Yachting: Legendary duel reborn

Grant Dalton is back abord Fisher & Paykel. Photo / Chris Cameron

One of the oldest and keenest rivalries in New Zealand sport - the Peter Blake vs Grant Dalton duel around the world in Steinlager 2 and Fisher & Paykel - could be reprised in part at the beginning of the current Volvo ocean race in Alicante this week.

The two maxi ketches produced a thrilling duel around the globe in the 1989-90 version of the race, known then as the Whitbread, with their clash becoming New Zealand sailing legend. It was the precursor to New Zealand's America's Cup interests, awakening many Kiwis not already bitten by the sailing bug to the drama that can be played out on the high seas.

Dalton skippered Fisher & Paykel, Blake (later Sir Peter) Steinlager 2 and both yachts have been refitted and will take part in the Volvo Ocean Race Legends regatta - the first of its kind for veterans of the first 10 Whitbread and Volvo races. The regatta will be raced from Tuesday night (NZT) to Saturday on in-shore courses and includes other well-known round-the-world racers like Heineken, Charles Jourdan, Rothmans, Berge Viking, Great Britain II (skippered by the great Chay Blyth again) and Kings Legend.

Blake, who died in 2001, will be represented on Steinlager by Dalton's current right-hand-man in the New Zealand Camper campaign - the highly respected Kevin Shoebridge. Dalton is not sure what sort of shape Fisher & Paykel is in and said he'd check it out when he got to Alicante. "I have had to suffer 22 years of Kevin Shoebridge giving it to me about the Whitbread," said Dalton. "I don't want to cop it for another 22 years - not after we (F&P) led the Whitbread almost all the way round the world for most of that race.

"It'll be good to rekindle old rivalries although I'm a bit nervous about what state Fisher & Paykel is in. I won't know until I see her but some of the pictures I have seen of her made her look as though she has been more of a charter boat lately."

The 25m Farr-designed ketch is currently owned by Spain's Kino Quiroga and will be sailed by a mostly Spanish crew drawn from veterans who competed on Licor 43 (1981-82), Galicia 93 Pescanova (1993-94) and movistar (2005-6). Steinlager 2, however, sounds as if it is back in racing trim. After the Whitbread race in 1989-90, she was sold to Italian interests, then sold again to Belgian owners until, in 2003, a group of sailing philanthropists from Lugano in Switzerland decided to do up "Big Red" which had fallen into disrepair.

"The yacht was in poor condition but, even so, her fascination was unbeatable," said current owner Stefan Detjen in a previous interview. "We decided to save her from a sad end."

The project cost vast amounts of money and many of the original group of 10 co-owners left as the bills mounted. Detjen carried most of the load and there are apparently now plans to return Steinlager 2 to New Zealand - although it is not clear whether she has a new owner here or whether it will be a visit only.

The duel between F&P and Steinlager 2 made sailing history - with Fisher & Paykel leading most of the time, only to be hauled in time and again by Blake as each port neared. On the second leg, Fisher & Paykel led for 26 days only to be overtaken by Steinlager 2 which handled the light air patches better and went on to win by 34 minutes. It was the same in the next leg - to Auckland - where the close finish lives long in memory and the final leg to Southampton was again a thrilling duel before Blake found a way to separate the two boats and win by 38 minutes.