While the song is conceptually similar to the many charity supergroup singles released in the mid 1980s, "Sailing Away" has its origins as a television advertisement and was not a charity record.

[2] Choir included: The single spent nine weeks at #1 in the New Zealand chart in 1986, the longest run for any single by a New Zealand artist until "Brother" by Smashproof and Gin Wigmore in 2009.

[4] New Zealand Herald entertainment critic Paul Casserly notes that the song reflects a different New Zealand: "we are no longer "One nation on the water".

The chances of us all getting behind a yachting event to this extent again seem unlikely, absurd even.

"[5] However, the song "Loyal" by Dave Dobbyn (who featured in "Sailing Away") would later be adopted by Team New Zealand for the 2003 America's Cup defence.