Entries are now being accepted by Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club (RPNYC) for the Central Triangle race

Two divisions – fully crewed and two handed – will start this race from Wellington on Friday March 4, heading south for Leg 1 to Akaroa, then Leg 2 to Napier before returning to Wellington. This 730nm race is being run as a modified Safety Category 2 race as competitors are expected to deal with a range of weather conditions.

Entry is open to monohulls over 7.924 metres that meet the entry criteria, as outlined in the Notice of Race.

“We first ran this race in 2013 as a two-handed event, with the idea that boats from the central region could do a long offshore race without having to get to a start line in Auckland,” explained Race Director Geoff Herd. Entries have already been received from Nelson, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland with interest from international competitors also coming through.

The last Central Triangle was run in 2015 as a fully-crewed event and was won by Crusader (Elliott 35ss), skippered by Anthony Leighs. The inaugural two-handed race was won by the father and daughter crew on Wedgetail (Rebecca and Meric Davies), who then went on to compete in two Round North Island races, demonstrating how the Central Triangle is an ideal build-up and qualifier for the SSANZ event.

All boats will carry YB trackers which will keep race followers up to date with hourly position reporting, as well as updates from the boats received throughout the race. With stopovers in Akaroa and Napier the race is also a quite a social event, with fabulous hospitality from Akaroa Yacht Club and Napier Sailing Club. “The locals are so welcoming during our stopovers. We really look forward to catching up with them and our fellow competitors over a beverage or two at the yacht club bar,” said Geoff Herd.

More details about the race can be found on the event website.

Inquiries to centraltriangle@gmail.com

by Deb Williams