Royal Navy pips New Zealand in Bay of Islands regatta
03 February, 2025
The Tri-Nations Sailing Challenge between Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom navy teams involves crews of 10 battle for bragging rights among their peers, while chasing regatta prizes.
This year, the Royal Australian Navy was unable to field a crew, leaving the Britons and New Zealanders to duel it out in last month’s event.
In a best-of-three event, Royal Navy enjoyed an emphatic win in the first race, and only just managed to pip the Kiwis to the line in the closing moments of races two and three.
The teams used the Royal New Zealand Navy’s Chico-40 yachts, maintained by the Navy’s Experiential Learning Squadron (ELS) for training purposes. The competition has previously run in New Zealand in 2008 and 2016, with the Royal Navy now three from three.
Aboard yacht Manga II, the New Zealand crew with skipper Hamish Ivey looked ready to seal the deal with home advantage, experience and familiarity with their own vessels.
But Commander Stephen Walton RN, skipper and tactician on Mako II, emphatically kept the Kiwis out of reach after the first race over 35 nautical miles, crossing the line 0.9nm miles ahead of New Zealand.
In the second race, the Kiwis were first across the start line and maintained a lead until the Brits, taking a gamble with a large spinnaker in marginal conditions, overtook with 200 metres to go.
The Tri-Nations Sailing Challenge between Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom navy teams involves crews of 10 battle for bragging rights.
“That’s yachting for you,” says Chief Petty Officer Malcolm Badham, Tri-Nations event coordinator and ELS coxswain. “These guys have so much experience.”
He says they wanted the Royal Navy team to have a great time in New Zealand, including being welcomed onto the Navy marae. They were taken out sailing on the Hauraki Gulf to get them used to handling the Chico-40 yachts.
Commander Walton says he brought a very strong team to New Zealand for the event.
“There were about 25 applicants to come to this. We take it really seriously, and I couldn’t go back to the UK and hold my head up high if the Kiwis put one over us. It’s a huge distance to come and compete at that level.”
He says they had to work very hard to get around the Kiwi boat in races 2 and 3.
“These Chico 40s are really good boats. They challenge people, and they’re hard work. Racing on them, everything is about leadership, team work, resilience and taking minor tactical opportunities. We got two really lucky breaks.”
That included making the “margin call” of hoisting a large spinnaker in 16-18 knots winds.
“You’ve got to make these calls, and I was confident we could hold it.”
The Royal Navy team also took trophies in the overall Bay of Islands Regatta competition, coming second in their division in both line honours and on handicap. Their helm, Lieutenant Emma Barry, was named best female helm in the Island Division.
They have made the most of their time in New Zealand, with both crews visiting Great Barrier Island on their return to Auckland. Some members have met the Great Britain Sail CP team, others have gone white-water rafting, and there was a possibility of a visit to Hobbiton.
While Commander Walton would come to New Zealand any time for a competition, he would like to see the invitation returned and the Royal Navy hosting a Royal New Zealand Navy team in the United Kingdom.
“I can’t tell you enough how well looked after we have been. The Kiwis have gone out of their way to make us feel welcome and put us in the right place to perform well. After the final race of the series, they played ‘Rule Britannia’ on their speakers when they came alongside – that itself was almost worth the journey.”
Source: currinsnavalandmaritme
