News

As the season changes I want to congratulate you all for the success and enjoyment you’ve brought to the boating community through the 2012-2013 summer season be in Club Racing, National Championships, recreational yachting or on the world stage. It’s been a busy time for everyone! Here’s an update of what’s at the ‘top of the pile’ on my desk right now, and matters of interest to the whole yachting and boating community…

Tauranga sailors feature once again the line-up for the 2013 NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team with Zak Merton and Sam Barnett continuing the stream of talent to come from the Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club over recent years. Sam and Zak have been selected for the boy’s double-handed dinghy spot to sail the 420 at the 2013 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships on from 13-20 July in Limmasol, Cyprus.

Here’s a look at the up-coming sailing related events around the country for the next couple of weeks. See the YNZ on-line calendar for full details of these events and those on beyond that. Are you organising an event you would like to see included? Don’t miss out on some free promotion for your sailing events by adding them to the YNZ on-line calendar here.

The Race Coach course focuses on developing skills to coach groups learning to race, and also sailors moving up from learn-to-sail syllabus (green fleet).

New Zealand’s Markus Sommerville and Jack Simpson have won the 29er division at the 2013 RYA Youth National Championships which wrapped up on April 5th in Largs, Scotland. The victory bodes well for Markus and Jack, both Wakatere Boating Club sailors, who have been selected to represent New Zealand in the 29er at the 2013 ISAF Sailing Youth World Championships on in July in Cyprus, and were using this regatta as a lead-up event.

Onerahi Yacht Club hosted the Northland Yachting Association Laser and P Class Championships over the weekend of 6th- 7th April. The regatta was also used for the Onerahi Club Champs and the last regatta in the Heart Land Series.

The fourth Reel Brazil Film Festival in Auckland (18-28 April) and Wellington (02-12 May) will feature a documentary which took ten years to be filmed and is about a Brazilian family's round the world trip sailing. The youngest sailor on the Schürmann family’s round the world journey is five year old, New Zealand born, Kat. She’s a very little girl who gets a very big education: learning hula in Tahiti, horse-riding in Chile, tramping in the frozen desert wilds of Patagonia, while living on board the boat with her family.

Bay of Islands Sailing Week organisers have advised that dates are set for 2014… so mark your diary!

Unseasonably warm conditions greeted the 168 sailors who attended the 2013 Toyota Opti Nationals in Timaru over Easter, and although some of the sailors would have wished for more breeze, the local race committee, headed by Les Baker did a fine job of getting away eight good races in the breeze that was available.