Bay of Islands Sailing Week - Day 2: Angry Dragon breathes fire on Sportsboats
by Hana Hielkema / Jacob Fewtrell Media 23 Jan 02:52 PST
Angry Dragon dominated the Sports Boat division - Bay of Islands Sailing Week - January 23, 2025 © Jacob Fewtrell Media
After a foggy morning, the second day’s racing at Bay of Island Sailing Week turned into thrilling racing as clear skies and a steady sea breeze made for ideal sailing conditions with close tussles playing out across all divisions.
The Sports Boat Division saw the most dramatic action, with Shaw 7 Angry Dragon emerging as the frontrunner after two impressive wins. Helmed by brothers Tom and Richard Kiff, the crew now lead with 7 points, narrowly edging out rivals on Shaw 7 Daisy Duke and Orange Peeler in a nail-biting contest.
Sports boat enthusiast Anne Hirst, returning in her Magic 25 'Team Sex', captured the event's spirit, describing the fleet as "bloody brilliant" and celebrating the "sunshine, moonlight, good times, and a good old boogie."
Shuffling around of positions is happening in the Flying Fifteen fleet, with Frenetic skippered by Murray Gilbert edging our Ben Lowe’s crew on Unknown, while The Godffather skippered by Sally Garrett is following closely in 3rd.
Other tight battles across the divisions include a tussle for third place between Elliott 50 Explore Racing and Marten 55 Equilibrium in Division A, which is lead by Bakewell White Wired with TP52 V5 in second.
Division B sees Beau 28 Tongue Twister maintaining the lead, followed by MG Whitbread 30 Cham Pain and Ross 9.14 Blackout. Division C features a tie between Beneteau First 36 Nautilass and Shaw 750t Deep Purple, and Division D is topped by Chico 40 Mako II.
Newcomer Nigel Hendy of Dufour 45E Nirvana summed up the event's appeal after arriving from a "long sloppy trip up the coast": "It's been a long time between drinks, but we're happy to be here."
The day concludes with the Explore Beach party, building anticipation for the final day of racing tomorrow.
As sailors continue to battle it out, the final day looks to continue it’s theme of gentle morning starts, keeping sailors on their toes to pick the shifts around the race track.
Prizegiving will take place tomorrow evening at regatta headquarters.
For more images: www.facebook.com/boi.sailingweek
Results: bayofislandssailingweek.org.nz/results/2025-results
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