Tauranga P Class sailor wins the Wihau Shield - For those who remember the Wihau Shield, this is not a reprint of an old headline, and ‘Wihau Shield’ is not a misprint.

The New Zealand Team Sailing Association and Sandspit Yacht Club are preparing for this year’s Secondary Schools Team Sailing Nationals, led by event organiser Ross Sutherland. The event will be held at Algies Bay, Warkworth, with sailing starting on 24th April and continuing through to Friday 29th, with 31 teams (225 sailors) representing schools from the Cook Islands down to Timaru.

Samantha Norman, representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, has taken the title of New Zealand Women’s Match Racing Champion for 2016. In a nail biting final match with Zoe Bennett from the RPNYC, it was a battle of North vs South and Experience vs Youth. Samantha and her team of Jenna Hansen, Hanna Hielkema and Kate Ellingham took the title with 3 wins and 1 loss, describing the regatta as “hard work but lots of fun!”.

Hamish Hall-Smith has won the Farr 3.7 National Championship and made a bit of history at the same time being the first under-21 sailor to win the Open Title. Only 2 1/2 years after hopping out of a Starling, and after campaigning a 49er last season, Hamish (17) focussed on building a new wing rig in an effort to harness more power and this proved a step forwards for his boat set up.

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have secured the 2016 49er European Championship and their 25th consecutive 49er regatta victory. Alex Maloney and Molly Meech closed out the regatta in 5th place in the 49erFX. 

The New Zealand contingent had a strong penultimate day at the 2016 49er and 49erFX European Championships in Barcelona, Spain today with Peter Burling and Blair Tuke on track to take another victory, and Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (pictured) sailing themselves back into podium contention.

In the second week of the school holidays the Bay of Islands Yacht Club are offering a training program for youth classes including the Laser Radial, 420, 29er, windsurfers and catamarans. 

Gisborne Yacht Club hosted the 2016 Gisborne Financial Services Poverty Bay Champs over the weekend prior to Easter.

New Zealand’s Peter Burling and Blair Tuke just seem to keep getting better! Competing in Barcelona, Spain at the 2016 49er and 49erFX European Championships the kiwis added more bullets to their score-card today and are now 34 points out in front with two days of the regatta remaining.

Optimist Class Measurer Mike Judd was humbled to be recognised with an IODA Award presented to him at the recent 2016 Optimist National Championships.