The America's Cup final will have to play second fiddle for the nine boats that will start the inaugural Tusker Whangarei to Vanuatu Ocean Race from Marsden Cove tomorrow. The race, organised by the Onerahi Yacht Club, offers a fresh destination for those racing offshore with a delightful cruising ground atthe end - for those who can find the time to enjoy it. The clash with a more widely publicised regatta currently under way in Valencia, has been attributed to a slighter smaller fleet taking part than originally expected but the yachties on the 1300-mile race across the Southern Pacific will still be able to stay in touch with the news of events in Spain via their radios. The Vanuatu race's publicity officer Dave Watson joked they had tried, without any luck, to get the America's Cup dates shifted but had decided to leave their own schedule unchanged. "After some deliberation we have decided to run with our original plans that will see favourable tides at the start out of the harbour and a rising moon for the yachts as they race north," he said. As well as Whangarei boat Bare Essentials, four Bay of Islands yachts are taking part, taking the Northland component in the race to half of the fleet. Kerikeri's Cotton Blossom II, a 16m kauri sloop, will be spending three months in the islands on charter and is skippered by Doug Francis, with a crew of 10. Another Kerikeri Cruising Club boat, Northern Rebel, was only launched 18 months ago and has proved very competitive in the Bay of Islands racing scene. She is a Bruce Farr-designed Beneteau 40.7 skippered by Richard Tingey with a crew of six. Revs, a Ross 40, with a crew of six is skippered by Chris Hornell and will represent the Opua Yacht Club in the race. Wildcard, a 15m masthead sloop, is another Kerikeri entrant and is skippered by brothers Ray and Andrew Lodge, with a total crew of eight. There are three handicap divisions in the race and Ran Tan II, a 15m Elliott 50, is the boat tipped for line honours. The race gets under way off Marsden Cove Marina around 2pm tomorrow.
