Another Duchess was among the first yachts to enter the inaugural Kawau Race Week. The decision to enter was made quickly. The timing filled a natural gap in the summer calendar. Kawau Race Week offered a new offshore-focused sailing event, delivering genuine offshore conditions within a few hours’ sail of central Auckland. The prospect of relaxed socialising after each day’s racing was also part of the appeal.

Another Duchess carries significant pedigree. Launched in 1998, the 17.80-metre offshore racer was designed by renowned New Zealand yacht designer Laurie Davidson and is commonly referred to as a Davidson 59. Davidson’s designs were known for blending offshore robustness with strong downwind performance, producing yachts that were both fast and forgiving in open water. He was instrumental in the design of New Zealand’s America’s Cup winning yachts of 1995 and 2000, Black Magic and NZL 60, respectively.

Past owners include Bob Oatley and his eldest son Sandy Oatley. In 2003, Bob and Sandy campaigned Another Duchess before later breaking fully into the hardcore offshore racing scene with Wild Oats IX. During the Oatley campaign, Another Duchess underwent major performance upgrades, including a revolutionary Reichel-Pugh keel replacement and rudder development.

Those changes delivered results. In 2003, Another Duchess won the Coral Sea Race, part of the then Hahn Premium Hamilton Island Race Week, and went on to claim the IRC Championship. Stories are told of Russell Coutts and America’s Cup winning tactician Brad Butterworth being equally aggressive aboard Georgia, sailing hard on the edge of the breeze to keep Another Duchess under pressure throughout the race. In the end, Another Duchess answered every move. Sailing efficiently across the full range of angles, her crew absorbed Geogia‘s pressure and closed out the race with a 3 minute 26 second line honours win.

That all-angle sailing performance also allowed Another Duchess to overcome her higher handicap, recording the fastest corrected time of the fleet. She claimed the overall honours by 47 seconds from Georgia.

Evan Davies and Rodney Keenan now co-own Another Duchess. Both are experienced Kiwi offshore sailors. You may well recognise Rodney Keenan from Evolution Sails. He has sailed well-over 150,000 ocean miles on all types of yachts including a long and varied history of highly competitive performance sailing, ranging from record breaking multi-hulls to round the world challenges and America’s Cup teams. Evan Davies is also a highly-esteemed yachtsman with just as varied competitive racing behind him including the Round North Island, Evan Davies and Rodney Keenan now co-own Another Duchess. Both are experienced Kiwi offshore sailors. You may well recognise Rodney Keenan from Evolution Sails. He has sailed well-over 150,000 ocean miles on all types of yachts including a long and varied history of highly competitive performance sailing, ranging from record breaking multi-hulls to round the world challenges and America’s Cup teams. Evan Davies is equally a highly-esteemed yachtsman who has competed in a number of significant coastal and offshore racing events in New Zealand.

Another Duchess arrived in New Zealand just a few weeks ahead of the 2025 PIC Coastal Classic, which she won overall honours in Division 1A. She recorded another clear win in the Percy Jones Memorial later in 2025. Her results confirm that the modified Davidson 59 remains competitive against newer and larger yachts.

Another Duchess will surely be a boat to watch.

Ref: https://www.sailing.org/2003/08/19/another-duchess-firms-grip-on-race-week-title/