News

Sailors Taylor Burn and Henry Gibbs won the Marlborough Sports Team of the Year at the 2013 Marlborough Sports Awards on Monday night. “It was a great night” says Taylor’s Dad Rob Burn. “330 people, John Macbeth was MC and Sir Graham Henry was the guest speaker. “Taylor gave a great speech off the cuff - even thanked his parents and Henry's. Unfortunately Henry wasn't able to be there.”

It was a day of incremental improvements for all three New Zealand sailors racing in the gold fleet at the 2013 Laser World Championships drawing to a close at Musannah, Oman. With one day remaining Sam Meech has moved up one position into 9th, Andy Maloney up two places to 14th while Thomas Saunders has climbed one place into 19th.

It was light and shifty again in Oman for the penultimate day of the 2013 Laser World Championships where kiwi campaigners Sam Meech, Andy Maloney and Thomas Saunders are all fighting it out in the gold fleet.

Researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute announced today the results of a pilot study demonstrating use of a virtual therapeutic sailing simulator as an important part of rehabilitation following a spinal cord injury (SCI). Auckland's Spinal Rehabilitation Unit based sailing simulator programme led by Sailability Auckland's Brendan Toruelle played a key role in gathering data, conducting the same measures and sharing data with the research team.

Yachting New Zealand is pleased to announce the appointment of a new NZ National Classifier for sailing – Helen McKenzie. After attending the IFDS Classification Seminar in August 2013, Helen was awarded this designation which enables her to give a national classification to sailors with physical disabilities sailing in Paralympic class boats.

On 9- 10 November 2013 a keen group of first time sailors descended on Mount Pleasant Yacht Club for two days of sailing. Supported by the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation and Yachting New Zealand, 15 physically disabled people took their turn using an adaptive Hansa 2.3 dinghy on loan from Otago Yacht Club. In Otago, this boat enables an inclusive sailing programme also organized

After solid wind through the opening half of the 2013 Laser World Championships in Oman, day four provided sailors a new challenge with light and very shifty conditions at Mussanah Beach.

Seven individuals have been honoured with Yachting New Zealand Life Membership in 2013. The recognition will be celebrated at the 2013 Yachting Excellence Awards gala dinner on Friday November 29th at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

This year seven Youth Performance Awards will be presented at the 2013 Volvo Yachting Excellence Awards recognising sailing achievements since September 1st 2012. Sailors in this category must be under the age of 21 years on December 31 this year.