Issue date
The 2014-15 year was another successful one for BoPSAT. Highlights included:
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Providing financial support to four youth sailors representing New Zealand at international regattas in July/August 2014
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Taking delivery of 17 new rigs, sails and buoyancy aids for our plastic Optimist learn-to-sail boats
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Passing $50,000 in funds invested in our ‘Sail for Life’ endowment fund.
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Second year of our low decile school sailing programme, which saw seven more children from Merivale School complete a Learn to Sail course at no cost.
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Secondary school team sailing growing to the point that we had five teams from four schools at a local schools regatta in April
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The generous gift of a Topaz Omega sailboat by a local couple
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A financial surplus through steady boat hire income, ongoing support of our sponsors and careful cost control
This season looks like getting off to a great start:
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We chartered racing Optimists to sailors for the AIMS Games and have since seen this fleet booked out for the coming term
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We supported two sailors travelling to the World Blind Sailing Champs last month, one of whom (Dave Parker) came back with a Gold
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We have ordered four more 420s for team sailing, arriving in December, allowing us to base a second fleet in Rotorua
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We have three schools on board for our low decile school sailing programme and will more than triple the size of this programme
Why do we exist?
The Bay of Plenty Sailing Academy Trust is a charity which was set up in 2004 to ‘give all youth in the Bay, regardless of means or ability, the opportunity to enjoy the sport of sailing, and to provide pathways to engage them in the sport for life’.
What do we do?
Central to this is our fleet of 51 (soon to be 55) small sailboats and sailboards, which we fundraise for, maintain and make available to sailing clubs, schools and families at concessionary rates. Our hire rates to yacht clubs are as little as $2 per hour for a $3000 boat. Keeping this fleet in good order is a considerable task and requires a dedicated team of volunteers, which we are very fortunate to have.
From this core activity we also aim to make a surplus which we can plough back into the sport through:
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funding free sailing programmes for disadvantaged children
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supporting disabled sailors and youth who are selected to represent New Zealand overseas
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improving our facilities and capability for the future
We work closely with a number of sailing clubs, particularly the Sailing School coaches at TYPBC in Tauranga but also Port Ohope Yacht Club and Rotorua Sailing Club, and we are keen to work with others in the region.
Who are we?
We currently have six trustees: Fi Charman, Ken Tarboton, Phil West, Roger Clark, Stuart Pedersen and Tina Kennedy. Numerous others help with boat maintenance. Our patrons are Dean Barker and Peter Burling.
