Issue date
Potential competitors are encouraged to enter next month's Starling national championships at the Nelson Yacht Club to allow organisers to plan ahead.
This year's Pic's Peanut Butter Starling national championships had originally been scheduled to take place in April but was postponed due to the national lockdown. It's now planned to take place on September 27-30.
Entries are already looking healthy, although potential competitors are reminded that entries close on August 31. A $40 late fee will apply after those dates and entrants will miss out on the event shirt.
The majority of entries so far have come from the North Island, with people getting in early to take advantage of the fantastic discount offered by Interislander. If you haven’t booked already, contact the Nelson Yacht Club for the code.
The notice or race, entry form and all the relevant details can be found here.
The event will go ahead under alert level 2, unless gathering limits make it impractical, but will be be cancelled if the region is under either alert level 3 or alert level 4. Nelsen is presently at level 2.
The club and class association will keep an eye on the ongoing situation around Covid-19 and will keep everyone who has entered informed of any significant decisions. Competitors will be refunded in full if the event is cancelled.
The rescheduled regatta will run Sunday, September 27, to Wednesday, September 30, to allow time for families to travel to and from Nelson. There's plenty to do in the area, from skiing to mountain biking and exploring the Abel Tasman National Park and Marlborough Sounds. Competitors are warned to expect any type of conditions from cold and blustery south-westerlies to pleasant sea breezes.
Two races have been scheduled per day to allow for more flexibility in the programme and to manage the warmth of sailors.
South Island Starling sailor Blake Grindley-Jones is hoping for a windy regatta. The Nelson-based sailor is laying down the gauntlet to others over 19 and is on the hunt for boats to match with keen sailors. Please get in touch with event organisers if know of a boat in a garage somewhere.
The Nelson Yacht Club are also aiming to achieve accreditation as a Clean Regatta under the Sailors for the Seas programme, and will include a clean-up on Haulashore Island and/or the Boulderbank. Nelson Starling sailor Ben Mangin and his dad Richard will be heading up the green team.
Sean Herbert made history last year by becoming the first person to win three Starling national titles, eclipsing the record set by Rohan Cooke (1992-93), Tim Christiansen (1999-2000) and Peter Burling (2005-06) who all won two.
