Issue date
Next week the yachting community will come together to celebrate the year’s successes, achievements and contribution to our sport at the 2015 Volvo Yachting Excellence Awards.
Every year Yachting New Zealand receives a wad of nominations in the Service Award category, the calibre of which never ceases to amaze. Restricted to an annual ‘budget’ of just ten Service Awards it can be a tough job for the judging panel to narrow it down.
The short story is that around New Zealand there are dozens of individuals who quietly contribute hours and hours of service to the sport which we’re all passionate about. These are the people that make our yacht clubs, our class associations and our key regattas tick – and without them things would fall apart.
They all deserve a thank you – every time you see them on the beach or at the lake. And it is Yachting New Zealand’s pleasure to say thank you and pay tribute to their efforts, with a Service Award.
In the lead up to the 2015 Volvo Yachting Excellence Awards, on in Auckland on 27 November, we bring you a feature on each of the ten 2015 Service Award winners. Today we focus on Phil Turner.
Phil Turner – for services to youth sailing
The most outstanding aspect of Phil's volunteer efforts cannot be pinned to a single event, but rather the tireless, repeated and frequent work he has put in over the last fifteen years.
Regardless of whether family members were sailing or not, he has gone above and beyond to assist with start/finish/mark help on the water, organizational efforts leading up to the event and working with other volunteers.
He has assisted with a wide range of classes and events incluidng Optimist, 420, 470, Sail Auckland, OKI 24 Hour Race, Zephyr local, national and international regattas.
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From 2002 - 2010 Phil drove from Taupo to Auckland regularly to assist on mark boats at virtually all Optimist clinics, regattas and group training.
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2002 -2007 Phil organised all volunteers for the optimist NI Champs (the last 2 years was after his son had moved out of the class)
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His volunteer involvement in yachting included arranging the importing of 420 boats for the Class (2009),
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2003-2007 Phil assisted at the Optimist Clinics at Eastern Beach
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2002-2007 Lake Taupo Yacht Club Committee
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2006- present every year - OKI 24 Hour Regatta for Murrays Bay Sailing Club he volunteered for graveyard shift counting the laps
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2006 single-handedly organized and ran a fundraiser in Taupo for Dan Slater, Aaron McIntosh and Bruce Kendall raising substantial funds for their 2008 Olympic campaigns
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2011 420 International Junior Worlds, Takapuna - committee member and managed volunteers for the regatta and helped on the water.
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2011/2012 Optimist Worlds New Zealand Committee (no family members sailing) Full time during Xmas and New Year at the regatta
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For eight of the last ten years been on the mark boats at Sail Auckland Regatta
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2012- present Phil single-handedly runs the racing for the Zephyr Class on Wednesday evenings from MBSC
