The Farmer Autovillage Auckland to Tauranga Centennial Yacht Race will take place across the March 26-28 weekend.
The race was first held in 1921 and the Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat Club is expecting a fleet of about 30 boats – ranging from classic and cruising craft through to modern ocean racing yachts – will tackle the 123 Nautical Mile course across the Hauraki Gulf and down the Coromandel coastline.
“The chance to mark 100 years of both our club and the Auckland-Tauranga race is very special and we are looking forward to this year’s race with a wide range of boats set to compete,’’ said race organiser Roger Rushton.
“We are also making a special effort to attract some classic boats which are reflective of the history of the race, including the iconic Ranger which took line honours in the 1939 race.’’
The is split into two fleets with Classic and Cruising boats starting from Westhaven at 0900 on Friday March 26. They rally to Mercury Cove or Kennedy Bay to overnight before restarting at 0900 on Saturday.
Fleet 2 for the Modern yachts start from Westhaven at 0900 on Saturday March 27 and the leading boats should reach Tauranga before sunset that day.
The race record of 9 hours 35min 01secs held by the Maxi yacht Zana may come under threat given favourable conditions. The 2021 line-honours favourite will be the VO65 class entry from New Zealand Ocean Racing which intends to contest the 2022-23 round-the-world Ocean Race.
“We are excited about adding the Auckland-Tauranga Centennial Yacht Race to the wide range of Bay of Plenty events supported by Farmer Autovillage,’’ said managing director Mike Farmer.
Race headquarters is the Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat Club at the Sulphur Point Marina.
To match with the zero-emissions theme of the yacht race, title sponsor Farmer Autovillage will display new electric models from the Audi, Nissan and MG vehicle ranges during the race weekend.
Details:
Farmer Autovillage Tauranga-to-Auckland Centennial Yacht Race. March 26-28 2021. Race Headquarters, Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club, Sulphur Point Marina, Tauranga
