May 1st, 2026
Around here, we love seeing our coworking members take their passions to the absolute limit—and Ken (along with his wife Lori) just set a serious benchmark with their latest adventure.
They recently tackled the SSANZ Round North Island (RNI)—a legendary two-handed race that’s basically a 1,210 nautical mile (2,241 km) test of whether you can stay awake, stay afloat, and stay married while the ocean tries to do the opposite.
The Weapon: Perfect Storm
Sailing a 38-foot racing yacht usually requires a crew of 8 or 9 people. Ken and Lori did it with two. To make Perfect Storm shorthanded-ready, they spent two years on a massive refit:
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Safety First: Added a custom composite sliding dodger and a carbon fibre watertight bulkhead.
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The Upgrades: Four new winches, new sails, and a total electronics overhaul.
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The Prep: They logged over 3,000 miles of practice before the starting gun even fired.
The Journey: Four Legs of Chaos and Glory
Leg 1: Auckland to Mangōnui (160nm)
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Time: 20h 38m
The race started with a literal bang. They ran aground before the start, leaving Lori badly bruised and Ken diving into the harbour to check the keel. Once they got moving, the rudder started failing, leaking hundreds of litres of water into the hull. They spent the leg pumping water and making emergency repairs just to reach the finish.
Leg 2: Mangōnui to Waikawa (574nm)
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Time: 3d 08h 24m
This was the big one. They hammered it up to North Cape, survived a snapped halyard, and then got absolutely battered by “washing machine” seas at Cape Reinga. After days of crashing into waves, they were becalmed for 48 hours, only to finish with a high-speed sprint into the Marlborough Sounds.
Watch: Lori describing the brutal seas | The Fast Finish
Leg 3: Waikawa to Napier (236nm)
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Time: 1d 04h 11m
Cook Strait lived up to its reputation with a 30+ knot gale and punishing seas. But the reward followed: a massive spinnaker run that sent them flying into Napier.
Watch: The Rough Stuff
Leg 4: Napier to Auckland (419nm)
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Time: 2d 16h The final stretch featured incredible surfing down waves toward East Cape. It was a dream run until the final 15 miles, where the wind vanished. They sat motionless, watching other boats creep past in a localized breeze—a heartbreaking end to a grueling leg, but that’s yacht racing.
Watch: Surfing the East Cape
The Scoreboard
Ken and Lori didn’t just complete the circuit; they held their own against the best in the fleet
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1st Family on both Line and Handicap.
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5th Fastest Boat to circumnavigate the entire island.
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11th Overall on handicap (comfortably top-half of the fleet).
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The Ultimate Win: They finished with the boat intact and the marriage stronger than ever.
What’s Next?
This was Ken’s 3rd lap of the North Island, and he’s already eyeing the Round New Zealand Race in 2028. As for Lori? She went from “never again” to “maybe next time…” within 48 hours. That’s the spirit!
Follow their future adventures here: Perfect Storm Sailing Facebook
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