Final briefing sets the tone for a classic PIC Coastal

The forecast may not favour record speeds, but it still promises a fascinating race north. Beau Geste’s 2019 benchmark looks safe, yet the 2025 PIC Coastal Classic will be one to remember. The final skipper’s briefing, held at 6:30 p.m. last night at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, drew a crowd so large it spilled out the doors. Nervous energy mingled with laughter and old friends catching up, a sure sign that the country’s favourite sailing weekend is here again.

The final clinic before the start of the 2025 PIC Coastal Classic.

The first start is today (Friday 24 October) at 9:30 a.m. off Devonport Wharf.

Weather and race overview

PredictWind’s Nick Olson delivered the forecast everyone had been waiting for. A soft start of around ten knots is expected at the start signal, with patchy conditions through the morning before the breeze gradually fills up the coast. Crews were urged to watch real-time data and tide flows around Bream Head and Tutukaka, where the fleet can quickly spread. The downwind ride home could arrive later in the weekend as westerlies begin to settle in on Sunday night.

Simon Hull confirmed that this year marks the 43rd year and 42nd running of New Zealand’s great race north. He noted the strength and diversity of the fleet. From the 88-foot Lucky with Brad Butterworth onboard after her Sydney to Auckland triumph, to the next generation of young sailors including Luke Tucker’s Wild Thing and the Jameson brothers on Kick, the variety is impressive. “Big boats, innovators, and the future of sailing, it’s all here,” Hull said.

PredictWind’s involvement again runs deep. Founded and built in New Zealand, the company now provides official forecasting for The Ocean Race, the Admiral’s Cup, and the America’s Cup. Their one kilometre wind grids and 100 metre current layers help sailors visualise the coastline in extraordinary detail, showing acceleration zones off headlands, lulls behind cliffs, and the current seams that define this 119 mile sprint from Auckland to Russell.

On the dock

The PIC Coastal Classic team caught up with Callisto skipper Jim Murray earlier this week when his team presented the Channel Cup to the RNZYS. His Pac52 will line up for its first PIC Coastal Classic against Bryon Ehrhart’s Lucky, a friendly yet serious trans-Pacific rivalry. “We’re not going to beat them on the water,” Murray said, “but if the wind turns our way, we might just get them on corrected.”

Also making headlines is Vixen Racing, Sharon Ferris Choat’s Verdier designed Class 40, racing with a 50/50 female and male crew as a warm-up for December’s Sydney to Hobart. Scott Waterfield’s Konbreo, a Freydis 46 catamaran refitted in New Zealand ahead of a 2027 Alaska voyage, joins the fleet too.

Then there’s SV Thistle, a Lambert 52 ketch that has long been the sole Category 8 entry, sailing without extras for the joy of it. Recently joined by Suzie Funk’s Persevere (a 2011 Hanse 545), Thistle now has company in the class. Suzie joins a growing list of female skippers that includes Sharon Ferris Choat, Mikayla Plaw on Sassinate, and Justine Bellingham on Fez, who, along with her husband Casey, were last year’s PHRF winner.

The Coastal Passage Record

Organisers also introduced the new Coastal Passage Record, a benchmark for the fastest Auckland to Russell runs outside race day. Any boat meeting Category 3 requirements can attempt it year-round, solo or crewed, by notifying the NZ Multihull Yacht Club 48 hours in advance and submitting GPS tracking. Records will be recognised across monohull, multihull, shorthanded, and return categories. The goal is to keep the PIC Coastal Classic spirit alive through the seasons.

A huge "Thank you" to the PIC Coastal Classic sponsors

Title sponsor PIC Insurance Brokers, represented by John Chandler, reaffirmed the company’s long-term partnership. “It’s an iconic event,” he said. “We’re proud to have been involved since 2012.”

Joining them this year is Charlie Bravo Boat Company, alongside returning supporters B&G, Zhik, Doyle Sails, Mount Gay Rum, Burnsco, with additional support from Burnard Internatioal, Yaching New Zealand, and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. We simply couldn't have done this without your fantastic and continuing support.

The mood before the start

As sailors filed out of the briefing, talk turned to routing options and weather windows. Outside, the rain still fell, but spirits remained high. The PIC Coastal Classic has always been more than a race, it’s a celebration of New Zealand’s sailing culture. Well before the first start signal goes, more than a hundred boats will be on the line off Devonport, bows pointed north, chasing the horizon once again.

Prizegiving will be held on Saturday at 7 p.m., followed by the official after-party at 7:30 p.m. at Russell.

The full list of entries is available from the PIC Coastal Classic website.