CAULERPA EXPLAINED WING WARS RIG LIKE A PRO
Where to go, what to do
Sport New Zealand is on a mission to make sport and recreation more accessible to young women. It starts by understanding what motivates teenagers, and it’s not always about winning! As a parent, teacher, coach, or volunteer - how can you help attract more girls to your code?
Being active has many benefits, however young women can find their experiences negative rather than positive when pressure to succeed mounts. It’s important to view physical activity through a wellbeing lens. Physical and mental wellbeing is not always achieved by being on a winning team or achieving great performances.
Taking part in sport and active recreation should result in young women feeling safe and free to express themselves. Seeking out and building environments that are free from pressure and judgement will ultimately result in more teenage girls taking part for longer.
Life pressures start to mount in the late teenage years due to academics, as well as home, work, and social commitments. It is common for young women to start exploring other physical activity options that better suit these lifestyle changes. However they choose to move, move with it! Remember that some physical activity is better than none.
Provide opportunities for young women to shape their physical activity experiences. Ask them what they enjoy, what they want to do more of, and offer them opportunities to take the lead.
IT’S A FACT THAT YOUNG WOMEN ARE DOING LESS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAN YOUNG MEN OF THE SAME AGE AND THAT THEIR MOTIVATIONS AND BARRIERS ARE DIFFERENT. HERE ARE THE STATS:
17 %
68 %
15
Young women spend less time per week being physically active than young men. There is a 17% gap at age 16 and a 26% gap at age 17.
68% of young women will avoid participating if they do not feel confident about their bodies.
From age 15, the decline in physical activity rates is steeper for young women (10%) versus young men (3%).
Teenage girls want to do more activity but are more likely to say they are too busy or too tired to increase their participation in sport and recreation.
Young women are also more likely to cite judgement, lack of confidence and fear of failure as barriers to increasing participation.
FUN, FITNESS, AND FRIENDS are the biggest motivators for young women to participate in physical activity.
Young women gain motivation and confidence when they are taking part in activities with friends. Encourage peer interaction and look for activities where the culture is inclusive and welcoming.
It might feel like mobile phones and other digital devices are getting in the way of a healthy lifestyle, but the reverse is also true. Phones, social media, fitness aps, online fitness classes and smart watches all play a role in encouraging physical activity and allow young women to explore movement in their own time and space. Look for ways to use digital devices for good.
Chances are that if it’s fun, they’ll do it more. Physical activity is essential to both physical and mental health and no matter what level they are participating at, keeping the fun in the game is essential.
Around the country, yacht clubs are putting the finishing touches to their preparations for the new season and for many, this is the most exciting part of the year.
That’s even more true for those in the North Island and in parts of the south who were impacted by what has become known as the Summer of Storms.
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Suzanne McFadden, Niall Anderson, Robin Marsh, Mark Orams, Dean Stanley, Rod Emmerson, Zoe Hawkins, Kirsten Moratz, Kelly Mulcahy, Hayden Whitburn, Wayne Holdt, Ian Gardiner.
EDITORIAL
Eduan Roos
eduan@yachtingnz.org.nz
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Angela Jordan
angela@yachtingnz.org.nz
YACHTING NEW ZEALAND
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But, as our chief executive David Abercrombie writes in his message in the Yachting New Zealand annual report, while for many the early part of 2023 was characterised by loss through the large-scale devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle and other adverse weather events, this year has again highlighted the incredible buoyancy of our sailing community.
The arrival of spring also signals an exciting addition to our range of offerings – you’re reading the very first edition of our new e-magazine Yachting&Boating Quarterly
Our sport has many different facets, and every Kiwi yachtie will love it for a different reason.
What is ubiquitous though, is the commitment and drive of our sailors, our club members, and our volunteers.
With YBQ, we hope to better tell the stories of these people. It provides us an invigorating platform to share in far greater breadth and depth their successes, and to offer solutions to some of the challenges they face.
The first edition is packed with news and opinion from all areas of the sport –from grassroots and cruising to keelboat and high-performance sailing – and from all corners of New Zealand.
It features what we hope are useful tips on checking your ropes before that first sail, the latest technical gear and equipment
to make your time on the water more enjoyable, and ways to upskill – including in the gym and from the coach boat.
We also look at the upcoming New Zealand youth trials and highlight four crews to keep an eye on, we share the inspiring reason behind Olympic hopeful George Gautrey’s breakthrough season, and we take a deep dive into exotic caulerpa –the invasive seaweed affecting an increasing number of Kiwi boaties, as well as what is being done to counter it.
A personal favourite is the ‘You Say’ section on page 37 where you, our members, get the chance to share your thoughts and suggestions on the happenings in our clubs and class associations.
As with any new undertaking, YBQ will continue to evolve until we land on the perfect content mix, and we would love your input on the stories we should be sharing.
Please have a browse and get in touch at eduan@yachtingnz.org.nz with any comments and questions ahead of our next issue in December.
