Richie Foster and Brent Millar escaped without injury after their jet boat, U185, caught fire at the start of the upstream leg of the Golden Homes Canterbury Rivers Race on the Rakaia River, New Zealand, on Saturday morning.
The fire broke out shortly after the 9:30am mass start from Rakaia Lagoon. Both crew exited quickly and are unhurt. The boat was destroyed, leaving only a charred aluminium frame on the riverbank.
River Racing NZ confirmed in an official statement that everyone was safe and that the downstream leg, from Rakaia Gorge Bridge back to Rakaia Lagoon, would go ahead as scheduled at 12:30pm local time.
River Racing NZ said:
“Eventful start on the Rakaia after a stunning sunrise! Richie and Brent from U185 got out swiftly and everyone is ok, except for the boat. Downstream leg will get underway at 12:30pm from gorge bridge.”
About the Canterbury Rivers Race
The Golden Homes Canterbury Rivers Race is a two-day event held across back-to-back weekends on two of Canterbury’s most demanding rivers. Saturday’s upstream and downstream legs on the Rakaia are run in memory of Norm and Simon Bagrie. Sunday’s racing moves to the Waimakariri River for the Stuart Blanchard Memorial.
Both events are contested in mass-start format, with competitors launching simultaneously from the lagoon or gorge bridge and racing upstream and downstream over natural river terrain. Braided rivers like the Rakaia present their own challenges: fast-moving currents, shifting gravel bars, shallow channels, and no margin for error at speed.
About the 2026 National Championship Series
The Canterbury Rivers Race is Round 2 of the 2026 River Racing NZ National Championship Series. The series runs to four rounds, with the overall title decided on accumulated time across all events rather than a points format. That structure places immediate pressure on every leg, from the opening run onwards. Round 1, the Golden Homes Otago Rivers Race, was contested in March across the Dart, Shotover, Kawarau, and Matukituki rivers. Canadian world champion Gord Humphrey, racing with New Zealand navigator Mike Pooley in Unnatural Disaster, won that event on consistency.
The remaining rounds are scheduled for August and November 2026. New Zealand is also preparing to host the UIM World Jet Boat Marathon in both 2027 and 2028, with the events expected to cover approximately 1,000 kilometres of South Island river terrain. The 2026 National Championship season serves as a build-up to both world events.
Racing Classes
Competition is divided across several classes. The Unlimited class is the headline category, where large-capacity V8 engines and, increasingly, repurposed helicopter gas turbine engines push boats to speeds exceeding 160 km/h on open river sections. U185 competed in the Unlimited class. Below that, the A Class runs naturally aspirated engines up to 10.6 litres, or forced induction units up to 6.3 litres. The CX Class uses Chevrolet crate engines with a maximum displacement of 6,000cc, providing a more level playing field where driver skill carries proportionally more weight. The FX-Evo Class is speed-restricted to 137 km/h and gives existing FX boats freedom to modify their engines within that ceiling.
What Is a Jet Boat?
Jet boats have no propeller. Instead, an intake draws water from beneath the hull into a pump, which then expels it through a steerable nozzle at the stern. Thrust is generated entirely by that jet of water, with steering controlled by deflecting the nozzle. The design allows a boat to operate in water as shallow as a few centimetres, which is precisely why a South Island farmer named Sir William Hamilton developed it in the first place.
Hamilton spent the early 1950s working out of a workshop on his high-country sheep station at Irishman Creek in the Mackenzie Country. His rivers were too shallow and rocky for conventional propeller-driven craft. By 1953 his first jet boat was running upriver successfully. The technology he refined there went on to transform marine propulsion worldwide, and is now used in everything from passenger ferries to rescue craft. Competitive jet boat river racing on the rivers of New Zealand’s South Island is a direct continuation of that tradition.
River Racing NZ National Championship Series 2026
| Round | Event | Rivers | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Homes Otago Rivers Race | Dart, Shotover, Kawarau, Matukituki | 20-21 March 2026 |
| 2 | Golden Homes Canterbury Rivers Race | Rakaia, Waimakariri | 30-31 May 2026 |
| 3 | TBC | TBC | 26-27 August 2026 |
| 4 | TBC | TBC | 18-22 November 2026 |
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
