Issue date
A highlight on the calendar of events to mark the Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat's centennial will be the Farmer Autovillage Auckland to Tauranga Centennial Yacht Race on March 26-28.
The race sits nicely in between the end of the final weekend of the America's Cup and the weekend before Easter, when the club will hold official centennial celebrations.
The Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat Club was set up after a casual meeting of yachties in a Tauranga barber shop in October 1920 and was originally located next to the railway bridge (today the Harbourside Restaurant) before moving to its present site at Sulphur Point in 1983.
"Stay over the week, enjoy the fun and cruise home afterwards," said race organiser Roger Rushton.
The Farmer Autovillage Auckland to Tauranga Centennial Yacht Race is open to all monohulls and multihulls which have a valid category 3 certificate and the iconic yacht Ranger, which won the A2T race on line in 1939 and was third on handicap, has already signed up for the event that will run in two fleets.
Fleet 1, the classic fleet of vintage yachts and launches representing the 100 years of sailing at the Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat Club, will start at Westhaven at 9am on March 26 and cruise/rally to Tauranga over the weekend. The fleet will overnight on anchor at either Mercury Cove or Kennedy Bay, depending on weather conditions, before setting off again at 9am the following morning.
Fleet 2 will be for modern yachts, keelboats and multihulls and Ranger. It will start off Westhaven at 9am on March 27, ending as usual at A Beacon outside Tauranga harbour entrance.
The race record is held by the maxi Zana in a time of 9hrs 35mins 01secs with the multihull record held by Sundreamer in 9.55.23.
As well as the fully-crewed divisions, this year’s race will cater for short-handed and single-handed divisions sponsored by Sail IQ. Contact Andrew Hall (andrewh@sailiq.co.nz or 09 950 3889) or race organisers for details.
You can book a berth in either Tauranga marina and entries before March 3 go into the draw for an early-bird prize.
See here for the notice of race, entry form and sailing instructions or contact the following for more information:
Lynn Whitaker - TYPBC manager - 07 578 5512 or office@yacht.org.nz
Roger Rushton - race organiser - 0274 714 715 or r.rushton@xtra.co.nz
