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It's nice to be talking again about sailing events that have already taken place after a troubling enforced layoff.
We've seen a number of regattas go ahead and last weekend the Kerikeri Cruising Club hosted the New Zealand Open Teams Racing Nationals, which was a terrific three days of racing involving a wide range of competitors.
It was great to see members of the NZL Sailing Team competing and reconnecting with the grassroots of the sport. They might not have enjoyed success on the water, but all came away buzzing about their experience and we look forward to supporting the event in the future.
Congratulations to all the competitors, particularly the Kiwis Racing Team who won their third-straight title, as well as the Kerikeri Cruising Club for putting on a wonderful event.
We've also seen the conclusion of the Zhik New Zealand eSailing Championships and look forward to Sunday's Zhik Trans-Tasman eSailing Championships, which will be live streamed on the Yachting New Zealand Facebook page. Congratulations to the six individuals who will represent the New Zealand team and good luck in the final.
We saw eSailing grow in popularity during lockdown but eSports are here to stay and it's Yachting New Zealand's intention to run a New Zealand challenge again next year.
Congratulations to everyone for weathering the Covid-19 storm. It's heartening to see how people have adapted to a different world but I'm sure everyone will be looking forward to going to alert level 1 soon when clubs can return to normal.
I'm sure many are planning special functions as they fully open their doors and it could be as simple as holding a speaker's evening or quiz night.
It's also been a difficult time for many of our sponsors and we really appreciate their loyalty and continued support of Yachting New Zealand - Aon, Volvo, Zhik, Oceanbridge, Orbit World Travel, Lawson's Dry Hills and Railblaza. We couldn't deliver the many programmes we do or help build club capability without them and they would appreciate your support as well.
I'd also like to thank those clubs who have returned their membership affiliation data and remind others to please have that information with us by June 13 or give us a call if you need some help.
Yachting New Zealand national sport development director Raynor Haagh and I will visiting clubs and committees around the country later in the year.
It's something I always enjoy doing and one thing to keep on your radar is the fact we are due to refresh our strategy and we'd welcome club feedback as we move around the country. We will let you know what are plans are as they are finalised and I'll also be holding another online session with club members in the near future. These were really useful during lockdown and, again, we'll let you know when this is and how you can join.
- Pic: There was some exciting racing at the New Zealand Open Teams Racing National Championships. Photo: Bruce Carter.
