Fourteen teams of talented youth sailors from around the world are descending on the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron for this week’s HARKEN Youth International Match Racing Championships. Teams from Sweden, Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand are getting ready to do battle on the Waitemata Harbour for the illustrious HARKEN Cup.

Jack Simpson and Markus Somerville have been selected to represent New Zealand in the 29er skiff at the 2013 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships on from 13-20 July in Limmasol, Cyprus. This will be Jack’s second Youth Worlds Regatta having helmed New Zealand’s 29er entry in Zadar, Croatia in 2011; this year he is crew with Markus Somerville at the helm.

Two New Zealand crews were across the ditch recently for the NACRA Infusion World Championships and the Australian F18 National Championships for 2013, Both were mixed crews - Brett Sellers sailing with Vicky Francis who were top performing mixed crew in both regattas, and Miranda Powrie with Tomer Simhony who also raced two strong regattas.

The sixth Auckland Regatta is on from 22 – 24 March 2013 - ditch the cruising gear and get ready to race! What is it that makes Auckland Regatta great? Most importantly, it is an event for sailors, designed by sailors, and it gets better every year. For 2013, we are hosting the Pacific Keelboat Challenge, and four separate national championship events, for Open Multihulls, 8.5 Multihulls, Farr 1020s, and Elliott 5.9s. All up, there will be 14 racing divisions and one cruising division.

Richmond Yacht Club’s Route 66 coastal race from Auckland to Whangarei is organised in association with Onerahi Yacht Club and SSANZ. With a 9am start on Friday 8th March you’ll finish Friday evening with time to join in the party at Marsden Cove Marina.

The group of talented young sailors selected to represent New Zealand and have the opportunity to be crowned Youth America's Cup Champions at the inaugural Red Bull Youth America's Cup in San Francisco this September has been confirmed. The support of Emirates Team New Zealand provides this entry to the 2013 Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, submitted by Yachting New Zealand, automatic entry to the September regatta, and the team will be known as the NZL Sailing Team with Emirates Team New Zealand.

FMJ were selected to compete in the Red Bull Youth America's Cup selection Series late last year and since then the boys having been working hard in the gym and out on the water! The team arrived well prepared but not sure what to expect in regards to power, speed etc. I can tell you the team was pleasantly surprised how rewarding and exciting these cats are to sail! In saying that you have to remember that in San Francisco it is the middle of winter and a lot of warm clothes/wetsuits were needed!

While Yachting New Zealand’s entry to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, known as the NZL Sailing Team with Emirates Team New Zealand, has automatic entry to the San Francisco Regatta in September, a number of other teams are currently doing their best to prove they can handle an AC45 and deserve a start in September also. Teams without the backing of an existing America’s Cup World Series team have been invited to San Francisco for a Selection Series being held in two stages, and two further New Zealand teams are in the hunt hopeful of earning themselves a start in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup this September – FMJ Racing (helmed by Will Tiller) and 36 Below Racing (helmed by Chris Steele).

Final Placings

1st Scott Barnes                      Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS)

Two-time Olympic medallist Bruce Kendall has been officially recognised with a place in the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. The announcement and presentation was made at the 2013 Halberg Sports Awards held at the Vector Arena in Auckland, where Kendall was named, alongside Jeff Wilson (former New Zealand cricketer and All Black) as the latest to join the illustrious Hall of Fame.