Five months from race start, the latest of 13 boats to put their hand up so far for the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's Auckland to Musket Cove, Fiji Ocean race in June 2013 may also turn out to be the smallest in the fleet.
Lew Anne is an 11m John Lidgard design, built from cement, and weighing in at over 12 tonnes. She is owned by Dave Harding, who is now nearly 70 and who started building her in his backyard in Onehunga in 1965, finished building her in 1995, and who last took part in the Auckland to Fiji race in 1999, where Lew Anne placed second.
The line-up for the Selection Series for the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup will include 11 national teams, attending the two qualifying sessions in San Francisco from February 9-24.
A British team, the GBR Youth Challenge, has been added to the roster to take the place of the previously invited French Youth Team, who now qualify directly for September’s event after gaining support from the French America’s Cup World Series entry, Energy Team.
Entries for the 2013 International 2.4mR class Open World Championships - being hosted by The Poole Yacht Club in Britain – opened on Friday 1 February 2013.The event takes place from 6 - 14 September 2013, and all sailors should enter online via the event website at www.24mworlds2013.co.uk
The A Class Nationals was run in Lyttelton Harbour, Christchurch last week and has concluded with Blair Tuke from Kerikeri taking the title in commanding fashion.
Auckland - The city of Auckland in New Zealand will again play host to sailing's greatest adventure after winning selection as a Host Port in the Volvo Ocean Race for both the 12th edition in 2014-15 and the 13th.
The 2013 NZ Paper Tiger National Championships hosted by the Maraetai Sailing Club in Auckland continued competitive racing today with 2 more races completed in conditions that tested the full variety of conditions.
Panmure Lagoon Sailing Club will be celebrating its 50th Jubilee with a 2-day celebration starting with a 50th Celebration Soiree at the Waipuna on the evening of 2nd March, where all current and former Club members are invited with the annual RSA Regatta on the following day 3rd March, which is open to all outside sailors.
The 2013 NZ Paper Tiger National Championships hosted by the Maraetai Sailing Club in Auckland continued competitive racing today with 2 more races completed in conditions that were once again magnificent for paper tiger racing.
As of today, registration for the 2013 Delta Lloyd Regatta has been opened. You can now register for the second leg in the EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup. As mentioned before, this brand new series beholds five prestigious regattas which incorporates new innovations in race formats, that will make sailing easier to follow and more attractive for sailors, media and spectators.
The 2013 NZ Paper Tiger National Championships hosted by the Maraetai Sailing Club in Auckland began competitive racing today with 2 races completed in conditions that Auckland are renouned for around the world, a warm and sunny 10 to 15 knot easterly.
After nine windy races on the Waitemata, Brendan Tourelle has for the second time won the NZ Access Liberty Class National Championships. He was a clear force to be reckoned with, after winning both races on the final day he had an eleven point lead on second place getter Tim Dempsey.
The 2013 NZ Access Class National Championships are now well under way; after two days of near perfect Auckland sailing conditions, just one day of racing remains to decide who is the best Access Liberty, and Access 303 sailor in NZ. Seven races have been completed to date, and last year’s Liberty class National Champion Brendan Tourelle isn’t ready to give that trophy back just yet.
“Ten months and it will all be over – and we want to be racing right at the end.” Dean Barker talking this week about the 34th America’s Cup.
“Coming to work in 2013 changes the focus dramatically. It’s no longer next year. I can sense the change in atmosphere around the base.”
East-Sou-East at 15 – 18 knots was the start of the day. This was only the beginning…….
B Division Race 1 – the breeze freshened. Power Play was ahead at the first cross-over, Elysium in second place. At the rounding of the top mark – there was no change. And so the race continued. Second time around the top mark first two positions still unchanged with Kaimai Express rounding in third place and Simply Red right in behind.
Hamilton Yacht Club ran its annual Optisail and Youth Training Camp between 15th and 18th January.
The four day live in camp ran this year with 18 sailors from Hamilton, Clarks Beach (Auckland) and Gisborne Yacht Clubs aged between 9 and 14 years.
