Sailing: Tawera triumph in Bay of Islands' Millennium Cup

Tawera's victorious crew celebrate winning the 2019 Millennium Cup. Photo / Jeff Brown

Tawera have claimed the Millenium Cup for 2019 after a dominant display on the final day of racing.

The last day of the cup challenged competitors, with light airs delaying the start of racing for close to two hours. As a result, one race was scheduled rather than the planned two, but with cloud and wind building over the bay, a start was announced at 12.50pm and the fleet was off and racing.

Dolphins, seen here alongside Tawera, made for great images throughout the races. Photo / Jeff Brown

Running ahead of the building cloud and a flock of curious shearwaters, the starting sequence was Tawera, Thalia, Freya and Silvertip.

It was day of steady progress and the sight of big yachts stretched across the Bay of Is-lands, interspersed with local fishermen enjoying the spectacle.

Freya stretched out its own, but not for long. The local dolphin pod joined the vessel and made a very tidy rounding of the Orams Marine Mark with Tawera far out to port in behind, but also in company; the photographer's helicopter lurking low behind. Silvertip was ahead and took a close line to the mark for another smooth rounding.

Vessels, such as Silvertip (centre), combined with the stunning Bay of Islands backdrop, made for a beautiful scene on the final day of racing. Photo / Jeff Brown

Tawera followed suit, with the bowman in a white sarong applauded by the spectator boats. The classic, graceful lines of Vitters' build Thalia was next - taking a wide line around the mark and casting a strong silhouette against one of the empty, white sand beaches of the Bay of Islands.

From there it was off to the Nine Pin and home, but there was no stopping Tawera's run and it was crowned as the 2019 winner of the NZ Millennium Cup.