Eduan Roos Editor
How Aleh and Meech found their groove 12-15
BRAZIL BECKONS
Next gen eye world stage 8-9
GAME, SET, MATCH
The day Kiwi schooled his mentor 10
FOILING, PATHWAYS
... and having the Edge 11
New Zealand’s top young sailors will this weekend battle it out for the title of national youth champion in five classes – and a spot at this year’s youth sailing world championships.
The 2023 New Zealand youth championships will be held at the Royal Akarana Yacht Club in Auckland from Friday to Monday and will again double as a selection trial for the New Zealand youth sailing team.
The four-day regatta is open to all youth classes and will include windfoiling one of two foiling classes making its Olympic debut at next year’s Paris Games.
To enter, competitors in the ILCA 6, 29er, 420 and iQFOil 8m classes are required to be under the age of 19 on December 31, 2023.
The winner of each youth class will be put forward for nomination to be considered by the New Zealand selectors for the youth worlds, which will be held in the coastal resort town of Armação dos Búzios, Brazil from December 8 to 16.
Yachting New Zealand talent development manager Geoff Woolley is pleased to see the return of the New Zealand youth championships to a standalone event after last year being incorporated into the Oceanbridge NZL
which only one entry from each country is selected to compete in each class.
A total of 450 sailors from 69 countries competed in the Netherlands last year.
New Zealand has a proud history of success at the event, having won 56 medals since the first event in 1971, and past notable winners include Alex Maloney, Blair Tuke, Chris Dickson, Jo Aleh, Russell Coutts, Dean Barker and Stuart Bannatyne.
The 2023 Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta winners, Brown and Norman impressed at the 420 world championships in Alicante, Spain in late July – their first world champs together. A promising start to the regatta, including a bullet in the second gold-fleet race, had them well-positioned for a podium charge before struggles in lighter breeze saw them drop back to 25th overall.
Ferrissey has had a consistent year, taking out the youth girls titles at the class nationals and Oceanbridge early in 2023. She was 31st in a 100-boat fleet at the ILCA 6 (Laser Radial) world championships in Dziwnow, Poland in July and will be battling it out with the likes of other top young talent like Zach Stibbe and George Pilkington.
The youth girls winner at the 2023 national championships and the Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta, Bright is expected to be at the front of the 8m fleet at Royal Akarana. The daughter of Kiwi Olympic great Barbara Kendall also showed her versatility by winning the women’s title at the New Zealand and Australia national wingfoil champs.
The dominant force in the class domestically over the last 12 months, the Kensington brothers will be hard to stop in what is expected to be a big fleet. Their recent triumphs include the Auckland championships in January, the Oceanbridge title in February and the national championships in June. They also narrowly missed out on a top 10 at the 29er worlds in Weymouth in August.
The best part of Nick Egnot-Johnson’s 2023 Congressional Cup wasn’t the realisation of a childhood dream of standing on the dais in match racing’s most prestigious event, or the potential springboard to achieve another long-held goal of winning a world championship.
It was facing the most successful skipper in the history of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) and a sailor he grew up idolising – and beating him to the bronze medal.
Egnot-Johnson and his Knots Racing team finished third at the Cup in Long Beach on April 23 after defeating British match-racing great Ian Williams in the petit final. Williams is someone EgnotJohnson had looked up to while cutting his match-racing teeth – and who he had lost to in his two previous Congressional Cup appearances.
“We had all basically learned to match race off this guy. We’ve watched his videos all over YouTube, watched him beating so many different people and dominating the World Tour for years,” Egnot-Johnson said.
“To then come up against him and get the win was pretty cool.”
The 24-year-old Aucklander and his crew of Alex Higby, Bradley Mclaughlin, Sam Barnett, Alastair Gifford and Zak
Merton defeated Williams’ China One.Ningbo team 2-0 after earlier being knocked out at the semifinal stage by the eventual winner, American Chris Poole (Riptide Racing).
Williams has won five Congressional Cups and the world championships six times – a title awarded to the overall winner of a select series of events on the annual WMRT schedule.
The Congressional Cup is considered the ‘grandfather of match racing’ and has been contested since 1967. It was the first of four events counting toward the 2023 world championships.
Despite Williams’ reputation, EgnotJohnson was confident they could beat him in a must-win race after twice lining up against him in the round-robin stage at the Congressional Cup.
“He beat us in our first two Congressional Cups (2019 and 2022) but we definitely thought we could do it this time as we had beaten him in the first round-robin race and only lost the second when we made a small mistake on the second beat,” Egnot-Johnson said.
“We felt like we were sailing really well, and we knew we just had to ignore the Williams name tag on his sail. We decided to pretend he was someone else and not let
his name make us nervous.”
The Knots Racing crew announced themselves as a rising force on the scene when they narrowly missed out on the semifinals at the 2019 Cup.
“We had a really good one that first year, a bit of beginner’s luck ending up fifth, but last year we had a shocker, and we were ninth out of the ten teams”.
