Yachting: First home but no honours

Round-the-world race boat News Corporation was first home in the drawn-out Auckland-Russell yacht race, but there was no prize for it.

News Corporation - the training ship for the Rupert Murdoch-backed campaign - could not claim line honours in the Lindauer Coastal Classic because it has a water-ballast system.

The prize went to Georgia, the new Farr-designed keeler owned by Auckland lawyer Jim Farmer, which finally crossed the finish line after 2 am on Saturday - 16h 11m after leaving Waitemata Harbour.

It was almost 11 hours outside the race record, but the first time in eight years that a monohull had been first home.

The first multihull was the 25-year-old catamaran Sundreamer - second in line honours.

The tiny 8.2m cat Te Kooti, with Team New Zealand navigator Mike Drummond on board, won the multihull handicap.