Kirsten Thomas

1098 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.
Boat gear

Carbon weapon: light, strong game reel

Kiwi fishing reel manufacturer Seneca Offshore Crafts specialised high-end carbo...
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Garmin LiveScope 2
Boat gear

Garmin unveils LiveScope 2 Series

Garmin has released the next generation of its live-scanning sonar, with three n...
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Events

Seventy years on: The Outboard Boating Club of Auckland

The Outboard Boating Club of Auckland traces its roots to 1955, when Sea Spray e...
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Oyster 515 // Photo: Oyster Yachts
Boating News

Oyster’s new 515 puts the swim platform at the centre of the design brief

Oyster Yachts has unveiled the Oyster 515, a new addition to the British builder...
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Boating News

Zeelander 8 Solea: The fastest flagship built for an owner, not a crew

Zeelander
Most 24-metre yachts are designed around crew. Solea wasn't. The latest Zeelande...
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Sanlorenzo unveils SHE, a fresh nod to the navetta era // Sanlorenzo
Boats

Sanlorenzo unveils SHE, a fresh nod to the navetta era

Sanlorenzo
Italian builder Sanlorenzo has put the first hull of its new Heritage range in t...
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Boating News

Why New Zealand’s best boat recycling idea isn’t recycling at all

Back in 2018, we asked what happens to boats when they reach the end of their wo...
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The Navetta 35 sits under 300 GT and slots in as the entry point to Custom Line's displacement range, alongside larger Navetta models. // Courtesy: Custom Line
Boats

Custom Line’s new 35-metre displacement yacht hits the water in Ancona

Navetta
Custom Line has launched the first hull of its new Navetta 35, the entry point i...
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Aether in the 2026 Aegean 600 // Photo: Aether
Aegean 600

Aegean 600: Aether closes in on the 100-hour mark

Kiwi sailor Andrew Hall and Greek co-skipper Evi Delidou are into the closing mi...
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Boating News

Sports car thinking meets luxury cruising in the Beneteau Gran Turismo 50 Alpine Edition

Deep Abyss Blue paintwork that shifts with the light. Navy and black finishes, a...
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Events

Singapore Yachting Festival 2027 dates revised to 22–25 April, following record-breaking 2026 editio...

The Singapore Yachting Festival has confirmed revised dates for its fifth editio...
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Boats

MV Jocelyn: a 1968 Brin Wilson 49 sportfisher with a family history

Brin Wilson
Few names carry the weight in New Zealand boatbuilding that Brin Wilson does. Fo...
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Boats

Norseman 500C: a name from another world entirely — for sale

The name Norseman 500 might ring a bell for the wrong reason. In vintage off-roa...
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Solaris Power 64 Grand Coupé
Boating News

New from Solaris Power: the 64 Grand Coupé

Solaris
Luxury Motor Yacht
Solaris Power has pulled the wraps off its latest model, the 64 Grand Coupé, ext...
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2026 Aegean 600 // Photo credit: Fragoulis photography
Aegean 600

Fast start to the 2026 Aegean 600, Andrew Hall and Aether settle into the pack

A brisk Meltemi of 25 to 30 knots greeted the 6th edition of the Aegean 600 at C...
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// Coastguard Tutukaka
Safety & Education

Three pulled from water after Poor Knights launch sinks

A 28-foot launch went down near the Sugar Loaf Rocks at the Poor Knights Islands...
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Raymarine's new RCU-1 handheld 'Point & Go' waterproof wireless autopilot remote control. // Supplied
Boat gear

Raymarine’s new RCU-1 handheld ‘Point & Go’ waterproof wireless autopilot rem...

Solo sailors and short-handed crews are the clear winners with Raymarine's new R...
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Marine veteran, Chris Baird, appointed to lead MC-Zero. // Supplied
Boating News

Marine veteran appointed to lead MC-ZERO

MC-ZERO, the builder of carbon fiber electric jet tenders, has named Chris Baird...
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New 70A option joins Victron's Orion XS DC-DC charger lineup.// Supplied
Boat gear

New 70A option joins Victron’s Orion XS DC-DC charger lineup

Victron Energy has expanded its Orion XS DC-DC charger series with a 12V to 12V ...
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Gareth Hodson at the ENL and WASSP Headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand. // Photo: supplied.
Boating News

Gareth Hodson marks 30 years helping grow ENL into a globally recognised marine technology business

Gareth Hodson was twelve years old when he first worked in the marine industry, ...
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2025 PIC Coastal Classic // Photo credit: Kirsten Thomas
Doyle Sails Gold Cup Series

Doyle Sails Gold Cup Series returns for 2026/27, with a 90th Balokovic and a new shorthanded divisio...

