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In a dramatic last day in the Toyota New Zealand Optimist National Championships, overnight leader Sam Bacon of Worser Bay got off to a shaky start with a 10th and a 9th place in the day’s first two races, then stormed back to score a first and a second. His hard work was just enough to hold on to his overall lead by two points.

Yachting New Zealand recently made a submission to the Otago Regional Council opposing an application to establish three marine farms in the Otago Harbour.

I first met Tony probably a little over a year ago.

With the support of Chains Ropes and Anchors, SSANZ has initiated another event to tackle the growing need for more long distance shorthanded yacht racing. The ANZAC 200 race follows on from the successful 2014 Round North Island 2 handed Yacht race (RNI) and bridges the gap between the RNI and the popular SSANZ Safety at Sea Triple 2 handed series.

Ten teams competed in Picton Harbour from 26-28 March for the Top of the South Regional Regatta. Hosted by Queen Charlotte Yacht Club the teams sailing was in 420s. Three teams from Marlborough (Marlborough Boys’, Marlborough Girls’ and Queen Charlotte College) were joined by five teams from Nelson, as well as Wanaka’s Mt Aspiring College and a team from Christchurch Boys’ High.

The Auckland Council on-line submission form is generic and when submitting in support you will need to complete the following basic information which you can cut and paste.

Myths and Facts; Community Marine Activity Hub

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL), 49ers winners in the 46 Trofeo Princesa Sofia IBEROSTAR, are racing in many events throughout the year in order to keep their level at the top. “It is a good way to see the strong points of the other teams and what we have to fix. It is a great motivation to keep working and try to be better.” explains Burling.

Winners of the Women’s 470 event at the recent Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma de Mallorca, Spain our own Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie were awarded the overall trophy too! In this short interview they reflect on the close-fought medal race which secured them the gold medal and look ahead to the key regattas on in 2015…

Here’s a look at the up-coming sailing related events around the country for the next couple of weeks. See the YNZ on-line calendar for full details of these events and those on beyond that. Are you organising an event but don’t see it listed here? Don’t miss out on some free promotion for your sailing events by adding them to the YNZ on-line calendar here.

The NZL Sailing Team has secured two gold medals at 2015 Princess Sofia Regatta with victory, and successful title defences, for Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie in the Women’s 470, and in the 49er for Peter Burling and Blair Tuke.

The NZL Sailing Team crews of Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie, and Peter Burling and Blair Tuke are poised for victory at 2015 Princess Sofia Regatta. Having both built solid points leads in the Women’s 470 and 49er events over the first five days of the regatta, a good medal race tomorrow in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, will secure gold at this well attended European opener.

Sarah Dunckley (Wellington)and Andrew May(Christchurch) competed in the Hartley 16 Travellers Series Regatta held at Manukau Yacht and Motor Boat Club on the 7th and 8th March

Oceanbridge Sail Auckland , hosted by Royal Akarana Yacht Club on Auckland’s Okahu Bay, is the largest Olympic, Paralympic and invited classes regatta in New Zealand.

Lake Taupo Yacht Club held their annual Mighty River Power Regatta over the 14th and 15th of March 2015.

Light winds on both days of the Bayley’s Real Estate Wanganui Regatta tested sailors competing in the regatta which doubled as the Western Districts Champs.

Josh Junior (NZL) holds the narrowest of leads after the third day of racing at the Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia Iberostar in Palma. With redress now granted for race 4, Giles Scott (GBR) is just 0.8 points back in second, while Jonathan Lobert (FRA) drops one to third. Races wins went to Zsombor Berecz (HUN) and Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO).

As Princess Sofia Regatta shifts from opening to finals racing New Zealand is still at the top of the Finn, 49er and Women’s 470 leader-boards...

