delicious.”
The challenge for Clockwork is that their 1.030 PHRF handicap means they are giving time to most of the fleet on corrected time. They lead there too, currently, but the margin is tighter than the raw positions suggest. Every hour they spend on the water costs them more than it costs Motorboat III or Carpe Diem.
| Pos | Boat | Skipper | DTF | Dist sailed | VMG | 24h DMG | Est. finish | Est. elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clockwork | Steve Mair | 259 NM | 236 NM | 9.4 kts | 225 NM | 18 Apr 14:43 | 2d 3h 43m |
| 2 | Mr Kite II | Nathan Williams | 276 NM | 216 NM | 8.7 kts | 208 NM | 18 Apr 18:49 | 2d 7h 49m |
| 3 | Equilibrium | Graham Matthews | 284 NM | 208 NM | 8.3 kts | 200 NM | 18 Apr 21:04 | 2d 10h 4m |
| 4 | Motorboat III | Damon Jolliffe | 289 NM | 206 NM | 8.1 kts | 195 NM | 18 Apr 22:26 | 2d 11h 26m |
| 5 | Higher Ground | John Seely | 319 NM | 169 NM | 6.9 kts | 165 NM | 19 Apr 09:20 | 2d 22h 20m |
| 6 | Akonga | Nick Roberts | 328 NM | 159 NM | 6.5 kts | 156 NM | 19 Apr 13:22 | 3d 2h 22m |
| 7 | Carpe Diem | Rowan Smith | 338 NM | 145 NM | 6.5 kts | 146 NM | 19 Apr 13:05 | 3d 2h 5m |
| DTF = Distance to Finish. VMG = Velocity Made Good. 24h DMG = Distance Made Good in 24 hours. All times NZST. Provisional results — refer to race website for official results. | ||||||||
The handicap story is where things get interesting
On line honours the top three are Clockwork, Mr Kite II and Equilibrium, in that order. On PHRF corrected time the order reshuffles completely. Motorboat III, sitting fourth on the water, jumps to second on handicap. Their 0.931 rating is trimming nearly four hours from their estimated elapsed time, and Damon Jolliffe’s crew are clearly making the most of it.
This morning Jolliffe was up the mast keeping the boat in good shape, and the crew tacked onto the lay line for the Kings reporting light and shifty but pleasant conditions. Sails from Rogue Sails are up and performing.
| Pos | Boat | Skipper | Handicap | DTF | Dist sailed | VMG | 24h DMG | Est. finish | Est. elapsed | Corrected elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clockwork | Steve Mair | 1.030 | 259 NM | 236 NM | 9.3 kts | 224 NM | 18 Apr 14:55 | 2d 3h 55m | 2d 5h 29m |
| 2 | Motorboat III | Damon Jolliffe | 0.931 | 289 NM | 206 NM | 8.1 kts | 195 NM | 18 Apr 22:26 | 2d 11h 26m | 2d 7h 20m |
| 3 | Mr Kite II | Nathan Williams | 0.995 | 276 NM | 216 NM | 8.7 kts | 208 NM | 18 Apr 18:49 | 2d 7h 49m | 2d 7h 33m |
| 4 | Carpe Diem | Rowan Smith | 0.778 | 338 NM | 145 NM | 6.5 kts | 146 NM | 19 Apr 13:05 | 3d 2h 5m | 2d 9h 38m |
| 5 | Equilibrium | Graham Matthews | 1.059 | 284 NM | 208 NM | 8.3 kts | 200 NM | 18 Apr 21:04 | 2d 10h 4m | 2d 13h 30m |
| 6 | Akonga | Nick Roberts | 0.833 | 328 NM | 159 NM | 6.5 kts | 156 NM | 19 Apr 13:22 | 3d 2h 22m | 2d 13h 57m |
| 7 | Higher Ground | John Seely | 0.888 | 319 NM | 169 NM | 6.9 kts | 165 NM | 19 Apr 09:20 | 2d 22h 20m | 2d 14h 28m |
| DTF = Distance to Finish. VMG = Velocity Made Good. 24h DMG = Distance Made Good in 24 hours. Corrected elapsed = estimated elapsed time × handicap factor. All times NZST. Provisional results — refer to race website for official results. | ||||||||||
Carpe Diem‘s story is perhaps the most intriguing. Rowan Smith’s Elliott 1060 is last on the water by a considerable margin. But their 0.778 handicap, the lowest in the fleet, has pulled them to fourth on corrected time, ahead of both Equilibrium and Akonga. Last on the water, fourth on the leaderboard that matters most for the trophy. Offshore racing’s great equaliser doing exactly what it is supposed to do.
Equilibrium continues to carry the heaviest burden in the fleet. Graham Matthews’ Botin/Carkeek 55 is third on line honours and sailing well, but their 1.059 handicap drops them to fifth on corrected time. For a boat like Equilibrium, speed is everything. The handicap is what it is, and the only answer to it is to sail faster and better than the rating expects. For this crew, that is precisely the point. Doing things well, to the best of their ability, is what defines a good race regardless of where they finish on the corrected sheet.
Three groups, one race
Two distinct clusters have remained since the start of the race and are clear on the tracker. Clockwork, Mr Kite II, Equilibrium and Motorboat III are running together at the front, pushing hard for the Three Kings Islands. Then a buffer between the leaders and the back group of Higher Ground, Akonga and Carpe Diem who are making their own race of it.
Ākonga: the most entertaining boat in the fleet
Nick Roberts’ Dehler 41 has been producing the best dispatches of the race. After transiting the Tiri Passage yesterday, the crew reported weather building ahead, a reef back in the main, and five beef and mozzarella pies in the oven. Sandy on galley duty, 20-minute ETA. A brief knockdown near Kawau Island added some excitement, the crew taking it with characteristic calm. “A bit of a gust caught us and we went over a little bit. I should have kept filming.”
This morning, rounding into Doubtless Bay, Roberts gave a more measured account: a beautiful evening racing alongside Carpe Diem and Higher Ground, shooting stars on watch, good rest between shifts. “No major challenges,” he said. The tone of a crew that is tired, comfortable, and exactly where they want to be.
What the fleet can expect at the Three Kings Islands
PredictWind is forecasting manageable but building conditions at the Three Kings Islands through today and into tonight, covering the window when most of the fleet will be rounding and turning for home.
This morning the wind was westerly at 3 knots building to north-westerly 6, with mostly fine conditions and a south-westerly swell of 2.7 metres at 10 seconds. A relatively gentle approach to the islands for the leading boats. Through the afternoon the north-westerly builds to 8 knots under partly cloudy skies, strengthening further to 12 knots into the evening with the swell easing slightly to 2.6 metres.
Then overnight, as the back half of the fleet is likely still making their approach or rounding, conditions step up. A northerly is forecast to build from 12 knots to 20, with gusts to 25. Swell holds at 2.5 metres at 11 seconds through until 5am.
The timing might play a part in the results. Clockwork may round in the gentler conditions of this morning or early afternoon. The trailing boats, Higher Ground, Ākonga and Carpe Diem, are more likely to meet the building northerly overnight. Turning for home into 20 knots and gusts to 25 after a long first leg will separate crews and boats. The race may yet be decided on the return.
