Harken Young 88 Nationals: Experience meets ambition - ready to launch - March 21-22
by Mike Leyland 18 Mar 22:56 UTC
Babe - 2024 Young 88 Nationals - Bucklands Beach - March 16-17, 2024 © Adam Mustill
The waters north of Rangitoto are set once again to host a masterclass in one-design keelboat racing as 14 crews converge for the 2026 Harken Young 88 Nationals to be hosted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
This year’s fleet presents a volatile cocktail of legendary experience, "nothing-to-lose" youth, and deep-seated regional rivalries.
The benchmark has been set by defending champion Karyn Drummond on Flash Gordon, but the South Island "invasion" is formidable. Two-time Nationals winner Harry Thurston arrives with momentum after clinching the Southern Champs with Outrageous in Akaroa, joined by Craig Edwards and his well-drilled Flying Machine Christchurch crew.
Beyond the North vs. South divide, a local "Civil War" is brewing within the Auckland fleet. The battle for the "East vs. West" trophies will see the Westhaven-based "Westies" pitted against the "Easties" from the formidable Young 88 outposts of Bucklands Beach and Pine Harbour.
The veterans won’t have it all their own way, however. A formidable contingent of youth skippers and crews — including Rory Sims, Braedyn Denney, Will Mason, and Sam Clarke — is looking to slow their foiling game down and sharpen their displacement-hull skills to disrupt the status quo.
"It’s the classic 88 dynamic," says Class President Gary Fowler. "You’ve got the silverback stalwarts who know every trick in the book versus the young ring-ins who are fast and fearless. Throw in a North vs. South rivalry and the local East/West bragging rights, and you’ve got more than just a boat race."
With 14 identical hulls, the racing promises to be some of the closest in the country, proving once again that in the Young 88 fleet, there is nowhere to hide.
Full Entry List: (as of March 18, 2026)
- Babe - Gavin Haslip
- Crowded House (team Flying Machine) - Craig Edwards
- Dangerzone - Harry Thurston
- Fatal Attraction - Richard Bush
- Flash Gordon - Karyn Drummond
- Heartlight - Roger Sims
- Kokako II - Braedyn Denney
- Paddy Wagon - Gary Fowler
- Skitzo - Sam Clarke
- Smokey - Wayne Mackenzie
- Vagabond - Greg Wilshire
- Waka Huia - Craig Anderson
- War Machine - Paul McWilliams
- Young Magic - William Mason
For more info go to the Young 88 web site www.young88.org.nz and the event page www.young88.org.nz/events/325189 and the RNZYS page with honours board rnzys.org.nz/sailing/y88