Issue date
It has been a busy month in the north, starting with the commodores get-together evening at Murrays Bay Sailing Club when representatives from 17 clubs in the Auckland region which run centreboard sailing programmes attended the evening.
The aim was to introduce the new commodores to everyone; to put some names to faces. The new commodores are:
- Kohimarama Yacht Club: Dan Andersen
- Royal Akarana Yacht Club: Matt Woodley
- Wakatere Boating Club: Simon Probert
- French Bay Boating Club: Fergus Thompson
- Murrays Bay Sailing Club: Jane Pilkington
- Torbay Sailing Club: Geoff Harden
- Manly Sailing Club: Russell Coutts.
It was a great evening with plenty of discussion around how clubs have worked together in the past and how we can keep the good relationships going in the future. It was great to see everyone from different clubs chatting. Thanks to Yachting New Zealand and Lawson's Dry Hills for the beers and wine.
O'pen Bic Cup
The most northern centreboard sailing club, Taipa Sailing Club, hosted the 2017 Northland O’pen Bic Cup. There was a good turnout for the two-day with 38 sailors from all over the country competing.
Russell Coutts taking the sailors through some drills at the O'pen Bic Cup.
The open fleet had a training session on Friday afternoon with Russell Coutts outside the estuary in the fresh, choppy conditions on Doubtless Bay while the silver and bronze fleets had an opportunity to get used to the boats in the smoother waters of the estuary.
Racing started on the Saturday, with a fresh north-westerly kicking up a tricky chop for the sailors. The gold fleet handled the conditions well but it was tough on the silver fleet. All the sailors headed in after a couple of races to warm up and glean a few more tips from Russell before returning to the water for one more triangular race and then the long race which took the sailors on some good reaches, then up the estuary and back to the finish by the club to end a great day.
Sunday saw an early start, with four quick races run on an America's Cup-type course in a building northerly breeze. It was a fantastic weekend. See the Taipa Sailing Club Facebook page for full results and pictures.
Sailability
Chris Sharp and Rob Hielkema have done some terrific work to really get Sailability going in the Bay of Islands. The pair are hoping to grow this and, in time, build a Whangarei-based group as well.
Chris had his wheelchair stolen while out sailing but, fortunately, it was found and returned. The publicity around this has bought more people forward to have a go at sailing, wo there was one positive to this unfortunate incident.
Ice Breaker Regatta
The Ice Breaker regatta at Murrays Bay Sailing Club on September 16 attracted 90 boats See here for full results.
Upcoming Events
The days are starting to get longer and the temperature is getting up there occasionally which tells us the sailing season is about to start.
The Bay of Islands Yacht Club are running a three-day training camp at Otehei Bay from September 30-October 2. The club have some fantastic coaches and there are still some spots available so, if you want to be part of this unique camp, contact Darryl Honey on darryl@almag.co.nz or 021 909 038.
The Winter Champs, a three-day regatta for junior and youth classes, will be at Murrays Bay Sailing Club on October 6-8. There will also be pre-championships coaching on October 3-4, although registration for this closes on September 20. For entries and notice of race, see here.
The Yachting New Zealand Youth trials are being held at Manly Sailing Club on October 11-15. About 80 children aged 14-19 are expected at the event which is being used as a selection regatta for the NZL Sailing Foundation youth team to compete at December's Youth Sailing World Championships in Sanya, China. Entries are open and can be submitted until October 2.
Trials will be held in all five youth classes: RS:X 8.5, 420, 29er, Laser Radial and Nacra 15. Athletes who win their classes will be nominated for selection but will still have to prove they are capable of good results at the youth worlds - New Zealand competed in eight of the nine events last year.
Most of the dinghy sailing clubs will be up and running after the school holidays and it promises to be a bumper season following the exploits of Emrirates Team New Zealand in the America's Cup.
Hopefully the rain stops so I can get a little TLC on boat before the season starts.
