On a Saturday in mid-November, the New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Championship returns to the shore at Marsden Cove for its second round, four weeks after the season opened at Gulf Harbour. The races are short, held close to land, and finished before lunch, so the waterfront becomes a place where ordinary people can watch machines built for speed test themselves against the sea. Behind the numbers lies a familiar pattern in sport: a season is a long argument between early leaders and the chances that remain, and the rough water of the first round has already reshaped who is in front. Marsden C
Offshore powerboats head to Marsden Cove for round two of the NZ championship
Seven of the 23 starters failed to finish the first race
Mark
Why is Marsden Cove an easy round to watch?
Mimi
The racing is close to shore, with five marks off the waterfront and two viewing points. Both races finish by 1pm.
Mark
And you can meet the crews beforehand?
Mimi
Yes, a meet and greet at the fishing club on Friday from 5pm, and open pits on Saturday beside Rauiri Drive.
Luke
Worth noting the Gulf Harbour finishing numbers come from the publication's own swell estimate, not an official measurement.
Mark
Fair. So what does the forecast mean for the crews?
Mimi
About half a metre of swell versus close to a metre at Gulf Harbour, with light winds. That should be kinder on boats.
Luke
Should, yes. It's a forecast, and whether fewer boats finish is unknown until they race.
Mark
Who leads the points?
Mimi
Gen 2 and Cougar, each 200 clear, and Espresso Engineers in the biggest classes.
Luke
Sports 140 is the one to watch: Gipsy Danger leads Coranto by 175, and Goldship's non-finish shows how quickly that can move.
Le Pouls
- Seven of 23 starters failed to finish the first race at Gulf Harbour, and the swells there pushed crews to their limits.
- Round two at Marsden Cove brings two races from 11am, with the tide turning just as the second begins and the sea calmer at about half a metre.
- Spectators are kept clear of the course by patrol boats, and the shore in front of the yacht club becomes the place to watch from.
- Gipsy Danger, Espresso Engineers, Cougar and Gen 2 hold narrow or commanding leads, and the points race is still wide open heading toward Napier in January.
On a Saturday in mid-November, the New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Championship returns to the shore at Marsden Cove for its second round, four weeks after the season opened at Gulf Harbour. The races are short, held close to land, and finished before lunch, so the waterfront becomes a place where ordinary people can watch machines built for speed test themselves against the sea. Behind the numbers lies a familiar pattern in sport: a season is a long argument between early leaders and the chances that remain, and the rough water of the first round has already reshaped who is in front. Marsden Cove is where that argument continues.
On Saturday 14 November, the New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Championship arrives at Marsden Cove for its second round, four weeks after the season opened at Gulf Harbour. The first race starts at 11am and the second at noon, with everything expected to be finished by 1pm. Both races are close to shore and easy to follow from the waterfront, so families and passersby can watch without leaving the beach.
The weekend opens on Friday with a team meet and greet at the Marsden Cove Fishing Club, where spectators can speak with crews before any boat is launched. On Saturday the race pits are open on the grass beside Rauiri Drive, and competitors can still enter until 9am, with the drivers' briefing at 9.30am and prizegiving at 4pm.
Gulf Harbour was hard on the boats. Seven of 23 starters did not finish the first race, and the swells there sometimes approached a metre. At One Tree Point the forecast is kinder, with a half-metre swell, a light breeze and a warm, mostly fine day, though the UV will be strong, so hats and sunscreen are advised.
The leaders have been tested as well. Cougar and Gen 2 each hold a 200-point lead in their classes, while Gipsy Danger tops Sports 140 after a close contest with Goldship, and Espresso Engineers leads the bigger boats after Rainbow Haulage retired from the second race. The points remain tight in most classes, and the season carries on to Napier at the end of January, then Wellington, and finally Whitianga on 13 March.
On Saturday 14 November, the New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Championship comes to Marsden Cove for its second round, four weeks after the season opened at Gulf Harbour. The first race starts at 11am, the second at noon, and the racing is expected to be over by 1pm. Both races are done before lunch, close to shore, and easy to follow from the waterfront.
The weekend starts on Friday 13 November, when NZOPA holds a team meet and greet at the Marsden Cove Fishing Club from 5pm, giving spectators a chance to talk to crews before any boat is launched. On Saturday the race pits are open to visitors too, on the grass beside Rauiri Drive near the marina buildings, where people can look at the boats up close. Day entries for competitors can still be made from 7am until 9am, the drivers' briefing is at 9.30am, and prizegiving returns to the fishing club at 4pm.
NZOPA has named the shore in front of the Marsden Cove Yacht Club as the spectator area. Its course map shows five marks laid off the Marsden Cove shore, with two viewing points along the waterfront. Anyone watching from their own boat should expect to be kept well clear. At Gulf Harbour, patrol boats kept recreational traffic off the course while spectator boats lined the outside of it, and the advice is to give the course plenty of room and follow the patrol crews' directions.
The forecast for One Tree Point is mostly fine, warming to around 20°C, with a light 6 to 10 knot breeze and a southerly in the morning. The easterly swell is forecast at about half a metre, much kinder than at Gulf Harbour, where crews raced in swells close to a metre. High water is forecast for 11.40am, so the first race runs on the last of the incoming tide and the second begins just as it turns. The UV index is forecast to reach 9 in the morning and 10 in the afternoon, so hats and sunscreen are in order.
Finishing was the problem at Gulf Harbour. By this publication's estimate of the swell, seven of the 23 starters did not finish the first race, and 13 of the 18 that started the second made it to the end. Four boats won both of their class races: Gen 2 in 200HP, Cougar in Sports 70mph, Hidromek in Sports 80mph and Subway Mangawhai in Family Class.
Two familiar names lead the points. Cougar and Gen 2 both won their classes last season, and NZOPA's tables have each 200 points clear. Cougar leads Sports 70 on 950, while Gen 2 leads Sports 200 on 950 and also heads the 60 Mile standings.
Other classes are tighter. In Sports 140, Gipsy Danger leads Coranto 850 to 675, after finishing second to Goldship in the first race and winning the second when Goldship did not finish. Among the biggest boats, Rainbow Haulage won the first race but retired from the second, leaving Espresso Engineers ahead in both Superboat 600 and the 100 Mile category on 850, with Rainbow Haulage on 550.
After Marsden Cove, the 2026/27 season moves to Napier on 30 and 31 January 2027, then Wellington on 27 February, and finishes at Whitianga on 13 March.
Citations marquantes
Spectators watching from their own boats should expect to be kept well clear and follow the patrol crews' directions.— NZOPA guidance, as reported by Boating New Zealand
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