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Our NZCT regional development managers bring you the latest updates from their areas - including work on refreshing Yachting New Zealand's environmental sustainability programme.
Yachting New Zealand's education lead Alisa Torgersen.
Survey helps shape 'shared vision of sustainable yachting community'
Yachting New Zealand is working to refine its Clean Club programme following a review of the groundbreaking environmental initiative.
Now in its third year, Clean Club is a world-first framework designed to kickstart the environmental sustainability journeys of our 108 member clubs through easy-to-follow steps.
It was born from Yachting New Zealand’s strategic vision "to have a positive impact on environmental issues that affect member clubs and their wider community," and focuses on five areas: administration and leadership, waste management, resource conservation, community outreach, and education.
It also gives clubs a clear and practical starting point, courtesy of a best-practice list that can be tailored to each club's own environmental sustainability goals and capacity.
The programme offers three different levels of recognition for clubs’ efforts, allowing them to move from one to three stars, depending on how many best-practice sustainability criteria are achieved.
To date, 44 clubs have registered for the programme, with 13 clubs already certified.
According to Yachting New Zealand's education lead, Alisa Torgersen, a survey was sent out to certified clubs, as well as those who have registered to become a Clean Club but have not yet taken the next step.
"Our environment is constantly changing, and as a result, Yachting New Zealand was looking for participating clubs' input to help refresh and improve the Clean Club programme," Torgersen says.
"Participants' insights are invaluable in helping us refine and enhance our initiatives, and we want to thank those who took the time to share their feedback and contribute to our shared vision of a sustainable yachting community."
Respondents were asked about several aspects of the programme, including the certification process, the five focus areas, and the guidance Yachting New Zealand provides.
"Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with both groups showing strong appreciation for the programme and the role it plays in recognising and promoting environmental consciousness," Torgersen says.
"They also value the structured guidance it offers clubs to minimize their environmental impact."
Participants found the information available on the Clean Club website to be adequate, while the best-practice list emerged as the most useful resource for both groups.
Suggestions for improvement included tailoring the programme to better suit keelboat and cruising clubs, as well as those located inland.
"Some clubs were also interested in the possibility of accumulating points across various sections of the programme, rather than within each section individually, while many were in favour of a three-yearly renewal process," Torgersen says.
"We value this feedback, and having this data allows us to consider how best to shape Clean Club for 2024 and beyond."
For more information about the Clean Club programme, click here or email Torgersen at alisa@yachtingnz.org.nz.
Bella Jenkins and Nicola Hume took out the girls division at the 29er national championships. Photo / Jacob Fewtrell Media
Jenkins, Hume march on
Bella Jenkins and Nicola Huma have continued the impressive start to their partnership in the 29er by taking out the title in the girls' event at the class nationals at the Bay of Islands Yacht Club.
Jenkins and Hume, who only started sailing together a few months ago, finished sixth overall in the 27-boat fleet. They were 10 points ahead of Madi Russell and Kate Rasmussen (eighth overall) and Erin and Isla Kee (14th).
Jenkins and Hume also placed first in the girls' 29er at the New Zealand youth championships at Murrays Bay Sailing Club in April to book their spots in the NZL Sailing Foundation youth team for the youth world championships in Lake Garda next month.
William Mason and Giorgio Mattiuzzo won the overall title at the 29er national championships.
William Mason and Giorgio Mattiuzzo defeated one half of the defending champion crew in the boys' and overall division when they pipped Will Leech and Sean Kensington to the title.
Kensington and older brother, Rowan, won the nationals last year. Kensington and Leech had to settle for third at the weekend, with Mason and Mattiuzzo sailing consistently well to win by four points from Nelsen Meacham and Levi Jenkins.
Full results here.
The 2024 Yachting New Zealand Starling Girls Accelerator Programme kicked off in May.
Olympic boost for Starling girls programme
The Yachting New Zealand Starling Girls Accelerator Programme is officially underway.
The class of 2024 spent two days on and off the water at Royal Akarana Yacht Club last month, setting their goals for the season, testing their fitness, perfecting their set-up and tuning, and discussing pre- and debrief routines.
Past and current Olympians Jenny Armstrong and Tom Saunders were on hand to share some handy tips and advice with the 13 girls from all over the country.
The programme has been developed for female sailors under the age of 18 and is aimed at fast-tracking a select group of sailors' development through the single-handed dinghy class and into the Aon national youth programme.
The 12-month programme will see umore than a dozen young female Starling sailors develop their skills and knowledge through a series of on-water and online sessions.
