Issue date
Competitors in the SSANZ Two-Handed Round New Zealand Race will have a number of crucial decisions to make when they start the long, second leg today.
The seven boats all completed the short sprint from Auckland to Mangonui in under under 24 hours, as they enjoyed a fresh tailwind, with Motorboat II winning on both line and handicap.
But the second leg, which gets under way at noon today, promises to be more challenging.
Not only is it the longest leg - close to 1000 nautical miles to Stewart Island - but competitors need to choose between heading further south or west to play the respective weather systems.
Crews can expect long open ocean swells and a relatively light breeze for the first few days of racing as they head south.
Closing in on Fiordland will see a dramatic increase in the risk of a gale. The long-range forecasting models are predicting some nasty weather heading the fleet's way from the south, and with the remnants of Cyclone Oma potentially coming from the north, the teams face a race against time to get as far south as possible before the weather turns.
They also need to make a decision about taking the longer but safer route around Stewart Island and into Halfmoon Bay or the more direct but dangerous route across Foveaux Strait.
Boats can expect to take somewhere between five and 10 days to complete this long and challenging leg.
Motorboat II were first into Mangonui, completing the 154nm leg in 17 hours and 14 minutes. Titanium, sailed by Shane Bellingham and Chris Skinner, were only eight minutes behind in second.
It was impressive leg by Motorboat II, especially as Josh Tucker and Damon Jolliffe had bought the boat only six months previously and are still getting to know it. They put four sails up for the first time on the first leg and their win on line and handicap sets them up well for the race overall.
"It's been great to get all the boats in during daylight and reasonably close together," race officer Geoff Herd said of the first leg. "It's looking good for a midday start for the mammoth leg to Stewart Island."
Results from the first leg in the SSANZ Two-Handed Round New Zealand Race:
1st: Motorboat II - elapsed time: 17hrs 14 mins 7 secs; corrected time: 14:51:25
2nd: Titanium - elapsed time: 17:22:01; corrected time: 15:41:59
3rd: Gale Force - elapsed time: 19:53:51; corrected time: 16:45:13
4th: Krakatoa II - elapsed time: 19:02:55; corrected time: 17:18:55
5th: Arbitare - elapsed time: 22:04:28; corrected time: 17:28:59
6th: Coppelia - elapsed time: 22:01:02; elapsed time: 17:42:07
7th: Katana - elapsed time: 21:13:34; corrected time: 18:08:54
