ROUND NORTH ISLAND TWO-HANDED YACHT RACE

A little unfairly, society tends to view PWC owners as petrol-heads drowning in testosterone. As Yamaha’s new supercharged GP1800 proves, though, these waterborne missiles can also be fun for families.

THIS YEAR’S ROUND North Island Two-handed (RNI) race gets underway off Devonport Wharf at 14h00 on Saturday 25th February. There are 31 yachts in the fleet.

Run every three years, the RNI has grown significantly and gained a reputation as being the toughest yacht race in New Zealand. This year’s is the 40th edition since the inaugural race in 1977 – won by the late Sir Peter Blake and Graham Eder on Gerontius.

Covering some 1200nm around some of the world’s most rugged coastlines, the RNI has become the ‘must do race’ on every yachtie’s bucket list. There are three stopovers.

The event is run by the Shorthanded Sailing Association of New Zealand (SSANZ) with support from the NZL International Yachting Trust.

This year’s fleet includes yachts ranging from 28 to 60 feet LOA, from all over New Zealand and Australia. The 12m Sayer Wasabi has been shipped from Australia for the race following her win in the last Melbourne-to-osaka two-handed race.

For spectators stuck on the side lines, this year offers the best coverage yet with trackers on all boats and a dedicated media person providing regular updates via the SSANZ Facebook page and website www.ssanz.co.nz

THE COURSE The fleet starts in Auckland with a 150nm sprint race to Mangonui in Northland where crews get a 24-hour pit stop to re-energize. From there the fleet tackles the race’s longest leg (520nm), heading around North Cape and into the Tasman sea for the journey down the rugged West Coast, through Cook Straight and into Wellington for a well-earned 48-hour stop-over.

It then heads to Napier via the notorious Cape Palliser and the Wairarapa Coast (200nm) for the third and final stopover. Napier provides another 48-hour stopover.

With only 360Nm left to go, the fleet races around East Cape and into the Bay of Plenty. The last 150nm is very tactical with plenty of islands in the way, tidal influences and wind shifts with the Coromandel’s Mohau Ranges playing havoc with the wind. Stakes are high as the race is often won or lost on this part of the final leg. Crews need to be on their game right to the very end.

Finishing right up the Waitamata Harbour outside Westhaven marina can be challenging as the breeze becomes fickle with the influence of the city sky scrapers and tidal currents. Often the wind shuts down after dark leaving sailors struggling to cross the finish line.

Heading out for a family beach picnic – on a PWC?

Absolutely. And nothing illustrates the viability of the concept more effectively than Yamaha’s new GP1800. The flagship of the marque’s 2017 Waverunner range, this three-seater will whisk a trio to a remote beach as fast as the driver dares to go – carving wakes and jumping waves in spray-flung excitement.

Yes, there’s plenty of storage space for carrying the picnic goodies – a massive 93-litre storage locker in the bow, a removable watertight bucket under the seat and a glove box with twin drink holders. More than adequate for stowing a hearty lunch.

And in case you think 1800ccs of supercharged grunt is waaaaaay too powerful for a decent, law-abiding family, note that this PWC comes with a host of rider-friendly features.

The main one is Yamaha’s new RIDE system (Reverse with Intuitive Deceleration Electronics). It’s described as an intuitive way for controlling the PWC when running, turning, decelerating and reversing. Effectively, it’s a sophisticated bit of technology designed to help riders harness the four-cylinder engine’s enormous torque and acceleration.

Twin triggers provide the control – one on each of the handlebars’ pistol grips – just like bicycle brakes. As with conventional PWCS, you decelerate by releasing the right lever (the throttle). But with RIDE you can also reverse/decelerate by using the left lever.

Supercharged, 1,812cc, 4-cylinder, 4-stroke, EFI, Super Vortex High Output

TR-1 – three-cylinder fourstroke, four valves per cylinder