PIC Coastal Classic
PIC Coastal Classic takes place Oct 23, 2026 (44th edition, Labour Weekend Friday) in Auckland, New Zealand. The dress code is Casual outdoor clothing with a windproof layer - Auckland spring weather turns quickly on the harbour. Typical cost ranges from 200 to 900 EUR per person.
New Zealand's largest annual yacht race: a roughly 119-nautical-mile dash from Auckland up the coast to Russell in the Bay of Islands, sailed on the Friday of Labour Weekend. The fleet runs from foiling multihulls chasing the record to family cruisers treating it as the start of a long weekend. The mass start off Devonport, with the whole fleet leaving the harbour at once, is the free spectacle Aucklanders turn out for.
- When
- Oct 23, 2026 (44th edition, Labour Weekend Friday)
- Where
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Dress code
- Casual outdoor clothing with a windproof layer - Auckland spring weather turns quickly on the harbour
- Cost
- Typical cost ranges from 200 to 900 EUR per person.
- Weather
- 12 - 19C, changeable spring weather with variable winds
- When to book
- Entries open mid-year; Russell and Paihia beds for Labour Weekend need booking 3 months out
- Getting there
- AKL (Auckland), about 40 min to Devonport for the start
- Where to stay
- Park Hyatt Auckland, Hotel Britomart, Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour
- Official site
- https://www.coastalclassic.co.nz/
How to attend
The start is free to watch from Devonport Wharf, North Head and the North Shore beaches, and the finish festivities in Russell are open to anyone in town. Boat entries run through the official site via TopYacht, typically opening mid-year, and the fleet is broad enough that well-prepared cruising boats regularly enter. Crew berths are usually found through Auckland yacht clubs and crew-finder pages in the weeks beforehand.
The start is free to watch from Devonport Wharf and the North Shore beaches and the Russell finish festivities are open to anyone in town; the entry page on the official site is for boats only.
Insider tip
Watch the mass start from North Head above Devonport, then drive north the same afternoon - the fastest multihulls can be tied up in Russell before dinner.
Get inside PIC Coastal Classic
Booking matters here: entries open mid-year; Russell and Paihia beds for Labour Weekend need booking 3 months out. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.
Free while in beta. One email when your invitation is ready, nothing else.