Another Duchess emerged as the clear standout of Evolution Sails Kawau Race Week 2026, claiming corrected time wins in both races as the regatta settled into a compact but highly competitive format. Across two days of racing, tight margins defined the results, particularly in DivB, where seconds rather than minutes decided placings.
The revised programme delivered a Friday evening coastal race from Westhaven to Kawau Island, followed by a shorter island course on Saturday. Fleet numbers shifted between races, but the quality of competition held firm.
Race 1: Westhaven to Kawau
Race 1 began with a 6pm warning signal off Westhaven. Fifteen boats crossed the line and headed north into the Hauraki Gulf, finishing off Kawau Island between Te Kouma and Momona Point.
In DivM, Push Play was the sole multihull and completed the course unchallenged in a corrected time of 03:16:57.
DivA produced some of the closest corrected time racing of the night. Another Duchess secured the win in 3:14:25, finishing just over two minutes ahead of Push Play and under 16 minutes ahead of Mustang Sally. Big Don’t Argue followed closely in third, only 1 minute and 43 seconds back. The closest battle was for fourth, where Clockwork edged Pace by just 17 seconds. From first to last, the division was separated by under 48 minutes.
DivB delivered the tightest racing of the evening. Indis took the corrected time win in 3:21:13, followed by Prince Hal and Extreme. Just 57 seconds separated third and fourth, while the entire division finished within a 30 minute corrected time window.
Race 2: Island course
Saturday’s island course started at 12.16pm, with fleet numbers shifting noticeably. DivA reduced to five boats, while DivB expanded to thirteen starters.
Push Play again completed the course alone in DivM, recording a corrected time of 02:20:50.
In DivA, Another Duchess claimed a second corrected time win in 1:44:54, sealing overall division honours. Clockwork finished second, followed by Big Don’t Argue. While the finishing gaps appeared more settled, the corrected time spread across the division remained tight at 29 minutes.
DivB produced the closest finish of the regatta. Extreme won on corrected time in 1:53:52, just 13 seconds ahead of Motorboat. Babe finished third, with margins remaining close through the fleet. The smallest gap of the race was 11 seconds, separating fourth and fifth.
From reset to results
Kawau Race Week 2026 was originally scheduled for late January but was postponed after severe weather forced a safety first cancellation. With conditions improving the following week, organisers confirmed a revised programme that ran alongside the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Squadron Weekend.
Twenty two boats ultimately took part, including several arrivals from Bay of Islands Sailing Week, which had been run earlier.
While the format was condensed, the racing was not. Across both days, corrected time margins stayed narrow and competition remained strong, particularly in DivB. Another Duchess finished the regatta as the benchmark performer, while the depth of competition across the fleet underlined the strength of Auckland club racing.
Final Standings
Div M
| Place | Boat Name | Skipper | Series Score | Race 2 | Race 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Push Play | Glenn Bartlett | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
DivA
| Place | Boat Name | Skipper | Series Score | Race 2 | Race 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Another Duchess | Rodney Keenan | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| 2 | Clockwork | Steve Mair | 6.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| 3 | Mustang Sally | Kathryn Hobcraft | 6.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 |
| 4 | Big Don t Argue | Geoff Harden | 6.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| 5 | Tawera | Mike Mahoney | 11.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 |
| 6 | Pace | Ian Russell | 13.0 | 8.0C | 5.0 |
| 7 | Longfellow | Kyle Bryant | 15.0 | 8.0C | 7.0 |
DivB
| Place | Boat Name | Skipper | Series Score | Race 2 | Race 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Extreme | Mark Roberts | 4.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| 2 | Indis | Andrew Benton | 5.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 |
| 3 | Motorboat | Nick Charles | 7.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 |
| 4 | Prince Hal | Paul Stroobant | 8.0 | 6.0 | 2.0 |
| 5 | Elliphunk | Brian Trubovich | 12.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 |
| 6 | Patrician | Wendy Muir | 13.0 | 9.0 | 4.0 |
| 7 | Legless | Karen Reid / Grant Crawford | 16.0 | 10.0 | 6.0 |
| 8 | Babe | Aaron Wharton | 18.0 | 3.0 | 15.0C |
| 9 | Integrite | Clark Maddren | 22.0 | 7.0 | 15.0C |
| 10 | Princess | Chris Dickson | 23.0 | 8.0 | 15.0C |
| 11 | Share Delight | Mike N.A. | 26.0 | 11.0 | 15.0C |
| 12 | MisMatch | Neil N.A. | 27.0 | 12.0 | 15.0C |
| 13 | Near & Farr | Matt N.A. | 29.0 | 14.0R | 15.0C |