What makes their success at this year’s event even sweeter is the fact that they all work full-time to fund their own way to international events, while many of their competitors are fully sponsored.
“We still don’t have a sponsor for our team, and we all have full-time jobs to pay for everything out of our own pockets. The top four teams on tour have everything paid for and they can go over to events early and train on the boats beforehand. It definitely makes things trickier for us, but we work with it.”
The team was hastily assembled ahead of a Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadronrun trial for the match racing youth world championships in 2018. They decided to “stick with it” after winning the trial and “going OK” at the worlds, Egnot-Johnson explained.
The podium finish in California is a career highlight “right up alongside” his team’s victory at the WMRT finals in Sydney last December but it hasn’t changed much in practical terms.
According to Egnot-Johnson, it secured an entry for the GKSS Match Cup Sweden in Marstrand in July, where the team were knocked out by Poole at the quarter-final stage.
The Americans were upset 2-1 by Bjorn Hansen of Sweden in the final, while another Swede Johnie Berntsson took out the petit final.
The Kiwis are sixth overall on the 64-strong WMRT leaderboard, 51 points adrift of first-placed Poole.
The Bermuda Gold Cup in October is “the next step” on their journey, followed by the Bao’an Match Cup in China in December, Egnot-Johnson said.
“Ultimately, we do it because we love match racing.
“To get a good result every now and then – like at the Congressional Cup – is a nice little bonus,” he said.
“It’s our passion and we’d like to think we’re pretty handy at it.”
When Kiwi match-racer Nick Egnot-Johnson lined up against his childhood idol at the sport’s pinnacle event, he had a simple plan – to pretend he was competing with someone elseNick Egnot-Johnson and his Knots Racing crew finished third at the 2023 Congressional Cup in April. Photo: Ian Roman, World Match Racing Tour
In April, Serena Woodall and the Edge Women’s Match team won the Women’s World Match Racing Tour’s inaugural Casa Vela Cup in San Francisco. We caught up with the versatile young sailor, who also competes for Live Ocean Racing in the ETF26 series, and in the 69F Youth Foiling Gold Cup
How did you become involved in sailing?
I grew up on Waiheke Island, so I was always in or on the water. My friends and I would spend the weekends sailing various boats to other islands in the Hauraki Gulf and go camping. I was hooked on the freedom it offered. I didn’t really follow the traditional sailing pathway. I did a bit of Optimist sailing initially, but never really competed in dinghies as getting boats off the island wasn’t that convenient. We had some team sailing at school, although I only started racing competitively when I joined the [RNZYS] youth training programme and it’s all evolved from there. I’ve just recently bought a Waszp to train on at home, but I am focusing more on the 69F, ETF and match racing circuits for now.
You sail a range of boats – do you have a favourite and what are some of your best memories in both classes?
Starting out, I had a big focus on match racing as part of the youth training programme and then we formed 2.0 Racing. Being part of that group and progressing with the team throughout the years must be a highlight. We’re all
great mates and every event is fun but also extremely competitive. Another highlight was second place at the women’s world championships at home in November last year with the Edge Women’s Match team.
I’ve really enjoyed learning a new boat in the 69F and going a bit faster over the last year. We launched a new campaign – Enzedder Racing – for the 2023 season. Our first event was in Miami in January. Having never sailed together and the rest of the team being new to the boat, it was exciting to show some early potential by qualifying for the Barcelona Grand Final in November.
How did you become involved with the Live Ocean Racing team?
Last year, the core team couldn’t make foiling week at Lake Garda, so Helena Sanderson and I were given the opportunity to fill in. It was probably a case of right place at the right time, as I was in Europe racing the 69F and doing some match racing. Sailing with and learning from Liv Mackay and Jason Saunders was one of the highlights of my sailing last year and a glimpse into sailing at a high level. I’m also proud to be sailing for a purpose.
You’re passionate about conservation and you were a part of the Blake Inspire for Sailors class of 2019. What are your memories from that week?
It was eye-opening in many ways. Looking after the environment has always been a passion of mine – when you spend so much time on the water, you quickly become aware of the destruction it’s facing and the need for all of us to be better. But it [Blake Inspire for Sailors] was where I realised the urgency of the situation and how to educate ourselves and people around us about environmental issues. It was where I found my voice.
As one of the country’s top young female sailors, what are your thoughts on the pathways and opportunities for girls and women on and off the water?
Sailing is unique in that there are many different pathways you can take, and they are always evolving. It’s a really exciting time in the sport and there are epic pathways opening up that are a first for the sport with the Women’s America’s Cup and women getting involved on the SailGP circuit. If you put in the time and effort, if you are prepared to take opportunities, aren’t afraid to step out of your comfort zone and back yourself, you’ll find your feet somewhere.
18 MONTHS OF THRILLS & SPILLS
February 2022
Meech and Aleh finish fourth overall at the 2022 49erFX national championships at Murrays Bay – their first event as a skiff pairing. They follow it up by winning four of 12 races to take out the Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta at Wakatere Boating Club only a week later.
