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Our four NZ Community Trust regional development managers take a look at what's been happening around the country, as we start to look ahead to next season.
Planning a regatta next season?Yachting New Zealand wants to know about it. Photo / Adam Mustill Photography
Spread the word: Send us your regatta details
As winter starts to bite, many clubs are planning ahead to the next sailing season - and Yachting New Zealand would like to include your club's regatta details in our website calendar.
It's an important step for any club or class association, as regional development manager Hayden Whitburn explains: "If you are planning a major or national event in your area, now is the time to get your dates into the Yachting New Zealand regatta calendar.
"This helps sailors from around the country organise logistics in advance but also avoids date clashes which have been an issue post-Covid, as the season got very compressed."
Clubs or class associations wishing to run a national championship must submit an event application form to Yachting New Zealand for approval no later than June 30 or six months prior to the event start date (whichever occurs earlier).
Once approved, all dates will be published on the regatta calendar on Yachting New Zealand’s website.
To apply to host a national championship or to send Yachting New Zealand details of another major event, click here.
For more information on running a major event, click here.
Get in touch with your local regional development manager if you need any assistance.
Clubs can improve the way they do regatta results thanks to a free Sailwave webinar early next month.
Score! Free Sailwave training for clubs
When it comes to racing everyone wants better results.
That’s why Sailwave, with a bit of help from Yachting New Zealand, is offering a webinar for clubs to maximise the use of its scoring software.
Sailwave is one of the world’s most popular results programmes and is free for yacht clubs to use for their events.
“As with many technologies, there is so much built in that users may not be aware of or have not yet configured,” said Yachting New Zealand regional development manager Ian Gardiner.
Sailwave's Jon Eskdale will be hosting a free webinar for club members with a basic understanding of the programme, who wish to develop their knowledge of it.
The webinar will take place on Thursday, June 1 from 7pm and topics covered will include an overview of Sailwave and using the software; improving the appearance of event and sponsor logos; how to direct post results to social media; using the Sailwave FTP site for storing and posting results; the use of the NCH progressive handicapping system; the use of the SWPH in Mark Foy races; and sending race results as Microsoft Excel or CSV files.
To register and to forward any questions for the webinar click here.
For more information please contact Ian Gardiner on iangardiner@yachtingnz.org.nz.
This year's inaugural Harbour Classic was a big success.
2024 Harbour Classic confirmed
Following the success of the inaugural Harbour Classic earlier this year, organisers have confirmed the event will be returning in 2024 - bigger and better than before.
Next year's event will take place on March 8-9 and will again be over 14nm, starting at North Head and running along the North Shore beaches to Torbay, before returning to North Head through the Rangitoto Channel.
The race is based on the famous Barcolana Regatta in Trieste, Italy - holder of the Guinness World Record as the largest regatta in the world.
“We were so thrilled with the lineup of boats in our first year and knew that once people experienced the overall event, it would take off,” said Greer Houston, Commodore of the New Zealand Multihull Yacht Club.
"All boats start on the same start line at the same time. It might sound daunting, but they have been managing it in Trieste for 50 years, and this is what this event is all about - participation, fun, a spectacle and an experience."
Next year's Harbour Classic will take place two weeks before SailGP and will be part of a soon-to-be-launched festival.
This year's Auckland Anniversary Regatta was cancelled following the devastating January 27 flooding.
Have your say on Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta
The Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta - the oldest sporting event in the country - has been around for 183 years. It’s seen plenty of changes in that time, evolving from its original impromptu format on the day Auckland was founded on 18 September 1840, to the diverse spectacle of sailing, power and paddle craft that it is today.
This year's event was cancelled following the devastating flooding in the region on January 27.
Now the regatta’s organisers would like feedback from Auckland’s sailing and boating community on how they can build on and improve the regatta for future generations.
“We do our best to put on a great regatta for everyone taking part," said the event’s executive officer Joyce Talbot, “and as part of that, we’d like to understand how people feel about the regatta and if there’s anything we could do to improve it.”
The Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta committee would really appreciate your feedback via a quick survey. All responses are anonymous.
You can take the survey here.
Team USA was one of many embassies participating in the race. Photo / Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club
Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club ends season in style
The Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club hosted their Commodores race for the season, aligned with the annual Ambassadors Trophy, recently with 44 guests from 17 different countries sailing on 27 boats.
Vice Commodore Amanda Daysh described it as a "magical day", with plenty of new people attending this year's event - including representatives from several embassies.
In a Facebook post, United States Ambassador to New Zealand Tom Udall described the event as "a stunning weekend".
“In all, 17 countries participated in the hard-fought race. A big thanks to Team USA’s skipper James, who taught us a great deal about sailing in New Zealand, and to Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club, for hosting a great race! What a wonderful day to represent the United States in Aotearoa, New Zealand,” Udall said.
The club will now turn their attention to this weekend’s prizegiving when they celebrate the success of its 140th sailing season.
Last weekend's Hansa 303 singles North Island championships was cancelled due to the Waitara River being in flood.
New date for Hansa 303 singles North Island championships
A new date for the Hansa 303 singles North Island championships has been confirmed after last weekend's planned regatta was cancelled due to the Waitara River being in flood.
The event will now take place on June 10-11 at the Waitara Boating Club.
Meanwhile, the Hansa Libertys are due to have their North Island regatta next weekend (May 27-28).
It will be sailed from the Sailability Auckland compound at Westhaven.
Bluff Yacht Club have finally received a new fleet of Optimists.
Bluff gets fresh Opti fleet
After more than three decades of using the same Optimists, Bluff Yacht Club have secured a new fleet.
"Our new Optimists have arrived down at the yacht club and they look great. Our original club Optimists have been serving the club for more than 30 years - our commodore Grace (Finlayson) learnt to sail in 'Molly', the original blue Optimists in the early 2000s," the club _ New Zealand's most southerly - said in a social media post.
"We will be retiring a couple of our older Optimists but you will still see a number of them out on the water this coming season, alongside our new fleet."
The club also have a fleet of Sunbursts and a Laser, as well as a number of trailer yachts and keelboats.
Every season the Bluff Yacht Club host the Oyster Regatta, which includes both dinghies and trailer yachts.
