KEY POINTS:
Since its inception in 1982, the Coastal Classic has enjoyed a reputation for innovative thinking. Indeed, the original concept of a race from Auckland to Russell was very different to the passage or "round the cans" races then being staged for Auckland's yacht fleet.
Modelled on the powerboat speed record attempts of the 1920s, the race was originally the concept of Roger Dilley from the Auckland Multihull Sailing Association (now the NZ Multihull Yacht Club). His idea developed into an out-and-out "drag race", mainly for multihulls, with the first boat into Russell being the overall winner.
Soon, keelers were invited to come along for the party and, by the time the first flag dropped, 12 intrepid skippers and crews were on the starting line. (Friday's somewhat larger fleet of 250 yachts can also thank Roger Dilley for the now-famous title of their event; it was he who came up with the name Coastal Classic).
The Coastal Classic, now sponsored by HSBC, was also the first race in the country to publish photos and commentary on its website throughout the duration of the event and, this year for the first time, is introducing live GPS tracking of select competitors.
Ten of the 250-strong fleet will be fitted with new Spider Tracks technology, enabling viewers at home to turn on their computer and see exactly where the fleet is positioned between Auckland and the Bay of Islands.
Each of the nominated boats will carry a "spider": a compact, self-contained tracking unit with an internal antenna. This continuously reports the position of the boats back to a central monitoring system and then to the website.
HSBC Coastal Classic spokesman Jon Vincent says that, although sailors have been asking for this sort of coverage for some time, the costs of obtaining the units and using the satellite network have been prohibitive.
"However, thanks to the work of Spider Tracks, we can now give competitors' family and friends the opportunity to watch how the fleet is going."
The Spider Tracks global coverage tracking system was developed specifically for situations where cellphone network coverage isn't always available. It is now widely used in aviation and is being used by Gareth Morgan on his motorcycle tour of Africa.
Spider Tracks' James McCarthy says the Spider fills a gap in the market because it can report the position of anything throughout New Zealand and anywhere on earth.
"It is also easy to install and only needs power and a view of the sky to operate."
While only 10 boats out of the fleet of 250 will be tracked in 2007, Jon Vincent says it is hoped that the technology will be available to more of the fleet in future years.
Contenders for this year's HSBC Coastal Classic include last year's line honours winner X-Factor, a new boat called Taeping and potentially the supermaxi Maximus, currently undergoing a refit before the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race.
The fastest boats can complete the race in as little as seven or eight hours, with the slowest taking up to two days if conditions are light. The present race record is 7h 20m, set by Split Enz in 1996.
The race starts off Devonport Wharf at 10am on Friday, October 19. Spider Tracks tracking, commentary, photos and radio times (updated regularly) will be available from the start at coastalclassic.co.nz.
