Yachting: NZ favoured for world's toughest race

10.00am - By IAN STUART

The organiser of a race dubbed the toughest sailing challenge in the world, says the smart money must be on a Kiwi entry to take the millions of dollars in first prize money.

The Antarctica Cup is a 45-day, 14,600 nautical mile, non-stop dash around the bottom of the world, all of it in the hostile and often mountainous seas of the Southern Ocean.

It is limited to 10 entries and is the richest race in yachting history. It begins in Auckland on February 12, 2005, heads south and east to round Cape Horn, on to the Cape of Good Hope, passes north of the Kerguelen Islands to the southwest of Australia, and back to Auckland for the finish.

The race was re-launched in Auckland after it failed to attract sufficient attention in Perth last year.

Organiser, Australian Bob Williams, said today it would bring a major international event back to Auckland and refocus global attention on New Zealand as a major player in international yachting.

The 25m yachts would be identical, including their fractional rigs and sails, and the results would be down to pure sailing ability.

It was a "nation versus nation race" and the rule that all 14 crew members had to be from the same country meant the clever money had to be on a New Zealand crew to take out the first prize.

"Skill will determine which nation is the champion offshore racers and you would have to put your money on New Zealand.

"If we get an entry from New Zealand and I dearly hope we can, New Zealand would be odds-on to win it," he said.

He said the Brett Bakewell-White designed yachts would all be built in New Zealand and the race would bring $150 million into the New Zealand economy.

The course would dip below 55 degrees south only once when it rounded Cape Horn (58 degrees south). Most of the sailing would be in the 40 and early 50 degrees latitudes.

"I liken it to about 22 Sydney-to-Hobarts, end on end, and I have done a number," said Williams.

"Some of them were fantastic sails, dry down below, others were shockers, nightmares."

He said there was no question it was the toughest yacht race in the world.

"It is 45 days non-stop in the Southern Ocean. It is the ultimate endurance test for sailors."

The entry fee is around $9.2 million which includes the cost of the yacht. The total prize money was $13 million and the most one boat could win was $9.5 million.

The last leg into Auckland has been named the Ice Bird leg after the steel sloop on which New Zealand sailor and explorer David Lewis survived after it pitch-poled (flipped end over end) in the Southern Ocean.

Dr Lewis, died in Australia last October, aged 85.

Every crew who finished the race would also be awarded a gold medal -- the Peter Blake Memorial Medallion, although Williams said Lady Pippa Blake had yet to be approached for her approval.

The yachts were designed to be converted into cruising yachts after the race, meaning they still had good residual value.

Six confirmed entries were needed by the end of this year to begin the construction programme next year.

Entries were limited to 10 yachts which all needed to be signed by the middle of next year.

Williams said he had had 500 expressions of interest and was confident he would attract 10 of the world's top racers.

He said safety was a big factor although in the past the only yachts to hit trouble in the Southern Ocean were single-handed yachts.

"Our boats are identical so they should all be pretty much in close proximity to each other. If they get into strife they can go and help each other."

One of the 14 crew members would be a dedicated media person to document the race and crew performance and reaction and send media reports daily back to the race headquarters in Auckland.

- NZPA