Competitors enjoyed fine, sunny conditions with a 15 knot easterly for the final two races of the 2013 Laser National Championships regatta hosted by Napier Sailing Club last weekend. With the exception of a wind shadow from a departing cruise liner briefly affecting the course for the Masters the breeze stayed true throughout both races with good waves for downwind sailing.

The Auckland boats are packed in containers, travel arrangements have been made, the road trippers have planned their route and the 50th Anniversary Flying Fifteen National Championships are well planned and waiting to go…..

The Manukau Harbour is vast, immensely tidal, and virtually empty of traffic, and with a clear run for the prevailing South-Westerly, can offer exceptional and challenging sailing. French Bay Yacht Club invites sailors to cross Auckland for its annual regatta, to take place on Sunday 10 February.

The three day Starling Match Racing Championship finished today (Monday) at Glendowie Boating Club where a full complement of twelve sailors from New Zealand’s twelve regions came together on Saturday for a round robin series followed by semi finals and finals.

Markus Somerville and Jack Simpson have won the 29er National Championship sailed at Murrays Bay Sailing Club from January 18 to 20. “It was a fantastic regatta with some great sailing and a huge improvement in performance from the newer sailors,” reports Kim Admore, Regional Support Officer. “This class is one to watch with a lot of young sailors who are likely to be in the 29er for a few years. Congratulations to Markus Somerville and Jack Simpson for taken the regatta out with results of 9 firsts and a 2nd after drops of a 2nd and a 3rd. This is going to be a hard record to beat.”

For the last three seasons, French Bay Yacht Club in Titirangi has teamed up Elements Sailing School to run dedicated Learn to Sail and Refresher Courses for Adults.

Get those Splashes out from under the trees, give them a good wash down and come along to Kohimarama Yacht Club February 9th, 10th and 11th and get two regattas in one. Kohi is running the Junior Sail Auckland in conjunction with the Splash National Championships.

Bay of Plenty residents and visitors remain at risk of paralytic shellfish toxin poisoning. “Levels of toxin found in shellfish are still high and there have been two further cases of illness reported over the Christmas and New Year holiday,” says Dr Jim Miller, Medical Officer of Health for Toi Te Ora – Public Health Service. This brings to 29 the total number of people who have been poisoned by eating toxic shellfish collected from the Bay of Plenty coastline since mid-December.

The final day of racing at the Hartley 16 National Championship in New Plymouth saw the fleet complete three races in light to moderate winds.

Emirates Team New Zealand took delivery of the second AC72 catamaran this week and the complex commissioning process got underway.