Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club has announced a ten-boat fleet for Saturday's Brothers Island Race, the opening event of its 2026/27 Barton Marine offshore series.
The entries are Catnip, Amnesty, Rascal Racing, White Wave, Blue Jacaranda, Zigzag Fullstop, Porkchop, Masterpiece, Gucci and Sliver. Catnip and Amnesty are new entries to the fleet, while Rascal Racing returns after an absence. The remaining seven are regular RPNYC campaigners.
Racing starts at 7.30am NZDT from RPNYC's Clyde Quay base. The route sends boats west along Wellington's south coast, across Cook Strait to round Brothers Island east of Arapaoa Island, then back across the strait to finish at the clubhouse. The rare return-leg format means competitors must negotiate the strait's notorious tidal streams twice, with rates reaching seven knots near Karori Rock and Cape Terawhiti according to Maritime NZ guidance.
All ten boats will carry trackers provided through NZ Boat Register, allowing public following of the fleet's progress across the approximately 67-nautical-mile course.
The racing traced back to the 1920s opens a seven-event offshore championship that continues through to April's Ship Cove race.
