Yachting: Sisters are sailing it for themselves

Steffi Waanders (L) and Jo Ivory. Photo / Supplied

She is the yachtswoman trying to beat the men - but who has to finish a wedding before she makes it to the race on time. Marlborough yachtswoman Jo Ivory is set to compete in the upcoming Round North Island two-handed race, but first has to take some nuptials into account. Not hers - but she is a charter operator who has a wedding booked in the race vessel a few days before the race starts in Auckland.

"It means I will be racing up the coast just to get to the start line in time," says Ivory. The bride and groom depart on February 12; the race starts in Auckland just seven days later.

It is all part of the challenge for the 48-year old Ivory and her crew member Steffi Waanders, 38. The duo are just the second all-female crew to enter in the 34-year history of the demanding race, which covers 1200 miles over two weeks, with stopovers in Mangonui, Wellington and Napier. They will be sailing the second biggest yacht in the 40-strong fleet, the Warwick 53ft Caro Vita, which in ideal circumstances is crewed by six to eight sailors.

"It has been such a male-dominated event and we know we are taking on a huge challenge," admits Ivory. Their vessel has been refined so a lot of the rigging and hoisting can be done automatically, taking away some manual work, but the duo expect to be able to sleep only for two-hour spells at any one time.

"Steffi sleeps really well so she will be OK," jokes Ivory. "I take a while to drift off, I don't sleep well. But I can't use earplugs - Steffi might be calling me." They also plan to use beanbags on deck, to catch some precious rest in the day.

Ivory and Waanders are experienced yachtswomen, having logged 60,000 nautical miles between them. The pair met when Waanders emigrated to New Zealand from Germany six years ago. They have raced together in the Marlborough Sounds. Both have taken charters as far as Tonga and New Caledonia but this will be their greatest undertaking together.

"I think we complement each other quite well," says Ivory. "Steffi is very thorough, she does things by the book. I guess I am more instinctive; I have lived and breathed sailing all my life and sail by the soul."

The first race, back in 1977, was won by the late Sir Peter Blake and Graham Elder, who took line honours in just over eight days. It has been staged every three years since; not without incident given New Zealand's notoriously unpredictable weather. In 1980 a number of boats had to retire; in 1983 Phil Levy on the yacht Brilliant was lost overboard off Cape Turnagain. 1996 saw the sinking of Sneaky Frog after it hit a submerged object in the Bay of Plenty.

The Auckland to Mangonui leg is expected to take around one-and-a-half days; Mangonui to Wellington up to four days, then from the capital to Napier around three days before another three-day burst back to Auckland. Their partners will be the shore crews in each port, providing logistical support, sorting out accommodation and doing any maintenance required on the boat during the 48-hour stopovers.

"It will be great," laughs Ivory. "We will be able to crash out and they can fix up any problems."

Ivory has been overwhelmed by the response from the local and national community, with offers of sponsorship, supplies and gear donations flooding in over the last few months, including invaluable help from the sailmakers at North Sails.

For the race the boat has been renamed The Charging Moa. This is partly because of a sponsorship arrangement with a local beer company, but also due to the recent discovery that the female moa was dominant and the male was like a house-husband.

"I want to win but we will be happy to finish," says Ivory. "You have to race to win but at the end of the day it is most important to finish and not break anything."