The programme consists of intensive on-water clinics, coaching support at key events, online workshops and individual check-ins along the way and will be supported by experts in the Starling class, NZL Sailing Team members and coaches, as well as High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) support staff.
Click here for more on the programme, or contact Armstrong at jenny@yachtingnz.org.nz.
The A-Class world championships will be held in Auckland in 2025. Photo / NZ A-Class Catamaran Association
Sailing's A-list expected at world champs
Former Olympic sailors and America's Cup competitors are expected to descend on Auckland late next year when Manly Sailing Club hosts the A-Class world championships for the first time in a decade.
Brent Harsant, president of the NZ A-Class Catamaran Association, said he was expecting around 80 entries for the event.
"New Zealand hasn't hosted the A-Class worlds since 2014 and we're confident this will be an excellent event with many of the top guys competing," Harsant said.
Peter Burling, Blair Tuke, Andrew Landenberger, Ray Davies, Scott Anderson and Nathan Outteridge are some of the high-profile sailors who have competed in recent world champs, while Emirates Team New Zealand stalwart Glenn Ashby has won the world title 10 times.
According to Harsant, there are approximately 25 active A-Cat sailors in New Zealand with current national champion Dave Shaw likely to pose a strong challenge to the international visitors.
For more information, click here.
AYBA newsletter coming to an inbox near you
Are you keen to know more about yachting in the Auckland region? Then sign up for the brand new Auckland Yacht & Boating Association (AYBA) newsletter.
The AYBA is the regional association for yachting and boating and incorporates some 43 clubs from Manly in the north to Waiuku at the southern end of the Manukau Harbour.
Click here to sign up for the newsletter.
Ready, set, go for winter sprint series
The 2024 edition of the Auckland Junior Winter Sprint Series kicks off this weekend with the first leg to be hosted by Howick Sailing Club.
This year's series will also stop at Royal Akarana Yacht Club (June 15), Kohimarama Yacht Club (June 29 and August 31), Murrays Bay Sailing Club (July 27 and September 21) and Wakatere Boating Club (August 10).
It is open to all Optimist, O'pen Skiff, Starling and RS: Feva sailors.
To register or for more information, contact Marc Frewin on marc.frewin@howicksailingclub.co.nz or call 027 227 5572.
Antipodes took line honours in the inaugural race in 2023. Photo / RPAYC Media
Enter now for Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race
Both the reigning line honours champion and overall winner of the inaugural Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race - hosted by Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club and the Royal Akarana Yacht Club - are to return for the second edition of the race in 2025 in a bid to reclaim the titles they captured.
Geoff Hill, owner and skipper of Antipodes, a Santa Cruz 72 from Hong Kong, took line honours and set the benchmark race record of five days, three hours, 37 minutes, 57 seconds in the inaugural race in 2023.
The 1250 nautical mile marathon across the Tasman Sea is one of the most notorious ocean crossings in the world. It is a Category 1 race open to fully crewed racing and cruising yachts, two-handed yachts, superyachts and ocean-going multihulls.
After exiting Sydney Harbour, the fleet will head north before rounding a turning mark off Barrenjoey Headland and setting sail on the trans-Tasman crossing towards the ultimate prize of the historic Lipton Cup awarded to the overall winner.
For more information or to receive an Early Bird entry discount, click here.
Forty boats participated in Port Ohope Yacht Club's annual regatta. Photo / Supplied
Strong turnout for Ōhope regatta
The Port Ōhope Yacht Club hosted their annual regatta over King's Birthday weekend with a good fleet of 40 boats - including 26 ILCAs.
Most of the competitors made their way from Taupō and Tauranga.
Light winds delayed the start of each day but the breeze did fill in, allowing organisers to get five races in for all classes over the two days of racing.
New Hansa dinghies are on their way to Sailability Canterbury and Sailability Otago. Photo / Supplied
Sailability Canterbury, Otago to get new boats
The newly formed Sailability Canterbury has had another boost with two Hansa 303 dinghies on their way to Christchurch this week.
Two brand new boats on the same trailer will also make their way to Sailability Otago.
This will give both Sailability programmes a huge boost when summer comes around, with the Canterbury programme due to kick off in October 2024.
Special edition: H28s celebrate 50 with commemorative book
The H28 Yacht Owners' Association of New Zealand is proud to announce the publication of a special commemorative book celebrating the 50th anniversary of the H28's introduction to New Zealand's waters.
The book, titled Fifty Years Under Sail, honours the legacy of the Compass H28 yacht, a vessel that has not only graced New Zealand's seascape with its elegant design but has also forged a tight-knit community of sailing enthusiasts since 1974.
To order your copies, contact Evelyn Gauntlett at tropicbird2016@gmail.com.