Auckland's premier offshore passage racing series is back, with dates confirmed ...
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Keel trouble on the Channel, then a dive — Oakley Marsh fights back on Tour Voile's opening leg // Photo credit: DigiLab
Tour Voile 2026

Keel trouble on the Channel, then a dive — Oakley Marsh fights back on Tour Voile’s opening le...

The Tour de France à la Voile's first offshore passage, from Cherbourg to Saint-...
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Andrew Tate catches big air in the GP-71 (GP Heat 1A). // Photo credit: Stephen Chasle
Hydroplanes

Luptons battle gremlins on debut at Brockville

The  season finally found its rhythm at the 1000 Islands Regatta in Brockville, ...
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Environmental & Sustainability News

When the boats are the argument: inside the 2026 Monaco Energy Boat Challenge

Nobody has fully solved the question of what powers the next generation of boats...
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Boating Lifestyle

Caribbean 420 Express – Now for sale

Caribbean
The Caribbean 420 Express made its official global debut back in August 2015 at ...
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Boating News

Thames-Coromandel introduces new digital boat ramp permit system

Boaties heading out on the water in the Thames-Coromandel district will soon not...
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Artemis EF-12 Pilot // Artemis Technologies
Boating News

Artemis Technologies launches world’s first electric hydrofoil pilot boat

Belfast-based Artemis Technologies has put the world's first fully electric hydr...
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Scanstrut DS-HSL-01 Horizontal Cable Seal
Boat gear

Scanstrut DS-HSL-01 Horizontal Cable Seal

Fitting a Starlink dish to a boat is the easy part. Routing the cable through th...
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Grand Soleil's biggest blue-water weapon yet pushes 26 metres. // Photo credit: Gianluca Napthalina Camporesi
Boating News

Grand Soleil’s biggest blue-water weapon yet pushes 26 metres

Grand Soleil
Cantiere del Pardo has quietly been building something significant in its Forlì ...
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Marex Boats new Kaunas production hall. // Photo credit: Marex Boats
Boating News

Marex Boats commits €20 million to major Kaunas expansion

Marex
The Lithuanian shipyard behind the Marex range of cabin cruisers has announced a...
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Boating News

Pershing GTX90: New 28m sport utility yacht sets new standard for deck space

Italian performance yacht builder Pershing has unveiled the GTX90, the fourth mo...
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Greenline 50 Flybridge. // Photo: supplied
Boating News

Greenline Yachts closes in on launch of all-new 50-footer

Greenline
Slovenia's Greenline Yachts is putting the finishing touches to its new Greenlin...
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Boating News

Grand Banks and Palm Beach Motor Yachts open first-of-its-kind Owners Club in Newport

Grand Banks and Palm Beach Motor Yachts have launched a dedicated Owners Club in...
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Boating News

The simple tech trick finally getting boaties to slow down

Digital speed signs are actually working to slow down boaters across South Austr...
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Boating News

Beyond the Milk Run: how the new Asia-Pacific Alliance benefits NZ superyacht hubs

For decades, the global superyacht fleet has stuck to a pretty predictable routi...
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Boating News

Notices to Mariners June 2026: New charts, harbour updates and navigation changes

Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) has released the latest Notices to Mariners ...
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French Polynesia expands world's largest marine protected area across key Pacific cruising waters. // Hōkūleʻa Crew (screen grab)
Environmental & Sustainability News

French Polynesia expands world’s largest marine protected area across key Pacific cruising wat...

If you've done the passage north from New Zealand into the Pacific, you'll know ...
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French driver David Helluin established the first 2026 UIM World Record. // Photo credit: Kevin Daudigny
women-in-sport

French racer David Helluin just set the first UIM World Record of 2026

French racer David Helluin just kicked off the 2026 racing season by locking in ...
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Boating News

Meet Seika: A classic Sparkman & Stephens built for real ocean sailing

It is always great to see an older boat that has actually been taken care of, an...
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Los Gallos soar to first win of 2026 in dramatic Halifax showdown
SailGP 2026

Los Gallos win it at the wire as Halifax serves up its first four-boat final

Race Day 2 in Halifax brought sunshine and a building breeze, a welcome turnarou...
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