Happy Bastille Day. The French revere July 14th like the Americans do the 4th of July. Picture the scene of the National Day, the start of the French summer holidays in a seaside town, 27 - 30 deg heat, packed beach, bands playing ...and in the middle of it all and in the hottest part of the day, a major running race exactly where 88 420s are parked. The three Kiwi teams are at Plenuef Val Andre in Brittany, France's Norwest corner and a very beautiful part of the world.

American based Navatek ltd and New Zealand’s Lancer Industries ltd have teamed up to provide on water support for the NZL Sailing Team with Emirates Team New Zealand for the Red Bull Youth Americas Cup regatta.

There’s an opportunity up for grabs for New Zealand sailors to attend the Oceania Championships as part of the 9th Pacific Mini-Games on during September in Wallis and Futuna.

Nine sailors and three support staff who make up the 2013 NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team have arrived in Europe in the countdown to racing at this year’s ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships. Limmasol, Cyprus plays host to this year’s prestigious youth regatta which gathers together national teams from around the world and runs from 13-20 July 2013.

The Auckland to Bluff Ocean Race has received a major boost with “Team Australia”, the record-breaking 60ft trimaran, planning to take part in the inaugural race which sets sail from Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour on Sunday, 9 February 2014. Dubbed “Australia’s fastest sailing boat” Team Australia, has broken several sailing records over the past year.

If you've always wanted to learn to sail but never got a chance; or your kids are sailing but you're not really sure what's going on; or you don’t fancy getting wet in a dinghy; or you're thinking of buying your own yacht but you aren't sure what is involved, then here’s an opportunity to find out about it, get out there on Auckland harbor and the Hauraki Gulf on a good sized yacht and learn the ropes so you are ready for summer.

“It’s the World Champs so all of the best Under 19s in the World are going to be there so I’m hoping I can put into place everything I’ve learnt and that the training pays off for me.”

In just 11 short months, Royal Akarana Yacht Club will fire the starting gun for the 22nd Auckland to Fiji race, Sail Fiji. Already the interest for this race has been overwhelming, with big names such as Australian entrant, Lahana (formally Konica Minolta), Steinlager 2 and Lion New Zealand putting their hands up for the tropical challenge. Ed Psaltis, one of the three owners of AFR Midnight Rambler also from Australia, has also put forward his expression of interest for the race.

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have sealed the deal today taking out the 2013 SAP 49er European Championships in Arhus Denmark. Alex Maloney and Molly Meech also secured a podium finish taking bronze in the 49erFX European Championship, with a further two top nine results for New Zealand including 5th for Natalia Kosinska at the RS:X European Championships and 9th for Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski in the 49er fleet.

Yachting New Zealand’s President Jan Dawson is among the finalists for the upcoming inaugural Women in Governance Awards were announced today Women on Boards New Zealand (WOBNZ) CEO Lesley Whyte.