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Number 47, Rough & Reddy closely followed by number 48, Smak.
Tacking so close, they nearly needed permission to come aboard.
Number 00, Slam Dunk came in third.
Kawau Bay hosted some of the top names in sailing this month for the national championship of the Elliot 5.9 class traveller series.
The team to beat was five-times winning trio Craig Satterthwaite, Richard Bearda and Matt Mitchell aboard Rough & Reddy. Mitchell is a three times America’s Cup winner, crewing with Team New Zealand, Alinghi and Oracle Team USA.
Anticipation for the Elliott 5.9 championship was high with a last-minute entry by Volvo Ocean Race winners, Stu Bettany and Tony Mutter, joined by World Match Racing Tour champ Tom Powrie, aboard Retro.
But it was coach Kevin Peet, insurance broker Brent Mullen and ocean racer Ben Costello aboard Smak gave the incumbents a run for their money.
After nine races, Smak entered the third and final day four points ahead of Rough & Reddy.
Not to be shown up, Rough & Reddy came out firing, winning the first two races.
With team Smak entering the last race only one point ahead, it all came down to the finale.
According to race officer Chris Marsh, the race began with wind speeds reaching the upper limit of acceptable conditions.
“After a very close start, the two top boats entered into a tacking duel upwind to the first mark,” Marsh said.
“Performing 15 tacks in quick succession, to try shake their opponents off, it was Rough & Reddy that ultimately came out on top.”
This meant the top two contenders both had exactly 22 points at the conclusion of the three-day, 12-race event.
The winner was decided using a ‘countback’. This meant Rough & Reddy took out the championship again, having won six of the 12 races compared to Smak’s three.
The championship trophy dates back to 1985 and has some high-profile past winning names on it, including Peter Burling, Mike Sanderson, Richard Mason, Tom Dodson and Grant Beck.
