Blockbuster year promised for Coastal Classic
'50ft canters getting towed by the A-sails after the start of the 2007 Coastal Classic'
Richard Gladwell Click Here to view large photo
It's 12 years since all of the possible race records in the HSBC Premier Coastal Classic were broken in one clean sweep. This year, up to 250 yachts of all types will be lining up at the start in Auckland, each hoping to make it to Russell and into the record books in first place.
Starting at 10am on Friday 24 October, the 119 nautical mile HSBC Premier Coastal Classic is considered one of the world's classic yacht races, and while handicap and line honours prizes are much respected, the prize that is most coveted is the one that takes a place in New Zealand yachting history for setting a new race record.
Current record slots are shared by the supermaxi Konica Minolta - which set a new monohull speed record in 2005, the multihull Split Enz which sailed to victory in 7 hours, 20 minutes and 51 seconds in 1996, and four other boats that set records for their size in the same year - Satellite Spy, Mumm 30, Extreme and Redken Cat.
'Last year's south-easter was the most promising in a long time,' says Jon Vincent of the New Zealand Multihull Yacht Club. 'But it fizzed early in the day and we're still waiting for another year like 1996 and we are all aware that some of the new boats are very capable of setting a record, given the chance.'
These include last year's winner Taeping, Vincent's own boat, X-Factor, and the super fifty foot keelboats that would need to average just over 14 knots for the duration of the course, something they could easily do if the wind is strong enough and from the south-east quarter. New and modified boats within each division, as well as previous winners, will be eagerly anticipating this year's race.
HSBC has returned for its fifth year of sponsorship, headlining their new international service proposition, HSBC Premier. Recently launched into the New Zealand marketplace, this service offers a truly linked-up banking service which takes advantage of HSBC's significant global reach, with the aim of providing seamless banking across the 40 countries that now offer HSBC Premier. 
'As always at Labour Weekend the HSBC Premier Coastal Classic is an event that celebrates much that is fantastic about the New Zealand way of life and community spirit and one that HSBC is very proud to be a of,' said David Griffiths, HSBC CEO.
'We're also very excited by the launch of HSBC Premier in this market, New Zealanders are keen travellers and often worker abroad, having a seamless international banking service such as HSBC Premier, allows them to keep in touch financial here and wherever they call home.'
The HSBC Premier Coastal Classic is the biggest coastal yacht race in New Zealand, and one of the biggest in the world. It started life 26 years ago as a drag race between Auckland and Russell for just a few boats, and over the years attracted a bigger and more diverse fleet, consisting of grand prix racers, America's Cup boats, and small family cruisers.
Organised by the New Zealand Multihull Yacht Club, it is a race designed for speed: except for at the beginning and the end of the race, there are few opportunities to use tactics to overtake, and success can often depend on getting a good start.
The race can take as little as seven or eight hours for the very fastest boats, or as long as two days for the slowest boats in light conditions. 
As well as welcoming back principle sponsor HSBC, the HSBC Premier Coastal Classic is supported by some of New Zealand's pre-eminent marine companies: Donaghys Southern Ocean, Harken, Line 7, Cookson Boats and Sail NZ, as well as the Duke of Marlborough Hotel, Steinlager, Russell Cottages, Maxxium, the Sunday Star Times, Trade-A-Boat magazine, De Walt, Dirty Dog and Yamaha Motors NZ.
For those watching the race start from ashore, prime vantage points are Devonport Wharf, North Head, Orakei Wharf and the race website, www.coastalclassic.co.nzwhich will be updated regularly with photos, commentary and radio positionings throughout the race.
by Zoe Hawkins - for the HSBC Premier Coastal Classic
Click on thumbnails to enlarge and find more photos:
Devonport, TAS
