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It was shaping up to be the biggest Evolution Sails Women’s Regatta in history but has unfortunately been cancelled due to Covid-19.
The event was due to take place at the Waikawa Boating Club on the weekend of September 18-19. As many as 195 sailors had registered but the fact more than 80 percent were coming from out of the Picton region, including many from Auckland, organisers made the difficult decision to cancel the event for 2021.
“It’s still difficult to grasp that the biggest ever version of the women's regatta has been hit by lockdown," Waikawa rear commodore sailing David Grigg said. "But in the grand scheme of world events, it's easy to find some perspective.”
Nearly 200 female sailors, experienced and novice, from 11 regions from Fijordland to Northland were due to descend on the Waikawa Boating Club for the annual regatta. The entrants included Olympians, global circumnavigators and Sydney to Hobart veterans as well as newcomers to sailing.
Waikawa club development officer David Hancock noted the economic impact the cancelled event would have on the region.
“That’s more than 500 guest nights Picton and Marlborough are going to see cancelled," he said. "Food and beverage orders are cancelled and the sailors certainly enjoy a wine and a gin.
"T-shirt sales won’t happen, donations to guest speaker organisations are off and the local juke box hire is also going to miss out.”
Evolution Sails have said they’re committed to next year's regatta in September 2022 and the Waikawa Boating Club's army of volunteers will start preparations early in the New Year.
The club have a number of events still on their calendar, including the start of the Versatile Offshore Series on September 25, Giesen New Year Regatta on January 8-9, 2022, and next year's Evolution Sails Women’s Regatta on September 17-18, 2022.
- Photo: Karmyn Ingram
