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.

New Zealand has won three medals at ISAF Sailing World Cup Palma – the first of the major European World Cup Regattas. Gold to Andy Maloney in the Laser, Silver to Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech in the 49erFX and Bronze to Sam Meech also in the Laser.

With one day to go at ISAF Sailing World Cup Palma New Zealand has five crews set to line up in the medal races. The best placed of the kiwis are 49erFX skiff sailors Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech who have regained 2nd place in the hotly contested fleet which attracted 34 entries in Palma.

An awesome week of sailing at the 2013 ISAF World Cup event here in Palma has just wrapped up. We were greeted with some great conditions over the course of the regatta, with a range of breeze including some windy days with huge waves making for exciting racing!

For their 2013 Nationals the Elliott 5.9 Class Association chose to join the Auckland Regatta to celebrate 30 years of Nationals event racing for the E5.9. The fleet is growing steadily and involves some well known sailors, with a successful Traveller Series that focuses on five weekend events each year, followed by the class Nationals.

Racing at ISAF Sailing World Cup Palma shifted up a gear for the NZL Sailing Team on day four with the first round of finals races now underway pitting the absolute best from around the world against each other in very close racing.

Dave Shaw (pictured above) has dominated the 2013 Swire Shipping International Paper Tiger Catamaran Championships held over Easter weekend (28 March – 1st April) in a repeat of the 2012 event. 

This year, it was New Zealand’s turn to host the Interdominions in the 14-foot Javelin Skiff. The Bay of Islands put on some superb racing conditions for the fleet with sunny weather and anything between 5 and 18 knots of wind. True to its purpose, the practice race was held in a steady moderate breeze, and even Flying Circus made it around the course upright although stand-in skipper David Rohwetter had never helmed a Javelin before. Both Australian boats left the competition far behind.

For the first time in 52 years, a team from Nelson won the New Zealand Sea Cadet National Skills Regatta competing against the country’s finest.

The ISAF Sailing World Cup Palma, has hit the midway mark with more racing for the NZL Sailing Team overnight. With day three wrapped the qualification series is done and the regatta now heads into the business end. New Zealand is in good shape with the Maloney and Meech siblings leading the charge. Three kiwi crews – Laser men Andy Maloney (pictured) and Sam Meech, and 49er pair Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech - are sitting top three in their fleet.