Issue date
The worst-kept secret is now officially in the public domain; the 24-Hour Endurance Yacht Race is a reality in the making. The Lowry Bay Yacht Club, based at Seaview Marina in Lower Hutt, will host the inaugural 24-Hour Endurance Yacht Race on Wellington Harbour on 8 and 9 April 2017. The race will coincide with the Wellington Boat Show at Seaview Marina on 6-9 April 2017.
The race will start at 12 noon on Saturday 8 April 2017 and finish at exactly the same time the following day. Yachts will sail a 12-mile circuit on Wellington Harbour and will sail as many laps as possible during the 24-hour period. A unique handicap system will determine the distance sailed on corrected time giving all yachts – big or small, fast or not so fast – an equal opportunity to win the race.
The 24-Hour Endurance Yacht Race is open to all Cat 5 keeler yachts and trailer sailers 20ft or above. Whether a Davidson 28, a Bavaria 38, a Young 11, a Lotus 9.2 or any other cruiser-racer, all have an equal chance of taking home the trophy and a very generous prize. Yachties who have long aspired to coastal or ocean racing, but have been held back by the limitations of their yachts on open water can now participate in a unique yachting event at least equal as exciting as a Cook Strait Race or Nelson Race.
The organising committee has been busy making this race – which will be an annual event coinciding with the annual Wellington Boat Show – a reality. We have already got some big name sponsors on board and we are planning an official launch of the race to members of the yacht clubs in the greater Wellington region and top of the South Island starting in September. There will be a big fleet on the start line! Get your yacht and crew ready for this exciting event.
For more information, contact Theo Muller of Lowry Bay Yacht Club on 0274 483 931 or theo.muller@mm-research.com
Further details will soon be uploaded on LBYC’s website, its Facebook page and Twitter.