The Harbour Access Trust has applied for resource consent to establish a Community Marine Activity Hub, located at the Northern end of Takapuna Beach. The resource consent application has now been officially notified to the public and Auckland Council must receive no later than 5pm on Monday 13th April, 2015. I urge you to submit now in support of the project which would see the Takapuna Beach Reserve transformed for the benefit of the community and I encourage you to share this with friends, family and colleagues.

Josh Junior (NZL) takes the lead at the Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia Iberostar in Palma after being one of the few sailors to achieve any sort of consistency on the second day’s racing. Jonathan Lobert (FRA) drops to second on equal points, while Tapio Nirkko (FIN) remains in third with no race position better than seventh. Race wins went to Oliver Tweddell (AUS) and Junior.

It was a long day in Palma with the late coming sea breeze delaying racing. Patience paid off and the second day in the Trofeo Sofia IBEROSTAR provided great racing and allowed to complete the qualification stage. A seventh race was completed for the kites who will go into medal race mode on Wednesday.

Applications are now open for the 2015 St John’s Rotary Trust Scholarship with two $1000 scholarships up for grabs for up and coming youth sailors.

The wind played dirty tricks all day in Palma on sailors and race committees who had to juggle with big shifts and different pressure. From 4 to 20 knots, and reaching 40 in some gusts, the wind turned around the bay playing with everybody's nerves! However, the show was on with the bay covered with white caps and the 800 boats that raced their first day in the event.

Now that the Cricket World Cup is over the focus can turn to the most important trans-Tasman battle of the year. Over Easter, the Kurnell Catamaran Club on the southern shores of Sydney’s Botany Bay is hosting the 2015 Maersk Line Paper Tiger Catamaran International Championships.

New Zealand’s largest single-class regatta, the 2015 Toyota Optimist National Championships, starts at Worser Bay on Easter Friday. Over 200 sailors from four countries will compete in 14 races over five days of racing. Familes will be bringing dinghies from as far away as the Bay of Islands in the north and Dunedin in the south. Others have chartered boats from our sponsors, SailOne and Force Racing.

Over 1.200 sailors from 65 countries are in Palma de Mallorca to compete in the 46th edition of the Trofeo Princesa Sofia IBEROSTAR. This international regatta has become a regular feature for worldwide sailors who will race in the 10 Olympic events, the Formula Kite, the Dragon and the 2.4 Paralympic class, from the 28th of March until de 4th of April in the beautiful bay of Palma.

The Jollyboat class convened at Manly again for the second year running from the 20th-22nd March to hold its National Championship. This year, in contrast to last, to be greeted by a brisk Easterly and mountainous seas.

So where to begin? After our Miami trip in January, we had a good month and a half at home, getting in lots of off the water training (or in Jo’s case – also some on the water paddle-board training), lots of meetings and planning, making sure we are on track and organised – this is a rather big year for us with over two hundred days overseas. We even managed to fit in a little sailing – at the NZ 470 Nationals and Oceanbridge Sail Auckland, where we had some rather fun battles with the New Zealand boys, Paul and Dan, it was a case of match racing from 3 min to go every single start – awesome fun!!

The Timaru Yacht and Powerboat Club members Les and Beryl Baker have achieved a major milestone with their Noelex 25 trailer yacht Skid Mark – clocking up 1000 nights spent on board - amounting to close to three years worth of night’s afloat.

After spending the New Zealand summer training, preparing and competing domestically the NZL Sailing Team are Europe-bound getting ready for some northern hemisphere competition.

Here’s a look at the up-coming sailing related events around the country for the next couple of weeks. See the YNZ on-line calendar for full details of these events and those on beyond that. Are you organising an event but don’t see it listed here? Don’t miss out on some free promotion for your sailing events by adding them to the YNZ on-line calendar here.

From the blessing of the site, the opening of the Race Village, MAPFRE’s winning of Leg 4, The New Zealand Herald In-Port Race, Cyclone Pam, the delayed departure of the fleet and the breakdown and handover of the Race Village, it’s been eventful, it’s been fun, it’s been engaging, it’s been diverse and it’ll be back in 2018.