Summer’s finale
New Zealand's longest running superyacht regatta, the Millennium Cup, kicks off this weekend.
Photography by Breed Media
25 March 2021
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Set to close what was a vibrant racing season for the country, New Zealand’s Millennium Cup is on track to begin on 28 March.
Originally planned for 15 February, organisers of the Millennium Cup postponed the event following the positive COVID-19 cases in Auckland and the subsequently increased restrictions across the country.
This year’s event will see the introduction of a new handicap scoring method. Designed specifically for superyacht racing, this addition will take into account the exact type of wind experienced by each yacht at each leg.
The updated scoring system, named the Performance Curve Scoring, was developed in a collaboration between entrants of this year’s Millennium Cup, the officials involved in the handicapping process and the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC).
The Millennium Cup will be the first official regatta to introduce this system.
Representatives of each yacht have since expressed their excitement about this new method and its potential.
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“The ORC has finetuned its international superyacht handicap system specifically for our regatta to allow for boats of different sizes and sail configurations to race more fairly,” said organiser Stacey Cook.
“We are very grateful for the huge amount of input from the entries and key stakeholders and are looking forward to using this new method.”
The regatta will run from 28–31 March and will be available to watch live at millenniumcup.com. Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions have amendments issued and can be found at millenniumcup.com.
The Millennium Cup was first held alongside the 2000 America’s Cup. Moving into its 15th edition, the Millennium Cup is the longest running superyacht regatta in the South Pacific.
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