They claim 12th place in a 38-boat fleet at their first international competition – the French Olympic Week in Hyères – with nine top-10 results across the 15-race series, including a second in qualifying and third in gold fleet. They miss out on the top-10 medal race by only five points.
Jo Aleh can stop apologising. Over the last 18 months, the two-time Olympic medallist has been learning the ropes in a 49erFX with her new sailing partner, Molly Meech, and admits making her comeback to world sailing in a skiff hasn’t been straightforward.
“There have definitely been moments where I’ve apologised for the way we’re going, only to be told ‘No, no, no – stop apologising’,” Aleh says. “We obviously want to do well and we’re putting everything into it, but it’s pretty hard when you don’t get much back in terms of seeing progress.
“But we’re very lucky with the people around us; when we lose belief sometimes, they’re like ‘No, no, just keep at it, you’ll get there’.”
Their supporters were right, and their confidence in Meech and Aleh was repaid when the Kiwi skiff pair finished sixth at the sailing world championships in The Hague in August. They made their first medal race in the process – and qualified New Zealand for a spot on the 49erFX start-line of next year’s Paris Olympics. Unfortunately, light winds on their final day meant they didn’t start the 10-boat medal race, especially when they still had a mathematical chance of stepping up onto
Their promising start to the international season hits a snag, with two frustrating results in the space of a few weeks – albeit against quality opposition. Aleh and Meech finish 16th overall at the Kiel Week, and 17th at the 49erFX European Championships in Aarhus – winning only one race in 24 attempts.
the podium. “It was a bit of a shame,” says Meech. “It would’ve been nice for us to race in a medal race for the first time, but that’s just the nature of our sport.”
“We’ll just have to do it in the next one,” Aleh chips in.
It’s been a big leap of faith for Aleh, making her return to competitive sailing after a six-year break, following almost a decade dominating 470 sailing with Polly Powrie and winning Olympic gold and silver.
Meech, a former FX world champion and Olympic silver medallist, says she and Aleh always knew what they signed up for when they agreed to join forces for a shot at the 2024 Paris Olympics. “It was always part of the challenge. And we’re both really competitive,” Meech says.
Aleh agrees: “I don’t think either of us would do something if it was easy! We love a challenge.
“With anything you do like this there are the good times and some pretty tough times, and you do question whether you’re going in the right direction. It felt like we were getting beaten up a lot earlier this year, so it’s nice to turn it around and prove we’re on the right track together.
“And it’s definitely been enjoyable – I’m loving it.”
The pair certainly found their rhythm despite testing conditions in The Hague –from the North Sea current to the strong breeze and a highly-competitive fleet. Sailing consistently throughout the regatta – scoring their first race win and ending each day in the top 10 – they showed all their recent work, to get off the start-line well then keeping things simple on the racecourse, paid off.
“We’re super proud to have made the medal race, and to qualify New Zealand for the Olympics is awesome. For us, it was
They’ve had their share of spills but Jo Aleh and Molly Meech seem to finally be on track for the Olympics, writes Suzanne McFadden
really cool to feel like things are finally coming together. We’re really piecing things together now,” Meech says.
“It wasn’t easy. The tide was catching a lot of people out – even when we all knew there was going to be a lot of current. Equally, most of our racing was in 15-20 plus knots, and there was quite a chop.
“And our fleet’s so close, everyone’s pushing really hard these days. So every mistake you make, you get punished for it. Which is great for the fleet, but it makes racing a lot more challenging. So you really have to be onto it.”
They weren’t the only Kiwis at the worlds to secure Olympic berths for their nation – joined by the 49er, Nacra
A third place in a depleted fleet at the North American championships is followed by a muchimproved performance at the 49erFX world championships in Nova Scotia – where they just miss out on the medal race, finishing 11th.
17, ILCA 7 and the men’s and women’s windfoil.
The rewards have come to Meech and Aleh at the end of a long stint training and racing in Europe since April.
They got off to a tough start, finishing 17th at the Princess Sofia Regatta in tricky light breezes, then failed to make the gold fleet at French Olympic Week in Hyères. They followed that up with “too many swims and frustrating mistakes” at the Olympic test event in Marseille, ending up 16th.
“This is probably the first regatta where we haven’t had major stuff-ups. Well, maybe one or two, but it’s definitely less,” Aleh says immediately after the worlds.
A slow start to the new year sees Aleh and Meech finish as runners-up to Alex Maloney and Olivia Hobbs at both the 49erFX national championships at Royal Akarana Yacht Club and the Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta in Torbay.
The duo start their second European campaign together strongly, by leading a star-studded fleet early at the Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma de Mallorca. They win two races – including one in the gold fleet – but inconsistency sees them finish 17th and some way off the medal race positions.
