News

Oceanbridge Sail Auckland 2013 came to a roaring conclusion, with strong winds again pushing the sailors to their physical limits on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour. All fifteen fleets sailed their final races on Tuesday February 5th in winds that gusted up to 30 knots. As anticipated, the only females entered in the 470 fleet, Olympic Gold Medallists Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie won the regatta with a margin of twelve points.

Local Dunedin brothers, Jake (25) and Ben Hawker (22) from the Macandrew Bay Boating Club, have for the first time up lifted the Sunburst National Champion title by an all Dunedin crew and boat. The Sunburst National Championships were sailed on the Otago Habour from the Port Chalmers Yacht Club during January, 18th to 21st January 2013. Conditions for the regatta provided a good test for all the 30 registered boats for the event.

Over the summer school holidays the Otago Yachting Association (OYA) ran a very successful Breakaway Sailing Programme over a period of four weeks. The programme ran one week prior to Christmas then recommenced for three weeks in January starting on the 7th January.

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 later in February and beyond. 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.

On Friday 25 January the Port Chalmers Yacht Club was host to the launching of a recently completed yacht by member Rob Wood. Rob has just wrapped up the build of his new yacht “Te Waka” a 650 Leech Carbon Fibre Sportsboat. Te Waka is the first new build launch at the club in recent years and quite a large turnout of members and friends came to witness the launching after a traditional Maori blessing conducted by local Kaumatua, Noi Hudson.

It has been another busy start to the season for our Sailing... Have a Go! programme. During term four 2012, 1475 students took part in the programme with more than 70% expressing an interest in learning to sail.

Three young sailors from three different yacht clubs in New South Wales and Tasmania today combined to gain an impressive early lead on day one of the prestigious Hardy Cup Under 25 ISAF Grade 3 match racing regatta on Sydney Harbour.

Emirates Team New Zealand today unveiled its second AC72 with a low-key ceremony at the team’s Viaduct Harbour, Auckland, base. Barely six months after the team’s first AC72 catamaran started testing the second boat was ready for the water, another significant milestone accomplished as the team prepares for its challenge for the 34th America’s Cup.

Conditions on Auckland harbour were less than obliging for the competitors on day three of Oceanbridge Sail Auckland, allowing only six of the fifteen classes to get on the water. Three races were sailed by the Lasers, Laser Radials, 470, 420, Finn, while the kiteboards sailed four in winds of 20 knots gusting to 30.