RECORD ENTRIES FOR LINDAUER COASTAL CLASSIC

The 20th anniversary sailing of the Lindauer Coastal Classic - Auckland to Russell Yacht Race will see a new record number of yachts starting the event.

Confirmed official entries now stand at 251 with the previous record 247 in1996. However numbers for this year will still increase with entries not closing for another day.

"It is fantastic. The NZ Multihull Yacht Club is delighted at the record numbers. It will be a spectacular sight at the start-line on Friday, particularly if it is a spinnaker start," says Lindauer Coastal Classic Race Director, Joyce Talbot.

New Caledonia yacht Rogntudjuuu, a catermaran which won line honours at the Auckland to Noumea race earlier this year is one of the favourites in the multihull division given the right conditions. However with such a large fleet of yachts there are any number of potential line hounours and handicap winners.

A record purse is on offer for the 20th anniversary sailing of the race.

The first monohull to break Greg Elliotts 1996 race record on Primo of 9hr:22:34 wins $10,000 and a further $10,000 to the first multihull to break the record set by Split Enz in the same year of 7hr:20:51.

The first Coastal Classic started in 1982 with an entry of 12 yachts sailing the 119 nautical miles. This year the race will use a PHRF time-on-distance system of handicapping for the monohulls (i.e. seconds per mile) - a handicap system which has proved very successful overseas and being used for the first time in a coastal race in New Zealand.

The 2001 race starts at 10am from Devonport Wharf on Auckland's North Shore on Friday October 19.

www.coastalclassic.co.nz For further information please contact; Lindauer Coastal Classic Race Director - Joyce Talbot Ph 09 836 4747 Mob 021 818 448

Lindauer Coastal Classic Media Manager - Dave Worsley Mob 021 679 096

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Alastair Thompson

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Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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