“In sailing there are so many things you need to get right. It’s been a bit painful in some of the last events we’ve done – we’d do so many good things and at the finish of the day, we’re like ‘Oh we did this, this and this’. But then there would be one thing – like in the Paris test event, we capsized, which was mostly my fault. One big mistake can cover all the good things you’ve been doing.
“Sailing the FX is very much like that, and the way the learning process goes, while you’re making mistakes, the good stuff doesn’t really show. So hopefully we can stop making the big mistakes now.”
With less than a year to the Olympics, Meech and Aleh decided they were better
off spending a decent chunk of time in the Northern Hemisphere – especially during another erratic Auckland winter.
They trained in the Spanish port of Santander with locals and 2021 world champions, Tamara Echegoyen and Paula Barceló, and under the close eye of the Kiwis’ coach, Javier Torres del Moral, who guided the Brazilian 49erFX crew to gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
“I think we realised we had to be here, when we’re so limited with only 11 months until the Olympics,” Aleh says. “We have a really good relationship with Tamara and Paula – they came to New Zealand last summer. So we’ve got different bases we can go and know we’re always sailing with
A poor start to qualifying at the French Olympic Week means Aleh and Meech have to claw their way back from deep in the fleet. They can’t quite pull it off, finishing 34th overall despite two top-four results to round out their efforts in the silver fleet.
top quality boats.
“Every time you come home you lose a week with travel and jetlag. So we’re trying to make sure we’re making the most of our sailing, and we’re lucky we’re both happy enough to be away from home for this long.”
Now the challenge is to earn selection for the New Zealand team to line up at the Paris Olympics sailing venue of Marseille next July.
“We have a pretty good plan and an amazing coach in Javier. We really trust that he knows what we need to do,” Aleh says. “It’s a matter of really putting in the effort and ticking off what we can in the time we have.
Having qualified for the sole spot at the Olympic test event in Marseille, they show glimpses of their best – including three top-10 results – but a raft of errors and capsizes keeps them anchored in the bottom half of the fleet throughout the event and they finish 16th.
Aleh and Meech punch in 10 top-10 results in 15 races at the sailing world championships to qualify for their first medal race as a combination. Lack of breeze on the final day robs them of the opportunity to improve on their position of sixth, but they secure New Zealand a spot in the class at the Paris Olympic Games.
“We know we probably won’t bring it all together until closer to the Games. We know it’s going to be a pretty big ask. But as long as we’re making progress, that’s all we can do.”
Meech, who’s also working to complete her Masters in environmental sustainability, says she’s continually learning, on and off the water.
“Jo and I are definitely still learning about each other and how we race together and making improvements along the way. We’ve had a lot of experience in different areas in the past, but bringing it all together and learning how best to work together – it’s a journey. And it’s been fun so far.”
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As George Gautrey soaked in his world championships success, draped in a Kiwi flag and beaming a smile shinier than his bronze medal, his mind flashed back to a moment months before.
Gautrey had navigated the changing currents of a sailing world that had taken him in quick succession to Italy, France, Mexico, Spain and Australia, but each time he came home unsatisfied – another major
regatta in the books with nothing to show for it.
So, as the most important stint of the Olympic cycle loomed, Gautrey took a long hard look in the mirror and readied himself for some brutal truths.
Was he the best ILCA 7 sailor in the world? No.
Was he doing everything he could to be the best in the world?
Also no.
Gautrey knew it was time to do something about it.
The way he retells it, you could be forgiven for assuming Gautrey was sailing poorly.
The truth was the results hadn’t been bad for the affable Wellingtonian – there were appearances in medal races, and his only notable disappointments in 2022 came with significant caveats – a withdrawal from the world championships
after battling Covid-19, and snapping his kicker and tiller extension in Palma.
But you don’t get any additions to your luggage for simply making medal races, and Gautrey desperately craved the feeling of travelling back home with a shimmering testament to his on-water skills.
After all, his most treasured carry-on baggage – a bronze medal at the 2019 world championships – had come when he was just 21 years old, and, more remarkably, with a dislocated knee.
With that success having followed a strong stint in the junior ranks, it seemed the shifting winds of the dinghy class were buffeting a strong breeze at his back, a gust that would propel him to the glories he had dreamed of since he started racing Optimists as an eager 10-year-old at Muritai Yacht Club.
So how did Gautrey go from standing on the podium in 2019, to in front of the mirror in 2023?
‘It’s been a long road back,” Gautrey offers wryly as he contemplates his winding journey.
He’s taking a moment to reflect after his brilliant bronze at the world championships in The Hague – his second medal at a world-class regatta in just over four months.
Add in a fourth place at the Olympic test event in Marseille, and Gautrey, now a comparative veteran at 25, is in the midst of a career year that has catapulted him from outsider to Olympic contender.
“If you told me a year ago, I’d be going on nearly three podiums in this season I’d be shocked,” he admits.
