It was a light start to the SSANZ Two Handed Triple Series on the Hauraki Gulf, but 155 boats weren't perturbed by the absence of breeze.

Although 20 knot winds were predicted for the opening Simrad 50 race, the breeze rarely puffed over eight knots, and was missing in action as the fleet neared Browns Island.

Second only to the Coastal Classic for fleet turnout, more than 140 boats crossed the finishline after between five and 10 hours on the water.

Extreme 40 multihull XL was the quickest boat around the course, completing in just over five hours, but it was Putiki Express, the Corsair F24 Mk 2, that won the multihull division on handicap.

Bakewell White 52 Wired took out the honours in the strong Longhaul 50 Division 1 fleet, which featured Whitbread maxi Lion New Zealand. The second leg of the B&G Simrad series, the Simrad 60, will be raced on August 11, with the final Simrad 100 on September 8.

Boating NZ photographer Gareth Cooke was on board Hanse 400e, Golden Pond, filming for our new Weekend Warrior series.  Golden Pond was third on elapsed time in the Hanse Smallboat 50 division.  Look out for their story in the September issue of Boating NZ magazine and on the www.boatingnz.co.nz site.

Preliminary results Simrad 50 - SSANZ B&G SIMRAD Two Handed Triple Series 2012

Longhaul 50 Division 1

1.       Wired

2.       Omega 8

3.       Cosmic Cruz

Longhaul 50 Division 2

1.       Notorious

2.       Gale Force

3.       Fineline

Longhaul 50 IRC

1.       Notorious

2.       Power Play

3.       Midnight Express

Longhaul 50 Multihull

1.       Putiki Express

2.       Voom

3.       Taeping

Shorthaul 50 Division 1

1.       Delicado

2.       Wanderingstar

3.       Super Severance

Shorthaul 50 Division 2 - Sportsboats

1.       Pepe

2.       Mercenary

3.       Rattle N Rum

Shorthaul 50 Young 88

1.       Slipstream III

2.       Heaven 'n' Hell

3.       Brix

Shorthaul 50 Farr 1020

1.       Hard Labour

2.       Strathsprey

3.       Drums of Time

Shorthaul 50 Stewart 34

1.       Pahi

2.       Psychic

3.       Pelagian II

Shorthaul 50 Cruising

1.       O'Sinnerman

2.       Cruise Control

3.       Sea Harmony

Shorthaul 50 IRC

1.       Sunstone

2.       Mix T Emotions

3.       Elysium

Smallboat 50 Division 1

1.       Energy

2.       FX

3.       Norseman II

Smallboat 50 Pied Piper and Quarter Ton

1.       Infiltrator

2.       Moneyshot

3.       Quarter Pint

Smallboat 50 Tracker and Reactor

1.       Wishbone

2.       Comfortably Numb

3.       Saint Fintan

Smallboat 50 Cruising

1.       Rainbird

2.       Nevenka

3.       Northbound

Smallboat 50 Hanse

1.       Hanse Off

2.       Devana

3.       Lili Marleen

- © Fairfax NZ News