News library

Volvo Cars NZ and Yachting New Zealand are pleased to share an update to the previous discount offers on Volvo Cars... have a look at the savings to be had on 2014 models of Volvo Cars. Save up to 12% on selected models in the Volvo range and at the same time, Volvo Cars New Zealand will make a donation to your club*.

Did you know that there will be THREE world champion crews competing at Oceanbridge Sail Auckland 2014? The regatta runs from 1st – 4th February 2014 at Royal Akarana Yacht Club in Auckland.

New Zealand extend a commanding lead over Australia in the 2014 12' skiff Interdominions on now at Worser Bay Boating Club in Wellington, after a race day packed with drama, incident and very tight racing. Wellington's 'nuking' winds brought chaos and another lead change, as a third competitor puts one hand on one of dinghy sailing's most desirable trophies.

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 you would like to see included? Don’t miss out on some free promotion for your sailing events by adding them to the YNZ on-line calendar here.

Mid February’s Volvo National Sailing & Boating Day is shaping up to be a nationwide phenomenon. Our What’s happening, and where? page now features close to 40 Clubs from all around the country with details of a wide range of events planned for Sunday February 16th and registrations from Clubs are still being accepted.

On 21 January 1939, 75 years ago, four bach owners met at Gerald Anderson’s place at Paradise Bay to consider the formation of a yacht club on their side of Lyttelton Harbour. The Charteris Bay Yacht Club opened the following weekend on 28 January 1939 and on the 29th January 1939 the first race was sailed under the club’s banner.

It's now known as Ports of Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta, and it is one of the biggest regattas in the world, hosted by 17 different yacht and watersports clubs, the Royal New Zealand Navy, and with events at locations throughout Auckland. For those that don't have a boat, it's an opportunity for a relaxing day watching events unfold on the harbor, and the best viewing locations for landlubbers are Bastion Point, North Head, East Coast Bays, Tamaki Drive, Orakei Wharf, and Princes Wharf.

NEXT MONTH – registration on the 21st January is coming up fast. Have you got your entry in?

With just over 260 days to go until the opening ceremony of the Santander 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships the Notice of Race has been published. Santander will be a hive of sailing activity from 8-21 September 2014 with all ten Olympic events racing for World Championship glory and Olympic qualification.

The 2014-15 ISAF Offshore Special Regulations have been published on the ISAF website with an amendment sheet outlining changes in the new edition. The ISAF Offshore Special Regulations (www.sailing.org/specialregs) are used by race organisers to provide uniform minimum equipment, accommodation and training standards for monohull and multihull yachts racing offshore.

Mark your diary with this year’s Auckland to Tauranga Yacht Race on Thursday 17th April 2014.

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron has started formalised planning for a One Ton Cup Revisited regatta in Auckland, in February/March 2015.

The NZL Sailing Team features strongly in the finalists named for the 51st Westpac Halberg Awards. Two double-handed sailing crews - Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, and Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie – are up against the All Blacks (Rugby), Black Sox (Softball) and Men’s Pair Hamish Bond and Eric Murray (Rowing) for Team of the Year. And Nathan Handley is one of four finalists for Coach of the Year – the others include Eddie Kohlhase (Softball), Guy Wilson (Golf), and Steve Hansen (Rugby).

January marks time when the central region will host the Optisail 3-day live-in fun camps at Titahi Bay Boating Club in Wellington 27-28-29 January 2014 and at the New Plymouth Yacht Club 22-23-24 January 2014 and the all new East Coast Juniorsail to be held at the Wairoa Yacht Club 21-22-23 January 2014.

The first clinic has come and gone with a full subscription... why not get stuck into an intensive training clinic before the Hansa class National Championships? The next clinic will be 14 February in Waitara, ahead of the Waitara Regatta on Feb 15/16.

Murrays Bay Sailing Club’s world famous OKI 24 Hour Race is being sailed over the weekend of 8th and 9th of February 2014 on Lake Pupuke.

The Kerikeri Team training regatta ran from Friday 13th to Sunday 15th. December was blessed with perfect weather a pleasant, cheerful bunch of sailors and a wonderful band of volunteer helpers including many parents.

Glenn Ashby leads contingent of Emirates Team New Zealand members competing at the 2014 A-Class Catamaran World Championships. With two months until racing begins, the 2014 A Class Catamaran World Championships has already attracted an all-star line up of some of the world’s best sailors, keen to test their mettle against some great kiwi sailors. Organisers are now delighted to announce that a contingent of up to six members of Emirates Team New Zealand have also signed up to take part.

Oceanbridge Sail Auckland is delighted to announce a package of prizes worth over $10,000 for 2014 that will see the top performers in selected youth classes and two lucky volunteers well rewarded.

ISAF has contacted us following a Yachting New Zealand announcement published on 10th December around the ISAF Youth World Championships of 2015. The dates they had previously confirmed with Yachting New Zealand were incorrect and the regatta is one year later than advised earlier.

The 2014 NZL Sailing Team was launched by Yachting New Zealand today at a function in Auckland attended by team supporters and media.

The creation of New Zealand’s first nationwide talent development programme, called Pathway to Podium, has been announced today. The programme will identify emerging athletes and ensure they’re better prepared to enter the demanding high performance sport system.

It will be 50 years ago next April that the Onerahi to Noumea Ocean Race first took place. That race, and the ones that followed in later years, will be celebrated by the Onerahi Yacht Club next year.

Entries to the Round North Island two-handed race close in under a week, and by now most of the fleet has already done their 250nm qualifying trip. The skippers and crews are all well on their way to have everything prepared and ready.

Wellington Ocean Sports secures ACC drowning prevention funding through Water Safety New Zealand The Wellington Ocean Sports Centre has secured ACC drowning prevention funding to deliver safe boating education to at least 1500 school children over the next year.

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 you would like to see included? Don’t miss out on some free promotion for your sailing events by adding them to the YNZ on-line calendar here.

An area which hosts some of the best sailing in New Zealand, the Nelson-Marlborough region will be abuzz with regattas and off-shore races over the summer months.

Recently we emailed all Clubs about the membership project we are undertaking in response to positive support for the initiative at the 2013 Yachting New Zealand AGM. Kelly Fong is now in the office and on the telephone to a selection of Clubs to gather information around current membership categories and break-downs. If you hear, or have already heard, from Kelly I greatly appreciate you helping out with her requests. The ultimate goal is to make the right decision around how to most fairly attribute our affiliation levy.

Far North marinas in Whangaroa, Kerikeri & Opua are joining the Northland-wide fight against Mediterranean fanworm & it may affect the ability of touring holiday boaties to find marina accommodation for their boats this summer.

The 12th edition of the ever popular Sir Peter Blake Torbay Regatta saw huge numbers descend on the Torbay Sailing Club over the weekend of 7th – 8th December.

The ribbon was cut on a new wharf on the west side of the Otago Harbour on Sunday 1 December. In the 14 August 2013 edition of Briefings an article appeared about the new piles being driven to herald the start of construction of the long awaited new wharf for the Burkes St Leonard’s Boating Club. Now it is pleasing to follow up with another article about the successful completion of the project.

It is great to see that 34 clubs have now registered for the Volvo National Sailing and Boating Day, set to see Sailing Clubs around New Zealand open their doors to the public with plenty of on water action on Sunday February 16th 2014.