It has been a few months since I have updated on what I’ve been doing and where I’ve been racing. Trust me, that it is not because there has been a lack of news to update everyone on – quite the opposite, it has been a very action packed few months!
The morning began with barely five knots of wind, predicted to increase during the afternoon. Today has been full of activity. Most races delayed until just before noon with varying winds throughout the bay.
Beautiful sunny morning – about 5 knots expected to get up to 10 knots later in the day. Seventy excited crews ‘ready to roll’. Start boats are primed to report back race results “soon as” so the volunteers in the result hut can get the job done.
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 later in January and beyond.
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.
Olympic sailor Andrew Murdoch is switching to the Finn class and 2013 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland, on from 2nd – 5th February, will be his first regatta in the heavyweight single-handed Olympic boat.
It will be an event to watch with Murdoch lining up against the likes of 23 year old Josh Junior and Junior’s training partner in Wellington two-time OK Dinghy World Champion Karl Purdie. All are relative newcomers to the Finn class.
There’s plenty of dockside action in Opua with 2013 Bay of Islands Sailing Week set to get underway tomorrow, Thursday.
The set up began at 7.00am Tuesday with big trucks arriving carrying well organised canvas awnings to become the North Sails Marque. The day began cloudy but warm with an 8-10 knot breeze.
The Manukau Harbour is vast, immensely tidal, and virtually empty of traffic, and with a clear run for the prevailing South-Westerly, can offer exceptional and challenging sailing. French Bay Yacht Club invites sailors to cross Auckland for its annual regatta, to take place on Sunday 10 February.
The Auckland boats are packed in containers, travel arrangements have been made, the road trippers have planned their route and the 50th Anniversary Flying Fifteen National Championships are well planned and waiting to go…..
Just one week before NZ’s Premier Olympic and Paralympic Class regatta, Oceanbridge Sail Auckland, the country’s top disabled sailors will sail in a mixed fleet against able bodied people to contest for the Access Class National Championships and Kiwi Cup.
A 2011 Southern Pacific 4.7metre RIB was stolen from Bucklands Beach Yacht Club and the Club would like to hear from anyone with any information that could lead to its recovery.
Competitors enjoyed fine, sunny conditions with a 15 knot easterly for the final two races of the 2013 Laser National Championships regatta hosted by Napier Sailing Club last weekend.
With the exception of a wind shadow from a departing cruise liner briefly affecting the course for the Masters the breeze stayed true throughout both races with good waves for downwind sailing.
With just three days left for competitors to register in NZ’s premier Olympic and Paralympic class regatta, Oceanbridge Sail Auckland, a major incentive has been added. “We’re pleased to announce that the Oceanbridge Sail Auckland Organizing Committee has two travel vouchers each worth one thousand dollars to award randomly at the close of the regatta” said Regatta Director Simon Manning.
The three day Starling Match Racing Championship finished today (Monday) at Glendowie Boating Club where a full complement of twelve sailors from New Zealand’s twelve regions came together on Saturday for a round robin series followed by semi finals and finals.
Markus Somerville and Jack Simpson have won the 29er National Championship sailed at Murrays Bay Sailing Club from January 18 to 20.
“It was a fantastic regatta with some great sailing and a huge improvement in performance from the newer sailors,” reports Kim Admore, Regional Support Officer. “This class is one to watch with a lot of young sailors who are likely to be in the 29er for a few years. Congratulations to Markus Somerville and Jack Simpson for taken the regatta out with results of 9 firsts and a 2nd after drops of a 2nd and a 3rd. This is going to be a hard record to beat.”
For the last three seasons, French Bay Yacht Club in Titirangi has teamed up Elements Sailing School to run dedicated Learn to Sail and Refresher Courses for Adults.
Get those Splashes out from under the trees, give them a good wash down and come along to Kohimarama Yacht Club February 9th, 10th and 11th and get two regattas in one.
Kohi is running the Junior Sail Auckland in conjunction with the Splash National Championships.
