Sailing: Team Vodafone calls shots

Kerikeri boat Rikki, owned by Bay of Islands local Ray Haslar, won Division 1a.

Despite stiff headwinds, current record holders Team Vodafone Sailing still put in a respectable effort to win this year's PIC Coastal Classic yacht race from Devonport to Russell.

The big red trimaran took out line honours for the third year in a row, with a time of 9 hours, 23 minutes and 13 seconds.

The fastest monohull in this year's race, Volvo 70 Giacomo, arrived in Russell well after dark, crossing the line 13 hours, 11 minutes and 23 seconds after the start.

Team Vodafone Sailing crossed the finish line in first for the third year in a row. Photo / Stephen Western

But her time wasn't enough to win Division 1a on handicap - that honour going to Kerikeri boat Rikki, owned by Bay of Islands local Ray Haslar.

The strong north-west breeze meant New Zealand's most iconic yacht race was too much of an uphill battle for many of this year's competitors. There were 20 withdrawals before the start, and a further 49 Did Not Finish results, either through mid-race retirements, or boats simply not making it to Russell before the cut-off time.

Those who steadfastly continued were faced with consistently tough upwind conditions, until they rounded the corner at Cape Brett, and eased sails for the final leg into Russell. The final boats in on Saturday also had heavy rain to contend with, as a front moved over the north of the country. The weather didn't do much to dampen spirits though, and crews were jubilant on arrival in Russell.

"The north-west wind meant it was an extremely challenging race for competitors this year, and the conditions contributed to a 50 per cent drop-out rate in the fleet. Quite a few went back to Auckland and others pulled into Tutukaka or Whangarei, and we'd like to say thanks to those crews for putting safety first," race director Anthony McBride said.

"Those who finished the race did very well and we congratulate them on their efforts to make it all the way, and to those who didn't finish, I hope we'll be able to welcome you back again next year."

In another of this year's races-within-a-race, Sir Peter Blake's Whitbread-winning Steinlager II came in a couple of hours ahead of the older and slower Lion New Zealand, who took a costly wrong turn at the Hen and Chicken Islands.

Both yachts were sailed by amateur crews of youngsters, many of whom had never tried sailing before, but enjoyed a character-building ride aboard these iconic round-the-world racing yachts.