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Trailer yachts have been a big part of the local sailing scene in the deep south for decades and the local yacht clubs, along with the Otago and Southland trailer yacht squadrons, ensure there is plenty of activity these sailors can slot into.
The trailer yacht fleet has changed over the years with the advent of larger and faster yachts (sorry Wayne Holdt, not so many Hartley 16s and 18s down here now) along with the introduction of more sporty designs but the fundamentals remain the same. There are great racing events around the region, along with plenty of great cruising opportunities to which the trailer yacht lends itself well down here. The central lakes are a major lure for many to go cruising on with the more adventurous heading up to Abel Tasman National Park over the New Year break.
Like previous seasons, this year's season really got underway for the trailer yachts with the Aviemore Classic, held over Labour weekend on Lake Aviemore up the Waitaki Valley. This event is organised by the Timaru Yacht & Powerboat Club and sees a large fleet of trailer yachts converge on the Otamatata boat harbour to become part of the village that forms there for this event.
A large marque is erected, along with a mobile kitchen and shower trailer, and a fleet of mobile homes appear. The mobile home sees a transition from trailer yacht on water to a similar thing on wheels – I’m told it’s an age thing. The two days of racing culminates with the Aviemore Classic, a couple of laps around the lake in a mixture of conditions. This year’s overall winner was Vince Williams sailing his Noelex 22 Priacy.
In November, the Port Chalmers Yacht Club hosted the South Island Noelex 22 & 25 championships. The respective class winners were Alex Bruce on Charade and Richard Hawkins on Flashback.
There are some time honoured events for the trailer yacht fleet after the New Year. Wakatipu Yacht Club host the annual Donald Hay race, which kicks off with a race from Queenstown to Kingston at the bottom of the lake in the Club to Pub race. The following day the Donald Hay race does the return journey, finishing back at the Wakatipu Yacht Club.
Following on from Wakatipu, the Marakura Yacht Club runs the annual Te Anau Downs race, an event that can have competitors becalmed or planning down the lake all in the one race. This year it was won overall by Aaron Hawkins sailing his Elliott 7m Elliott Ness.
As mentioned in the previous edition of Briefings, a number of trailer yachts head to Bluff for the Bluff Yacht Club’s annual Oyster Regatta. But there's still more to look forward to this season.
This month we have the Not the Easter (April 8-9) regatta at Te Anau by the Marakura Yacht Club – Not the Easter name denoting that it used to be held over Easter but is now held just prior to or just following Easter to allow people to go cruising over the holiday break.
The Manapouri Classic will be on April 22-23, an event held on one of the most picturesque lakes in the country, if not the world.
There are plenty of lakes suitable for cruising. This past season saw a group from the Otago Yacht Club venture to Lake Roxburgh for a long weekend. This man-made lake above the Roxburgh hydro dam allows cruising as far as Alexandra. Although it is a narrow lake, it has many nooks and crannies to tie up in for the night and, with no roads close by, it can be a quiet night of dark isolation.
Although the trailer yacht classes can enable a level of independent adventure and exploration, they are an integral part of many of the clubs in the South Island. At the Otago Yacht Club, they have introduced a couple of Monarch 17s into their adult learn to sail programme.
The trailer yacht fleet in the south has a wide and varied seasonal calendar to which everyone, regardless of sailing skill level, is most welcome.
Information can be obtained from the Otago Trailer Yacht Squadron website or from any clubs down this way.
Coming up on the trailer yacht calendar for next season in the likelihood of the Noelex 25 national championships being competed for on the Otago Harbour; dates are presently being discussed with the N25 Association.
For those not too familiar with the trailer yacht cruising scene down this way, check out this article that appeared in Briefings in June 2014.
