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Participants were treated to lake sailing at its best in last weekend's Aviemore Classic, the 33rd running of the popular event.
As many as 40 boats took part in the racing across three days, which included two days of rapid-fire racing and then the Aviemore Classic, which is an endurance race in excess of 20 miles.
But the weekend is more than a good excuse to go racing.
"It's not the Olympics is one of the catch cries we like to use," race officer Brett Willcock said. "People camp on the side of the lake and there's a good family environment. It's about making the event memorable and, on top of that, there's some good sailing.
"Once people come, they are blown away by the event and this year we had perfect conditions. It was lake sailing at its best."
Competitors from as far afield as Wellington and Invercargill converged on Lake Aviemore and the event incorporated the Ross 780, Elliott 5.9 and Noelex 25 South Island championships. It meant race officers were kept busy, with 35 starts across the first two days before the endurance race on the Sunday.
Former OK Dinghy world championships runner-up Luke O'Connell (Evans Bay Yacht & Motor Boat Club) showed his class sailing a Ross 650 to dominate his fleet and Carla Bennett (EBYMBC) impressed in the Elliott 5.9s.
Willcock explained that next year's Aviemore Classic, which is held annually over Labour Weekend, is likely to double as the New Zealand Trailer Yacht Association Championships and they were aiming to host the national championships in 2023.
