RNZYS THREE KINGS OFFSHORE RACE – MEET THE ENTRANTS PART 3
In the third edition of our RNZYS Three Kings Offshore Race meet the entrants series, we catch up with Dougall Love from Romanza. Dougall will be racing their 60ft trimaran with his partner Jaz Love and a full crew. Hear from Dougall below, and if you haven’t yet, make sure you get your race entry in ASAP as there are now only 5 spots remaining!
You’ve got a few miles under your belt…what is your sailing background on Romanza?
Romanza is owned and campaigned by both my wife Jaz and I, she’s a key part of whatever sailing we do. Romanza was launched in 2017 and our first race campaign was the 2018 Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island race weeks in Queensland. That involved a trans-Tasman delivery of course, which was a bit of a non-event due to very light breezes. In fact, the biggest excitement was being impounded on arrival by Australia’s ‘Border Force’ for failing to give proper notice of arrival!
The race weeks there are fantastic and sailed in 25° plus most days, but our results could best be described as a learning curve. It helped having Pete Melvin the designer and Chris Nicholson from the Volvo campaigns onboard, but the boat was brand new and we were new to her. Since returning we’ve focussed on gradually improving the boat and learning to sail her better.
Longer races suit Romanza as she’s a big boat to handle around the cans – we quit Rum Racing after narrowly failing to dissect a couple of MRX’s into thirds! So, we’ve concentrated on the likes of Bay of Island race week, the Gold Cup races, the Coastal Classic, the Auckland to Tauranga Race and we’re looking forward to the Three Kings race partly because it is a longer race.
What’s your favourite point of sail and why?
We’re particularly fast upwind because of our length and personally I like seeing us put distance on other boats on this point of sail. However, she can be very lively upwind in a seaway, so I’d have to say my favourite point of sail is a tight reach. Thanks to a great sail wardrobe, we are able to quickly build boat speed and maintain excellent averages in comfort on this point of sail.
What are your essential food items during offshore races?
Romanza gives us the luxury of delivering hot meals to the crew as she is a performance cruiser and is well equipped with an induction hob, a full oven, twin-drawer fridge and a decent sized freezer.
Accordingly, our favourite race food for longer races is typically a hot meal of some sort at the end of the day as this provides crew with a great boost, especially when it’s cold. We’ve been known to deliver roast lamb shanks straight out of the oven, but for most races we would usually prepare something beforehand, like a casserole, for reheating. Hot soups with toasted sourdough are another favourite on cold days, but on warmer days we’ll make wraps for crew lunches. Jaz is a foodie par excellence on the last Coastal Classic she created salmon wraps with avocado and fresh salad ingredients, overlaid with a slice of hot bacon! Needless to say, we don’t suffer from a shortage of willing crew.
Other essentials include a selection of muesli or fruit bars as these are excellent as a quick energy snack, and chocolate is always acceptable! Our Nespresso machine means that hot coffee is never far away either. I’m certain other boats get sick of hearing us boast about our food, but to do well you first have to look after the crew.
What excites you about doing the Three Kings Race this year?
The appeal of the 3 Kings race is on several levels. Firstly, as members Jaz and I are proud of the outstanding heritage of the RNZYS and we’re excited to be part of the 150th celebrations. Secondly, to be able to race in pandemic times is a real blessing. Logistically, long distance racing like this is virtually unavailable in most parts of the world and we’re very privileged.
Personally however, the key attraction comes from the challenge of racing semi-professional teams like NZ Ocean Racing and other fast multihulls such as Cation and Kotuku over a tactical course and potentially several days.
This is not your usual club racing and the opportunity to put together this sort of campaign is exciting for us. You’re totally reliant on your own planning, skills and teamwork and we’re really looking forward to it.
RNZYS Three Kings Offshore Race Information HERE
