The 2012 A Class Catamaran World Champion is Mischa Heemskerk from the Netherlands. While only five races could be sailed as conditions steadily deteriorated with the impending arrival of Hurricane Sandy this week, Mischa was clearly dominant in the strong wind conditions. The kiwi team made this event possibly one of our most successful worlds ever... three boats in the top ten; Murray Philpott 5th, Mike Drummond 6th and Allan Coutts 8th. Big thumbs up for Murray Philpott, now Grand Master World Champion and Blair Tuke 19th now Junior World Champion.

THE NEW WEBSITE is operational. Enter on-line. A big thank you to Andrew Turner for all the hard work and for his expertise – take a look it’s really great. We have a few minor ‘teething problems’ to be finished over the next week. As we say every year, it’s more fun to enter now so you can all check out the competition.

Nominations are being called for the Lion Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award which is awarded each year at the Westpac Halberg Awards. Only nominations received before 31 October are considered for this year’s award.

Yachting New Zealand has two new Board Directors elected at the recent 2012 Annual General Meeting held in Wellington. They are Aucklander Peter Dawson (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) and Wellington’s Jamie McDowell (Worser Bay Boating Club).

Here’s a look at the up-coming sailing events around the country for the next couple of weeks. See the YNZ on-line calendar for full details of these events and those on in November and December. Don’t see your event in there? Don’t miss out on some free promotion for your sailing events by adding them to the YNZ on-line calendar here.

Andy Maloney returned home this morning from France, after competing in an Extreme 40 event in Nice. Here he tells all about what he has been up to in the last two weeks, including Laser training and racing, as well as how their Extreme 40 team went in Nice.

Yachting New Zealand has honoured 22 individuals with Life Membership. The honours were confirmed at the 2012 Annual General Meeting, and recognise exemplary contribution to Yachting New Zealand and to the interests of yachting generally. The list of new Life Members includes men and women whose contributions to Yachting New Zealand are wide ranging. Olympic sailing medallists, America’s Cup accomplishments, promotion of the sport and support of sailors are among the achievements and contributions that these individuals are being recognised for.

2013 Farr MRX Pacific Keel Boat Challenge

The Farr MRX Pacific Keel Boat Challenge is an invitation fleet racing event for ten leading yacht clubs, classes or crews from around the World.

Marina spokesperson, Jon Nicholson updates on their move to address the shortage of mooring space in the Kawau Bay area… For many years there has been a chronic shortage of mooring space in the Kawau Bay area and south as far as the Mahurangi Harbour. In the Sandspit River there is a 20 year waiting list for moorings and that list has now been capped and the Council is no longer taking applications for moorings.

Four classes 3.7, 12ft Skiff, A Class Cats and Starlings attended the annual Spring Freshwater Sprint Championships hosted by the Rotorua Yacht Club before labour weekend and endured a weekend of wild weather. The ‘Spring Sprints’ as they are affectionately known are an annual event hosted by the Rotorua Yacht Club and are flagship regatta for the club. It has a long tradition of being well supported by a number of the non-Olympic classes and the grass- roots sailing fraternity and this theme continues with good fleets of eight to ten boats in each of the senior classes, and a friendly social atmosphere.