Since his third place at the world champs four years ago, Gautrey’s development had been stunted. A 29th place at the 2020 worlds in February was his last major international regatta before Covid took over, sidelining the international fleet for 21 months until the
2021 world event, where he finished 18th.
Able to sail a busier – but still not full – schedule in 2022, he cracked the top 10 at the Hyères regatta and nabbed eighth at the European champs, but those meets functioned as his second and third medal races at the highest level, with Covid having robbed him of the chance to
develop and perform under pressure in his early 20s.
And after his wide-eyed, nothing-tolose exploits in 2019, he found the pressure that came with higher expectations to be, at times, crippling.
“I just wasn’t up to it in that area of my sailing,” Gautrey says. “I knew that on any given day or any given condition I could win a race, or a few races, but doing it over seven days against the best in the world when the pressure’s on and the people are watching, I just couldn’t deal with it.
“I was superstitious, I’d get all sweaty, I’d start doing weird things like start thinking about my prizegiving speech when you’re only on the second race of the regatta.
“Maybe I was a bit of a victim of early success in sailing. It made me think I was a better sailor than I was. You sort of expect yourself to do that well every time. It’s taken me a long time to recapture that.”
During that time, Gautrey had the first
“Maybe I was a bit of a victim of early success in sailing. It made me think I was a better sailor than I was. You sort of expect yourself to do that well every time. It’s taken me a long time to recapture that.”
of a few tough conversations with Yachting New Zealand’s high-performance team, including coach Mark Howard, to first identify the problem, then find a solution.
Performing under pressure continues to be a big focus for YNZ, who have worked closely with renowned forensic psychiatrist and consultant Dr Ceri Evans over the past 24 months.
“This really helped me and my coach to find ways to harness that competitive anger that drives that compulsive need.
“Any of the top 15 can really put a strong regatta together, but doing it regatta after regatta, that takes a little bit of extra icing on top – the stuff you can’t see. It’s not how you sail the boat, it’s what the head’s doing while you’re doing it.”
T his year, his head has been screwed on straight. A silver medal in Palma at the start of April set the scene for Gautrey’s return to the top, followed three months later by fourth at the Olympic test event, a result he describes as “pretty painful”.
But that pain was harnessed into gain in the Netherlands, where back-to-back race wins in the middle of the regatta saw Gautrey jump into medal contention, with the opportunity to seal a medal before the medal race began if he could produce a good showing in the final gold-fleet race.
In a hectic race in challenging conditions where only one other member of the top 10 managed to finish in the top 18, Gautrey coolly crossed in ninth, and ensured a medal would be his. Pressure? What pressure?
“I’ve done a lot of work with my team on how I deal with racing and deal with the pressure and that’s served me really well this year,” beamed Gautrey. “It’s awesome to see their work and some of my work come to fruition.”
A risky decision in the medal race that saw Gautrey take the wrong side of the course left him nudged out of silver by Britain’s Michael Beckett, with Australian Matt Wearn taking the gold, but for Gautrey, it was a pleasing finish to a season that signalled his return to the place he’d been pushing for since 2019.
“I can walk away with my head held high,” he said.
“This whole season has been a good recognition of the work I’ve been doing behind the scenes and the people around me have been doing. It’s not just a result for me, it’s a result for the people who have helped me get here.
“But I’ve certainly still got some room to improve on that and working with Mark and a few other people close to my campaign to make that all come together,
especially building up towards Paris and the next worlds, there’s some really good gains for me to make.”
Those gains may not have been possible if not for YNZ’s support and the brutal truths uncovered last year.
“I just made a choice to get on the right track and go for it. Credit to YNZ and High Performance Sport for helping me, backing me to get back on track and hopefully it keeps running along and I look forward to pushing my way up the podium further.
“I don’t go to these events to come third, I want to win, so I’ve got to look at how to close that gap and I’m excited to do that.”
If that sounds like a lot of pressure, well, that’s no concern to the new George Gautrey.
“I’m loving the pressure at the moment,” he grins.
“Absolutely loving it.”
3 George Gautrey (ILCA 7)*
4 Isaac McHardie & Will McKenzie (49er)*
6 Jo Aleh & Molly Meech (49erFX)*
7 Josh Armit (men’s windfoil)*
8 Micah Wilkinson & Erica Dawson (Nacra17)*
11 Tom Saunders (ILCA 7)
22 Veerle ten Have (women’s windfoil)*
23 Logan Dunning Beck & Oscar Gunn (49er)
24 Justina Kitchen (women’s kitefoil)
28 Lukas Walton-Keim (men’s kitefoil)
34 Eli Liefting (men’s windfoil)
35 Thomas Crook (men’s windfoil)
*Secured a nation spot for the 2024 Olympic Games
It’s the fastest growing class in New Zealand with equipment options to make your head spin. But what did the experts use at this year’s nationals and what should you keep in mind before joining the craze?
Wingfoiling has taken off in New Zealand, with over 70 competitors entering the inaugural national championships in May. The class’ increasing popularity has also seen the battle for market share intensify, with more than a dozen different brands now available to Kiwis.
