Issue date
The countdown is on to next year's 24-Hour Endurance Yacht Race in Wellington but the event has just celebrated the 'world premier' of the video of the 2020 edition.
As many as 13 boats sailed a 12-mile circuit on Wellington Harbour in March, with Footprints winning on handicap after sailing a total of 161.55 nautical miles on corrected distance.
The fleet encountered fairly benign conditions for the race and the pleasant weather featured prominently in the race video. It also features interviews with race organisers, skippers, sponsors and sailors (sometimes they're the same thing).
This year's regatta was the fourth edition of the 24-Hour Endurance Yacht Race, which is open to all keelboats (cat 5 and above) and trailer yachts over 20 feet in length.
A minimum of four crew, including skipper, is required on each yacht with at least two crew on deck at all times. Organisers can help if you need crew or a yacht to sail on and free berths for up to four days are available for visiting yachts.
The concept was borrowed from similar races in Auckland and Australia and is proving popular. The handicap system means all yachts – big or small, fast or not so fast – have an equal opportunity to win the race. Footprints, for instance, was 12th on line.
