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A large number of children are due to compete in this weekend's 2017 New Zealand Toyota Optimist Nationals in Napier but Tropical Cyclone Cook threatens the participation of some.
A handful of sailors from New Caledonia are due to compete in Napier but, with Tropical Cyclone Cook bearing down on the tiny French territory, their participation is not guaranteed. The cyclone, which is now a category 3 storm and may reach category 4 before making landfall in New Caledonia tonight, could see winds in excess of 200km/h batter the islands.
MetService said the remnants of the cyclone are expected to pass by the north-east of New Zealand on Thursday and move away on Friday and could deliver heavy rain to the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel.
Winds aren't expected to be strong in Napier over the weekend for the Optimist national championships but it could deliver big swells which will test the 177 open and 77 green fleet entrants.
As well as New Zealand and New Caledonia, entrants have also been received from Australia and Tahiti.
“It is wonderful to host so many children and their families from all over New Zealand the Pacific”, event convenor Barbara Arnott said. “The Napier Sailing Club has a great reputation for hosting regattas and we think that our site and facilities are a wonderful attraction in addition to the opportunity for families to spend a long weekend in Napier."
A number of New Zealand’s top Optimist sailors are vying for one of five places on the New Zealand team for July's Optimist world championships in Malaysia. This weekend's event, which goes from Friday until Tuesday, will be the deciding regatta for that team.