Hugo Wigglesworth, one of the country’s top young wingfoilers, lets us in on what he loves about it – and what you should look out for when buying your first kit.
“Winging is different to any other sailing that I have done in the way that you can fully flag out the power, yet still ride along with the use of the foil,” Wigglesworth said.
When starting out, you want a mid-range size (between 4m and 5.5m) because in ideal learning conditions (15-25kn) a wing smaller than 4m will not have the power to get you riding and one over 5.5m will have plenty of power but can be hard to handle.
What Hugo uses: Flysurfer Mojo 4.5
When starting out, I would recommend you spend most on a quality wetsuit, life jacket and helmet. These things are essential items that should last throughout your progression in the sport.
Buy a big board to learn on – ideally 15 or more litres over your weight in kilogrammes.
What Hugo uses: Armstrong Wing SUP
The bigger the front wing and the shorter the mast, the easier it will be to learn on. A front wing larger than 1200cm and a mast between 60cm-85cm is ideal.
What Hugo uses: Armstrong HA725
Wing: UnitD/Lab
Board: Axis Froth 4.8
Foil: Axis Power Carbon High Modulus
Josh Armit
Wing: PPC X-Blend 4.3
Board: PPC Soar Pro 83
Foil: Sabfoil M103K
1 2 3
Wing: Flysurfer Mojo 3.5
Board: F-one Rocket Wing
in New Zealand, with dozens of different brands available in the country.
Thom estimates about six of these are Kiwi brands – designed in New Zealand and distributed around the world.
Speed, accessibility, and a comparatively small price tag is what sets wingfoiling apart from other sailing classes – and it’s no surprise it has taken off in New Zealand.
That’s according to Sam Thom, who alongside David Gunn and a team of volunteers have worked to establish wingfoil racing in the country.
Their efforts have led to the establishment of the Wingfoil New Zealand class association and the inaugural national championships earlier this year.
According to Thom, the first wings started popping up across New Zealand in late 2019, and soon people from all walks of life – and with varied levels of sailing experience – were taking to the water.
In May 2022, Manly Sailing Club hosted the first official race day and had over 25 people on the start line.
“There are many things to like about wingfoiling – but for me, the social aspect is one of the most important and something we must try to nurture,” Thom said.
“Yes, the racing is very exciting and a big attraction for many, but the focus will always be to keep the racing as fun and friendly as possible. Racing and going fast is only one aspect that makes wingfoiling so popular. It is an exhilarating sport where you can ride endlessly on swells and waves like snowboarding down a mountainside –many riders are also now doing incredible freestyle tricks including flips and spins.”
The proliferation of participants has also seen a boom in equipment providers
“To start you really only need a wing, board and foil,” he said. “A decent starter kit will set you back anywhere between $4000 and $5000 - but it’s possible to get on the water for much less with second-hand equipment.”
The number of non-sailors taking up the sport has been a welcome boon for sailing, Thom said.
“That was one of the big drivers for trying to get wingfoiling going in New Zealand – we wanted to see new people joining their local yacht club.
“Many people who had never even considered it have now had their first taste of yacht racing – learning about start sequences, lay lines and picking wind shifts. It’s opened a whole new way into experiencing yacht racing.”
Former Olympic windsurfer Barbara Kendall is another advocate for the growth of wingfoiling domestically.
The three-time Olympic medallist competed at the nationals at Manly Sailing Club in May with daughter Aimee Bright and says the increasing popularity of the class has shades of her own windsurfing journey.
“It’s evolving pretty quickly and it’s a bit like windsurfing was in the early 80s, when we were pioneers of the sport. The whole thing is happening again with wingfoiling and it’s really exciting to be in this first wave of this sport,” Kendall said.
Bright took out the women’s title at the Australian nationals in New South Wales in February and finished fourth in the surffreestyle competition at the GWA World Cup in Tauranga a month later.
She was due to represent Oceania at the World Beach Games in Bali in August, before the host nation pulled out at the 11th hour.
“There is a bit of an equipment war at the moment – he who has the fastest equipment still tends to win and it’s evolving so fast that it’s hard to know how we’ll compete [against other countries],” Kendall said.
“We have some great manufacturers in New Zealand but until you’re actually racing on the European circuit where most of the research and development is happening, it’s hard to know how fast you’ll go.”
Considering its growth over the past year, there’s no predicting where participation levels will be – and how much more development will be seen in the equipment in another 12 months, Thom said.
“It’s encouraging and exciting to think that almost exactly 12 months after the first official race day we had 75 people show up for the nationals – most of them in the open fleet.
“A few of years ago, wingfoiling was merely a new niche water sport.
“Now, if you walk down most beaches in Auckland on any Saturday or Sunday, chances are you’ll see the bay completely covered in wings.”
A few years ago, wingfoiling was a relatively unknown concept but now there’s no telling how big it could get
VR
In the heart of the marine and specialised technologies in New Zealand, where innovation dances on the waves, a transformative tide is rising.
