Issue date
In our regular focus on the regions, central regional support officer Wayne Holdt takes a look at what's been going on in the area.
It will be all action at the New Plymouth Yacht Club this season, starting with the Optimist North Island championships on November 8-10.
The event includes the Starling traveller series but will also feature the new Optimist white fleet, which is intended as a level to help children bridge the gap between the green and open fleets. The white fleet will sail on the same courses as the Optimist and Starling open fleets while the Optimist green and Starling development fleets will compete inside the harbour.
See here for more on the North Island championships, including the notice of race and online entry.
New Plymouth will also host the 2020 Laser national championships on January 16-19.
The club recently purchased six new 420s to replace the old ones, which will be heading to Otago to give their teams racing programme a boost. Big thanks to NZCT, the TSB Community Trust and Taranaki Youthsail for raising the funds required.
Hansa 303 North Island championships
A good fleet of boats is expected for the Hansa 303 North Island championships at the Waitara Boating Club, in conjunction with Sailability Taranaki, on October 19-20.
Boats from around the North Island will compete against the nine Sailability Taranaki boats based at Waitara.
Two doubles races will be followed by three singles races each day. The doubles races will allow some of the new kids from the school groups that attend the Sailability Taranaki programme to experience their first regatta.
The club's refurbishment is nearing completion with new accessible ramps leading to the refurbished upstairs clubrooms, so it should be a great event.
Worser Bay Boating Club
The Worser Bay Boating Club will have a slightly later start to their season, kicking off on October 19 as they attempt get most of the major rebuild jobs out of the way before starting up.
The club have undergone a major rebuilding project and, with plenty on this season, they want to try to get things tidied up before it gets too busy.
Opening weekend will coincide with Yachting New Zealand's Aon Regional Youth Clinic at the club, which will feature 29ers, Laser Radials and Starlings. The 420s will run from the Evans Bay Yacht & Motorboat Club.
It has been a massive effort by members to get the new club building to where it is now, so congratulations to you all.
Worser Bay will also be running the Wellington Starling match race trials and Wellington P Class trials in November, as well as the Spring Opti Clinic over Labour weekend which is aimed as an educational and fun three days.
Upcoming events
- The Ngaroto Sailing Club will be holding a sprint regatta 16-17 November.
- The Wanganui Sailing Club will be running their O'pen Skiff regatta again on November 2-3 and will include the RS Feva as well this year. The regatta will be held at Pauri Lake, which is 10 minutes south of Wanganui. The club run their junior school and learn to sail programmes from the lake and is a great facility with close-to-shore sailing and great viewing.
- Napier Sailing Club are another holding a big regatta early in the season with their Summer Regatta on November 23-24 already generating a lot of interest, especially classes running their North Island or travellers series regattas.
- The Bay of Plenty Trailer Yacht Squadron had a good turnout of trailer yachts at their winter series and will follow that up by hosting the Hartley 16 North Island championships on October 12-13. Lake Rotoiti is a great venue for cruising or racing with a big trailer yacht contingent and 70-plus trailer yachts in their secure compound. The Squadron will also run the Allan Civil Memorial Rotoiti Classic on November 9. There are good launching facilities at the Okawa Bay site and the BOPTYS have many racing and cruising events planned this summer.
