Daryl Wislang fondly remembers the first time he sailed into Auckland as part of the Ocean Race.
It was his second campaign as a full-time crew member, sailing aboard New Zealand entry Camper in the 2011-12 edition.
“It’s an amazing feeling sailing into your home country and, at that stage, it was with the home team,” he told the Herald.
“Coming around North Head, the final gybe into the viaduct there is just amazing; all the boats, in the middle of the night, it’s pretty incredible.”
That will be a feeling the fleet gets to experience again in the next edition of the famed around-the-world yacht race.
The New Zealand leg returns to the schedule with the fleet set to arrive in the City of Sails in March 2027.
It continues a long history of New Zealand involvement in the event, with 11 previous editions having passed through and several of the country’s top sailors having taken part in it including Sir Peter Blake, Peter Burling, Blair Tuke, and Grant Dalton.
Auckland was initially due to be included as a stop in the 2023 edition, however, a call was made in late 2021 to bypass the city.
Tātaki Auckland Unlimited chief executive Nick Hill told the Herald that was “mainly due to the uncertainty caused by Covid-19, which led to a lack of confidence in moving forward with the event in New Zealand.”
“Tātaki Auckland Unlimited has been working on this investment since July 2023, and we’re excited to help make it a reality in 2027.”
The event, formerly known as the Whitbread Round the World Race and the Volvo Ocean Race, was last in New Zealand in early 2018, when a six-strong fleet arrived in Auckland. While seven teams competed in that edition, American team Vestas 11th Hour Racing was instead freighted to New Zealand for repairs after colliding with a fishing vessel in Hong Kong.
There was plenty of interest in the regatta’s arrival, with a big supporter fleet turning out to welcome the first boats on the Waitematā Harbour just after 1am.
Wislang, who was part of the overall winners in both 2014-15 and 2017-18 editions, as well as leading Windwhisper Racing to the VO65 sprint title in 2023, said the spirit of adventure involved in the race was something that resonated with New Zealanders.
“It’s just a sense of personal achievement. It’s a bit of an adventure to start with, but the unwavering desire to win the event is what drives a lot of people. It’s a very difficult event to win, and there are a lot of factors that come into play when you’re trying to do that.
“It’s a huge adventure, and the stuff you get to see and do during the race is like no other. I think the last time we left Auckland for Cape Horn, it was a downwind run for something like seven or eight days, which just doesn’t happen. It’s every sailor’s dream to be able to do that, and I’m one of the lucky ones who gets to live it.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.