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A number of boats will have unfinished business, which should ensure another healthy fleet competes in this year's PIC Coastal Classic.
The 2021 race, the 39th in the event's history, will start from Auckland on Friday, October 22 and more crews than last year will hope to finish the 119 nautical mile course to Russell in the Bay of Islands.
Painfully light winds last year meant only 16 boats reached the finish line off Russell Wharf in the traditional manner, 10 finished on the water by reporting in their GPS positions and a further 135 had to make the difficult decision to retire from the race.
The PIC Coastal Classic is New Zealand’s biggest coastal yacht race and one of the largest of its kind in the world and marks the traditional opening of the summer boating season. This year's event includes a number of changes to ensure it remains a leader for coastal yacht racing and a fun long weekend celebration for the thousands of people involved.
“We’re kicking off this years’ event from a really good place,” NZMYC commodore Greer Houston said. “With the commitment and support of PIC Insurance Brokers behind us for the next three years, we’ve been able to put time and resource into some exciting upgrades and plans to continually improve the event.
“First and foremost, we’ve made a commitment to hosting a clean regatta. We are increasingly mindful of our environmental impact and have plans in place to influence our community to do better for the Waitemata, Bay of Islands and coastline from Auckland to Russell."
Boat owners and crew who plan to participate in this year's event will notice a few changes in the notice of race, including a change to the start time and sequence for some divisions, and modified divisional splits based on the size and speed of the boat sailed.
The NOR for boats sailing in the non-competitive 36° Brokers Cruising Rally has also been published. In this division, the number of hours a yacht’s motor is permitted to be used has increased to five hours.
Organisers are making further announcements at the Starry Night Cocktail Gala, launching the 2021 race and raising funds for the Starship Foundation on July 30 at Eden Park.
Anybody who has done the race will know the magic of sailing into Russell under the stars and celebrating through the next night at the legendary PIC Coastal Classic afterparty.
More information about the Coastal Classic, including race documents and entry form, can be found here.
