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Queen Charlotte Yacht Club’s Open Day on Saturday 13th February, which was scheduled in conjunction with 2016 Volvo Sailing and Boating Week, started out with light winds and plenty of sunshine.
This year’s Learn-to-Sail graduates were out on the water in force to get their coaching and the decision was made to split the sessions to make sure all youngsters had a turn. In the meantime more experienced young sailors rigged up two Omega yachts, on loan from Yachting New Zealand and suitable for all levels of sailing.
Soon the public started to arrive and the first sausages hit the BBQ.
It didn’t take long and kids and adults alike went for a sail on the Omegas under the guidance of Queen Charlotte Yacht Club youth sailors Seren Adams, Nick Gardiner and Alistair Gifford.
At the same time other club members as young as seven years old were taking out kids in an Optimist. The more adventurous, or the ones that knew port from starboard, jumped in an Optimist themselves after receiving some tips and happily tried to make the boat sail where they wanted it to go.
There were Queen Charlotte Yacht Club kids on kayaks to provide coaching and club support vessels were out in the bay to lend a hand. It was awesome to see so many happy faces on the water.
Jasper Hopkins (Starling sailor) taking a passenger
In the afternoon the Club ran a few short races with several classes including Optimist, Starling, P class, Laser Radial and Lasers with a full rig. The Omegas also joined the racing with their guest crews on board.
“Support from sailing clubs across New Zealand is essential to deliver the Yachting New Zealand Volvo Sailing and Boating Week opportunity to everyone. This was certainly an awesome day for it… And well worth repeating.”
