The World’s Greatest Sailing Events

The America’s Cup, alongside ‘Covid’; ‘lockdown’; and several other angry adjectives; are the words everyone seems to be using at the moment. But while the America’s Cup sailing is the Big Show, it is not the only form of the sport out there, as you can compete in everything from dinghy to giant catamaran racing at various times around the world. And, like the competitors in athletics or motor racing, sailors – and even boat designers – will often try their hands in different disciplines from time to time to develop their skills and experience readying themselves for the Big Show. Kiwi sailors have often followed this route with men like Digby Taylor, Ross Field and Mike Sanderson as well as household names like the late Sir Peter Blake and Grant Dalton having tasted success in more than one form of yacht racing. Our boat designers too have succeeded in multiple fields with Bruce Farr’s designs proving responsible for 15 Sydney to Hobart race victories alongside his many wins in the Whitbread Round the World and America’s Cup. 

Here’s a few brief highlights from the global yachting calendar:

 

America’s Cup

The America’s Cup is to sailing how Formula One is to motor racing; it has the highest profile; it’s where the most money is spent; it draws the largest global audience; and some of its more colourful characters have become legendary; Dennis Conner, Russell Coutts, Jimmy Spithill and Ben Ainslie to name but a few. Although the America’s Cup is a challenge trophy, it is also similar to Formula One in that it is decided by a series of short course contests notable for the extreme speed and innovation of the racers. New Zealand obviously has a rich history in the event; having won the Cup four times; being current holders; supplied a lot of sailors to various teams over the years; and produced some of its best boat designers, including Bruce Farr.

 

Coastal Classic

In New Zealand, once you’ve mastered the art of sailing around your local harbour, you’re probably ready to give the Coastal Classic a crack. 119 nautical miles of coastal racing from Devonport to Russell, the classic involves hundreds of boats of all shapes and sizes and can take anywhere between 6 and 24 hours to complete depending on conditions. Run under the auspices of the New Zealand Multihull Yacht Club, but it is open to all. Kiwi sailors have long used it as preparation for overseas racing – or is that vice versa? – with many veterans of The Ocean Race, Sydney to Hobart and America’s Cup competing at the Classic. This includes Dennis Conner who crewed on Murray Ross’ Isis in 2005, returning the favour to the man who’d been a key member of his America’s Cup campaigns over the years. Plus, both Sir Peter Blake and Grant Dalton used the race as training runs for their successful Whitbread Round the World attempts with Blake even repainting his original Steinlager entry white after his night sailing learnings during the Classic. 

 

Rolex Sydney to Hobart

The next step up in difficulty is the Sydney to Hobart ocean race – sponsored this year by Rolex. Despite the summer timing of this event, sailing through over 1000km of the difficult – and potentially extremely changeable – waters of the Tasman Sea and Bass Strait can be a real test of your sailing skills that not all will pass. Run since 1945, the race is generally for single-masted sloops and the winning entries usually complete the course in under 40 hours. The perfect jumping off point for longer races like The Ocean Race/Whitbread, many sailors and their boats will enter the Sydney to Hobart race the year before accepting the marathon challenge. Kiwis to have followed this path include Sir Peter Blake, who won the Sydney to Hobart with Ceramco New Zealand in 1980 before competing – and leading – the 1981 Whitbread before a dismasting mishap. Also, Grant Dalton’s New Zealand Endeavour won the Sydney to Hobart race in 1992 as preparation for his winning effort in the 1992/3 Whitbread.

 

The Ocean Race

Formerly known as the Whitbread Round the World, then the Volvo Ocean Race, The Ocean Race is the marathon of sailing usually taking over four months to complete. Teams race each other on a series of legs around the world starting and finishing in Europe. Like the intrepid voyages of Cook, Tasman, Magellan and Columbus, The Ocean Race sailors have to withstand the full range of conditions nature can throw at them, from the wild waves and icebergs of the Southern Ocean through to the humid breathless air of the Doldrums. An unbelievably tough – and relentless – challenge for any sailor, it was made even tougher in 2011 when the race had to stopover in a secret port in the Maldives due to fears of pirates off Somalia. 

The Ocean Race has always had special significance for Kiwis, with Sir Peter Blake winning it in 1989/90 on Steinlager 2 and Grant Dalton completing the quinella coming in second on Fisher & Paykel NZ. 

 

52 Super Series

A relatively new in-shore monohull circuit, instigated in 2012, the 52 Super Series was developed to remove the usual handicaps and time allowances of yacht racing to make the focus more on sailing skill rather than clever boat design. They did this by creating a ‘Box Rule’ where any boat can enter so long as they can literally be fitted within a box of specific dimensions. Like motor racing, there is still a little room for innovation within the rules but overall the idea is to make the playing field more even.

 

Top image: Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race 2019 (Credit Rolex/Kurt Arrigo)