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Kirsten Thomas

903 POSTS
Kirsten enjoys sailing and is a passionate writer based in coastal New Zealand. Combining her two passions, she crafts vivid narratives and insightful articles about sailing adventures, sharing her experiences and knowledge with fellow enthusiasts.
James "Bhutty" Moore-morial Race 2026 // Photo credit: Paddler.nz
Article
Article
Article

Darcy Price NZ Ocean Surfski Series 2025–26 enters decisive final stretch

Canoeing
Darcy Price NZ Ocean Surfski Series 2025–26 passes midpoint as champions and award winners drive tit...
Article
Article
Article

Dickey Boats to showcase three models at the 2026 Auckland Boat Show

Auckland Boat Show
Dickey Boats will be showcasing three standout models at the 2026 Auckland Boat Show, and we’re plea...
Wraith II returning to New Zealand // Photo credit: Ultim Boat
Article
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Wraith II storms to near-record finish at 2026 Balokovic Cup

Doyle Sails Gold Cup Series
Wraith II, the MOD 70 helmed by Sean Vernon, delivered a statement performance in the 2026 Balokovic...
Article
Article
Article

Southern Spars celebrates global milestones in SailGP recovery and Gitana 18 launch

Marine Industry News
From emergency SailGP repairs in Auckland to the launch of a next generation offshore flying machine...
Article
Article
Article

Balokovic Cup set to decide Doyle Sails Gold Cup

Doyle Sails Gold Cup Series
The Doyle Sails Gold Cup Series reaches its climax this Friday, 20 February 2026, with the Balokovic...
The Seawind 1170 under way
Article
Article
Article

Seawind 1170 production insight as Turkish facility comes online

Seawind
Boat Profile
Seawind Catamarans has released a detailed factory video outlining how the Seawind 1170 is now being...
Article
Article
Article

Brendon Cornes “Cornsey” claims 54th Gold Cup on the Manawatu River

Powerboating
Last weekend, the Manawatu River delivered a whole heap of horsepower. The 54th Manawatu Power Boat ...
// Patea Boats
Exclusive
Exclusive
Exclusive

The Pātea 830, built from experience, guided by legacy

Boat Profile
The Pātea 830 is more than a trailerable cruiser—it’s a boat built for rugged coastlines and distant...
ROSE before heading to her home in New Zealand // Photo credit: Cygnet Wooden Boats
Article
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Rosette brings Bass Strait heritage to Auckland

Auckland Wooden Boat Festival
The Auckland Wooden Boat Festival will feature a rare visitor this March. Rosette, an Australian Cou...
ROCKWOOL Racing SailGP Team helmed by Nicolai Sehested in action on Race Day 1 of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland, New Zealand. Saturday 14 February 2026. Rolex SailGP Championship Event 2 2026 Season. // Photo credit: James Gourley for SailGP.
Article
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Article

Starboard foil sensor fault disrupts ROCKWOOL Racing campaign in Auckland

SailGP 2026
A malfunction in the starboard daggerboard sensor system significantly impacted the performance of t...
(L-R) Kinley Fowler, grinder of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, Tom Slingsby, driver of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, Sam Newton, grinder of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, Glenn Ashby, wing trimmer of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, Tash Bryant, strategist of BONDS Flying Roos, and Jason Waterhouse, flight controller of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, celebrate onboard the chief marshal boat following winning the event on Race Day 2 of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland, New Zealand. Sunday 15 February 2026. Rolex SailGP Championship Event 2 2026 Season. // Photo credit: Felix Diemer for SailGP.
Article
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Article

BONDS Flying Roos reclaim form with Auckland triumph

SailGP 2026
BONDS Flying Roos return to the top in Auckland, seize the 2026 season lead, and turn their focus to...
Article
Article
Article

Beneteau First 30 at 50: how the yacht that launched the First range evolved

Boat Profile
Next year, in 2027, the Beneteau First 30 turns 50. Few production yachts can claim that kind of lon...
Article
Article
Article

Lucas Oil NZ Hydro Thunder, Masport Cup, and Matt Morrison Memorial Trophy all decided at Lake Karap...

Lucas Oil Hydro Thunder NZ Series
Lake Karapiro has seen its share of drama in recent seasons. Last year’s centenary Masport Cup ended...
Article
Article
Article

Kawau Race Week 2026 delivers racing and resilience

Kawau Race Week 2026
The Evolution Sails Kawau Race Week 2026 was established to provide Auckland sailors with an accessi...
A long weekend on the water as fishing competitions crowd the Coromandel
Opinion
Opinion
Opinion

A long weekend on the water as fishing competitions crowd the Coromandel

Fishing
Sitting in the cockpit of our liveaboard in Whangamatā Harbour over the long Waitangi Weekend was ...
The fully crewed Motorboat III racing in the 2025 Doyle Sails Cavalli Islands Race // Photo credit: Insight Media
Article
Article
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2026 Round North Island Race: you can’t fake preparation

Round North Island (RNI)
With 21 days to go, the 2026 Doyle Sails Round North Island Yacht Race is being shaped as much by re...
Feature
Feature
Feature

From niche to norm: multihulls emerge as a dominant force in global boating

Boat Profile
Multihull boating has moved decisively from niche to mainstream, and in early 2026 the shift is no l...
Race Around Australia // Photo credit: Race Around Australia
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Power Brewing and the night the Southern Ocean showed its teeth

Race Around Australia
The 1988 Bicentennial Around Australia Yacht Race remains one of the most demanding offshore events ...
Invictus TT460 // Photo credit: Invictus Yachts
Article
Article
Article

Invictus TT460 advances Italian yacht design with substance and intent

New Boat
Invictus Yacht has unveiled the TT460, a new flagship model that extends the brand’s design philosop...
2026 Classic Launches Division - Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta
Article
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Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta 2026: Seconds, not minutes, decide tightly fought Launches Division...

Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta
The Launches Division served up a classic handicap contest, with the final result decided by seconds...
Classic Yachts - 2026 Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta
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Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta 2026: Classic yachts deliver a living link to Auckland’s sailing pa...

Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta
Classic yachts brought a distinctly different rhythm to the water during the afternoon racing. With ...
Article
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Article

Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta 2026: Conditions test the keelboat fleet

Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta
Testing conditions shaped the sailing divisions at the 2026 Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta, with a...
Hauraki Photo credit Live Sail Die
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Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta 2026: One second, bright colours, and big personalities define the ...

Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta
The racing tugboat fleet brought colour and deep throaty industrial character to the fore, yet after...
Race Around Australia // Photo credit: Race Around Australia
Article
Article
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Race Around Australia returns, forty years on from the Bicentennial

Race Around Australia
The Shorthanded Ocean Racing Association of Australia (SHORAA), has announced the return of the Race...
Gippsland Lakes Boat Show // Photo credit: Gippsland Lakes Boat Show
Article
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The Gippsland Lakes Boat Show makes its debut in 2026

Gippsland Lakes Boat Show
The Gippsland Lakes Boat Show will launch for the first time from 27 February to 1 March 2026, deliv...
Article
Article
Article

Saudi Red Sea Authority launches unified digital guide for coastal tourism activities

Int'l Cruising Destination News
The Saudi Red Sea Authority has launched the Introductory Guide to Coastal Tourism Activities, a fir...
Lalabe interior view // Photo credit: Van der Valk Shipyard
Article
Article
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BOAT Design and Innovation Awards 2026 winners revealed

Boat of the Year Awards
The Superyacht Design Festival ceremony in Kitzbuhel crowned the year’s standout yachts, from bold e...
Article
Article
Article

Riva Cento is born: the open yacht for collectors that celebrates the Riva legend from a contemporar...

Riva
New Boat
Riva has unveiled Riva Cento, a strictly limited edition open yacht created for collectors and built...
VanDutch 75 // Photo credit: VanDutch
Article
Article
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VanDutch 75 sets a new benchmark for open yacht design

VanDutch
New Boat
Towards the end of 2025, VanDutch Yachts introduced the VanDutch 75, a flagship open yacht defined b...
Article
Article
Article

Earthling E40 heads offshore as European campaign begins

Marine Industry News
After nearly two years of proving itself in New Zealand waters, Earthling went on the move in June, ...
Exclusive
Exclusive
Exclusive

Kiwi foiler Micah Wilkinson and his crossover from Nacra to E1 GP

E1 Series
As the 2026 E1 Grand Prix season gets underway, Kiwi Olympian Micah Wilkinson returns to the cockpit...
Eugen Seibold // Photo credit: Dominic Jack
Article
Article
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Inside the making of Eugen Seibold: the yacht built to work where research ships cannot

YYachts
Sloop
Boat Profile
A yacht built for a very unusual brief When the Max Planck Society set out to commission a research...
Opinion
Opinion
Opinion

Hard-earned racing shaped Bay of Islands Sailing Week 2026

Bay of Islands Sailing Week
As I stood chatting with Nina and Tony Kiff under the marquee just outside the front door of the Opu...
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 24: Emma Kimilainen (FIN) / Sam Coleman (GBR), Team Brady, leads the pack in the final 2 race during the E1 Series Jeddah GP on January 24, 2026 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. // Photo credit: Malcolm Griffiths / Getty Images
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Aoki Racing Team set early benchmark as E1 Series opens with Jeddah showdown

E1 Series
The 2026 UIM E1 World Championship opened in emphatic fashion in Jeddah, with Aoki Racing Team deliv...
Daisy Duke, Racing B, Race 4, 2026 BOISW // Insight Media / BOISW
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Excellent racing and seconds define the Bay of Islands Sailing Week 2026

Bay of Islands Sailing Week
Across three divisions, the Racing A, B, and C fleets delivered a layered regatta that rewarded prec...
Opportunity (L) and Nautilass (R) Racing group C, Day 2, 2026 BOISW // Insight Media / Bay of Island Sailing Week
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2026 BOISW Racing C: Delivers split results as handicap battles tighten in final race

Bay of Islands Sailing Week
Line Racing C produced a race of contrasts, with clear separation on the water and razor thin margin...
Radix. Racing B, Day 2, 2026 BOISW // Insight Media / Bay of Island Sailing Week
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2026 BOISW Racing B: Final race, Radix wins on EHC

Bay of Islands Sailing Week
The final race for Racing group B, produced a number of fantastic results which could potentially th...
Wired (L) and Georgia One (R), Racing A, Race 4, 2026 BOISW // Insight Media / BOISW
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2026 BOISW Racing A: Final 2026 race delivers clear winners as division narrows to four

Bay of Islands Sailing Week
Racing A's final race, Race 6, was reduced to a four boat showdown, after Explore Racing retired fol...
Farr South (L) and Nautilass (R). Racing group C, Day 2, 2026 BOISW // Insight Media / Bay of Island Sailing Week
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2026 BOISW Racing C: Control at the front, volatility on handicap on Race 6

Bay of Islands Sailing Week
Enhanse, Blue Newport's Hanse 370e, and Rock N Roll, Max Newport's Craig Loomes joined in today's ra...
Daisy Duke, Racing B, Race 4, 2026 BOISW // Insight Media / BOISW
Article
Article
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2026 BOISW Racing B: What a watch! Race 6 builds up to final race

Bay of Islands Sailing Week
Racing Group B produced one of the closest contests of Bay of Islands Sailing Week on Friday, with R...

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