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The four Yachting New Zealand regional development managers take a look at what has been happening in their areas and let you know about the delights of dinghy cruising.
Dinghy cruising is an aspect of our sport we don’t often hear about, but is very popular throughout New Zealand.
The boats are generally 4-7m long with outboards and are mostly sloop or gaff rigged. Most can also be rowed.
Dinghy cruising boats can be found around estuaries and lakes, with Lake Tarawera a popular destination, and are well set up for overnight stays with boom tents or onshore tents. But most are capable of heading into more open waters as well.
There's a wealth of information on the Dinghy Cruising NZ Facebook page and there are usually boats of this type for sale on Trademe.
Their get-togethers have some very inventive names like, the Tarawera Toddle, Te Muri Beach camp and chill out, Tamaki Triangle and Kawau Kaper to name a few.
Macandrew Bay Boating Club
The Macandrew Bay Boating Club has been a hive of activity recently and even featured on TV3's The Project.
The club hosted their first Fun Day on October 9, which they used as an opportunity to reach out to those schools they had hosted for have a go days as well as past and present members to reconnect. They promoted this by distributing posters to a number of schools and sporting venues and attracted many new faces together with regulars.
The Fun Day also featured on TV Three's The Project.
The day was a huge success and organisers don't think they have ever barbecued so many sausages.
The club officially kicked off their learn to sail season the following weekend, with a big increase in numbers from last year, and are already saying they might need some more boats.
Broad Bay Boating Club
Quite a bit has been achieved recently with the rebuild of the Broad Bay Boating Club's facilities, including the removal of the old wharf.
Consents have been obtained and further funding has come in to enable a start to stage one of the project.
The old wharf has been removed and last Friday saw the driving of some test piles, with engineers very pleased with the results.
The rebuild is being carried out in stages as the club obtain the resources, but the driving of piles is a significant milestone.
Bluff Yacht Club
Southland turned on a stunning day for the blessing of the Bluff Yacht Club' new RIB, by Bubba and Komene.
Support from the Lion Foundation and ILT Foundation made it possible for the club to purchase a new Naiad commercial-grade RIB, which will be utilised to accommodate the club's programmes including the recent growth in learn to sail members.
The Salty Dogs
Don’t miss seeing The Salty Dogs band of America’s Cup sailors, led by Tony Rae, perform to support their former NZL32 sailing mate Rick Dodson at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron on October 29.
Dodson wants to share his story of his sailing career and how multiple sclerosis has affected his life. His sailing friends have commissioned Rebecca Hayter to write the book and proceeds from The Salty Dogs' concert will go towards production costs.
Join the party at the Dinghy Locker at the RNZYS on October 29 (7pm). Order your tickets and pre-order your free copy of Rick Dodson’s book here.
Hartley 16 North Islands
The Hartley 16 class will go back to the future when they return to Lake Ngaroto at the end of October for their North Island championships.
After a stint of holding the regatta at other clubs, the decision to return to Ngaroto will hopefully see the class numbers build again after losing several regattas during Covid.
A good fleet of boats is expected at the two-day regatta, especially as Ngaroto is a central venue for most boats to travel to, and the social side the class is well known for will also ensure good attendance.
Learn to sail programmes
The New Plymouth Yacht Club's junior learn to sail programme kicked of last week with 21 new sailors taking to the water for the first time.
Day 1 saw some challenging conditions with a brisk northerly wind and swell. The next two days were light, with the kids able to play plenty of games and enjoy the experience.
These young sailors will now come back to the club on Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings for the rest on the summer to refine the skills they have learned and progress to the green fleet.
The Paremata Boating Club have also kicked off their junior learn to sail in some wonderful conditions.
The sheltered area of Browns Bay, which is further up the Pauatahanui arm from the clubrooms, is a wonderful place for the new sailors to begin their sailing adventures.
Closer to Wellington city, the Heretaunga Boating Club's junior learn to sail squad enjoyed a great couple of days on the water last week.
Good interest in the programme has the added benefit of being very visible to the public along the Petone foreshore and helped see an increase in the club's junior fleet.
Stack Winter Champs
A flood of late entries ensured the grass in front of the Murrays Bay Sailing Club was packed for last weekend's Stack Winter Champs.
About 170 boats across 14 fleets and three different race courses took part in the regatta, which has traditionally signified the end of winter. The two days dished up entirely different conditions, with the light breezes on day 1 giving way to 20-25 knots winds on day 2, and there were even some decent-sized breakers on the beach to keep things interesting.
Congratulations to everyone who took part and to the Murrays Bay Sailing Club who once again put on a terrific regatta.
Royal Akarana Yacht Club
Jo Aleh and Mark Orams. Photo: Suellen Hurling / RAYC.
The Royal Akarana Yacht Club celebrated their 127th opening day on Sunday with perfect sailing conditions to kick off the sailing season.
Okahu Bay was awash with colour as anything from Optis and Cherubs to 12-foot skiffs buzzed around for some club racing.
There were a couple of recognisable figures in the lineup, including two-time Olympic medallist Jo Aleh who teamed up with Whitbread winner Mark Orams, as well as former World Sailor of the Year Mike Sanderson.
Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club
Another royal yacht club, this one at the bottom of the North Island, also served up perfect conditions for their opening day over the weekend.
Clyde Quay was a colourful sight and a hive of activity for the Royal Port Nicholson's Yacht Club's opening to their 140th season, with yachts suitably dressed for the occasion. Some of the members, past and present, scrubbed up pretty well, too.
Former commodore and life member Con Anastasiou officially opened the season and in his address reminded everyone what it means to be a member of the club, drawing on their proud heritage but taking the opportunity to write the next chapter.
About 30 boats gathered on the start line for racing in a freshening northerly and the two trimarans demonstrated some impressive helming skills to weave though the congestion. There was also some spirited battles among the monohulls, especially with a number of visiting boats for the interclub series.
Thanks to all the visiting yachts and crews, members and guests, for making the day a memorable one and thanks also to all the volunteers, on and off the water, for ensuring everyone had a great day and some great racing.
Mercury Bay Boating Club
Mercury Bay are once again hosting their Double Trouble Regatta in their picturesque bay on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula.
The event, which will be held on November 18-19, is open to Hobie Cat, Prindle, Tornado, Nacra 17 and A-Class (foiling or classic) boat or similar.
The area has plenty of accommodation so make a weekend of it and bring the family and, with orca, dolphins, kingfish, kahawai and snapper regular visitors you might make a new friend.
See here to receive the notice of race for the the Double Trouble Regatta, registration details, local information and other updates.
Auckland Etchells
The Etchells is a world-class design that attracts many top sailors but is also entirely affordable for the weekend warrior. Thanks to timeless lines and a strict one-design rule (specifically drafted to keep costs down), Etchells racing is always close and never gets old.
The Auckland Etchells fleet races on Tuesday evenings from October to April from Westhaven.
The boats are launched and retrieved, making it a hassle-free experience, and the team at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron run exciting windward leeward racing without the hassle and expense of large crews and equipment.
Find out more on how to get involved: https://www.etchells.org.nz/ or https://www.rnzys.org.nz/rnzys-events/etchells-sprints/.
