1951 Disastrous centennial yacht race begins

Twenty yachts left Wellington bound for Lyttelton in a race to celebrate Canterbury’s centenary. A race in the opposite direction had been held in 1940 to celebrate the capital’s centenary. It was expected that the fastest yachts would complete the journey in 1½ days, the slowest in five.

A severe southerly storm on the 24th saw most vessels withdraw from the race or be disqualified for using their engines. Only Tawhiri officially finished the race, arriving in Lyttelton on the 26th. Two other yachts, Husky and Argo, were lost along with their 10 crew members. Read more