Only ten of the 80 racing boats that started the 2026 PIC Coastal Classic reached Russell before racing stopped at 2pm on Saturday, and the silverware from the 2026 PIC Coastal Classic belongs to them. Rob Bassett and Brett Russell's TP52 Wired took line honours in 24 hours, 58 minutes and 25 seconds. On handicap, the spoils went to the crews who kept their boats moving through a long, light night: Nicholas Gardiner's Drinks Trolley, Chris Middleweek's Revs and, among the multihulls, Dougall Love's Rapido 60 Romanza.
It was a race decided by patience. The breeze died north of Kawau on Friday evening and 56 boats retired. The leaders found enough wind overnight to keep going, but the final leg from Cape Brett into the Bay of Islands took Wired more than four hours. Then, just after midday, the northerly finally filled in. Four Monohull Division 1B boats crossed the line within 18 minutes of each other, and Nosaka, Drinks Trolley and Perfect Storm squeezed in before the cut-off.
Overall
On handicap, the smaller monohulls had the better of it. Drinks Trolley was ninth across the line but posted the best corrected time of the race, 23 hours, 36 minutes and 6 seconds.
Division by division
Wired finished as the last boat standing in the big-boat division. Another Duchess, which beat her into Russell by 59 seconds last year, retired at Kawau on Friday evening, as did Antaeus, Equilibrium and Explore Racing.
The closest contest of the race. Cameron Thorpe's Bakewell-White 37 General Lee rounded Cape Brett last of the leading 1B trio but led them home by eight minutes. On handicap, Chris Middleweek's Ross 40 Revs edged her by two minutes, with Chris Hornell's Shaw 9 Blue Dude, last year's division handicap winner, just 40 seconds further back.
Mike Elley's White 40 Nosaka and Drinks Trolley rounded Cape Brett a minute apart and crossed the line 54 seconds apart. Corrected time turned it around: Drinks Trolley won the division by seven and a half minutes.
Erle Williams' Apache was first multihull home, 15 minutes ahead of Romanza. On the NZMYC handicap, though, the Rapido 60 won comfortably, by more than five hours of corrected time.
After the cut-off
Boats still racing at 2pm were scored by the race office from their positions when racing stopped. They are not eligible for the handicap trophies. In Monohull Division 2, Physical Favours, Savante, Blackout and Boogie Flash fill the places behind Drinks Trolley and Nosaka.
Monohull Division 3 had no finishers before 2pm. Malcolm Dickson and his granddaughter Lily on Sarau top its PHRF P and two-handed standings, ahead of Ticketty Boo. In Monohull Division 4, Hot Property leads Wasted Away on handicap. In Monohull Division 5, Trish Beken's Chico Too heads both the PHRF P and women's standings. Multihull Division 7 lost all its boats before the finish.
In the cruising rally, MY FIX was first to Russell at 2.41am on Saturday, ahead of Lady Nada, Dream Weaver, Skyesong, Gabrielle II and Tiki.
Prizegiving is at the Nauti Penguin in Russell at 7pm on Saturday.
