By Suzanne McFadden
It was a horror story in the Coastal Classic yacht race last night as the leading boats spent six hours virtually motionless with the finish-line just around the corner.
The 7h 20m record for the Auckland-Russell run was in jeopardy early in the afternoon when Noumea trimaran Rogntudjuuu was
storming to the finish after starting late. But the yacht sailed into a hole 10 miles from the line around 3 pm, and 30 other boats caught up and sat, sails flapping, to keep it company.
At 9 pm, 12 hours after the starting cannon, there was still no wind and no one had crossed the Russell line.
The start off Devonport Wharf promised little as the wind dribbled in at five knots. But soon after the multihulls left, the breeze rose sharply to over 20 knots.
Perennial starter Afterburner had a run-in with another cat, breaking its spinnaker pole, but recovered to be among the frustrated leaders last night.
Last night it was Ultraviolet and Slime which were threatening to take line honours.
Monohull rivals Antaeus and Hydroflow had merged with the multihulls as the boats waited for the winds to arrive.