Virtual Reality (VR), once a distant dream, has now cast its immersive spell on the boat building and marine systems engineering training in New Zealand, through MAST Academy.
This cutting-edge technology is set to revolutionise the way potential learners in these fields are introduced to our sectors and in the longer term acquire skills and expertise.
Imagine stepping into a virtual boat building workshop or a marine systems workshop, where real people are working on real boats and engines. Envision what as a new apprentice you might do on an average day.
The ability to view and get a snapshot in 3D of all the various marine or composites or industrial textile workplaces …
This is the essence of the VR showcase in boat building and marine systems engineering – a doorway to experiential learning that surpasses traditional methods. Furthermore, The MAST VR showcase serves as a bridge between theoretical knowledge and practical application.
Learners can touch and transform models within the showcase and go on a journey through all the major sectors in marine – all of which have apprenticeships on offer.
Viewers get to hear from current apprentices in real-world conditions, enabling them to make informed decisions about where they want to go with their careers.
The result is a unique insight into an opportunity for an apprenticeship in boat building, marine systems, composites, industrial textiles, power boat rigging and outboard servicing.
Collaboration is the keel upon which marine industries thrive. VR dismantles geographical barriers and enables potential learners who may not have considered a career in marine to get a taste of the opportunities.
We worked with Waxeye to develop the showcase but we also worked with real workplaces and real people doing real jobs, including Lloyd Stevenson Boat Builders, Mercury Marine, Advanced aerospace, Westhaven Marina, and INC upholstery.
Thank you to these businesses who gave so freely of their time and people.
Going forward, MAST is looking to incorporate more VR/AR into our learning resources. For aspiring boat builders and marine systems engineers, VR offers an unparalleled opportunity to master skills within a controlled yet realistic environment.
The opportunity is that through VR or AR simulations, learners can learn skills
from the ground up, from shaping hulls to installing intricate systems, or learning the parts of an engine and how these are put together.
This hands-on experience not only accelerates the learning process but also instils a deep understanding of the practical aspects of their trade.
In the ever-evolving seascape of marine and specialised technologies, VR offers the opportunity to act as a compass, guiding learners through the complex currents of innovation.
It enables rapid adaptation to evolving technologies, intricate vessel designs, and emerging sustainability practices. By immersing learners in lifelike scenarios and simulated challenges, VR ensures that they are not just prepared for the marine and specialised technology industry of today, but also poised to shape its course
MAST Academy is a Private Training Establishment accredited by NZQA and TEC to deliver apprenticeship training in marine, composites, marine systems engineering, powerboat rigging and service and repairs. We also have apprenticeship training in industrial textiles fabrication, sail making, and marine painting.
If you or your club or school are interested in hearing more about our apprenticeship opportunities or want to experience our VR showcase, please contact info@mastacademy.com or go to our website.
THE ROPESMITH
As far back as I can remember, I have always had a keen, some would say strange, interest in rope. I don’t know why or exactly when it started but I guess it was always likely that I would end up making a living working with rope – though it wasn’t until I came to New Zealand as a 19-year-old in 2002 that I thought about becoming a professional rigger.
Instead of arriving on a plane as most migrants do, I sailed here from Victoria,
Canada on my family boat, a Beneteau First 45F5, with my sister.
It took us five months and the length of the Pacific Ocean, and we arrived at Auckland just before the start of the America’s Cup that year.
Looking back now, it was a lifechanging journey as it opened my eyes to the many incredible opportunities that exist in yachting.
I soon started working at NZ Rigging in Auckland before joining sailing teams as a rigger, including for Hugo Boss, two (then) Volvo Ocean Races, the Artemis America’s Cup team and several TP52 programmes – SLED and Interlodge among them.
Fast forward a couple of decades, and my passion is still all things rope!
If I’m not splicing something on a
boat, you’ll find me at Caniwi Rigging Services in Warkworth, north of the City of Sails – the company I started seven years ago. It has always been a one-person operation, as I enjoy working with each client to find solutions that are practical and effective.
I have had the pleasure of providing the running rigging for many new race boats built here as well as boats being refitted and those that need replacing because of day-to-day wear and tear.
In my new column for Yachting and Boating Quarterly, I hope to share some helpful tips and assistance on every day and lesser-known issues with the moving parts on the mast and deck.
I’ll kick things off by discussing three simple ways to prepare your running rigging for the new season.
Now is the perfect time to get your running rigging in top shape for the new season
Wash your rope clean of all the winter mould and salt. Not doing this could lead to it not functioning as smoothly as it should, causing halyards, furling lines, traveller lines and reef lines to be harder to use.
Do this by simply grabbing a large bin and some mild soap and letting the rope sit for a while.
You can even use a soft brush to clean it if there are some really bad spots.
Remember, crunchy rope is not fun rope.
Perform a visual inspection of all your ropes – looking for any areas of concern or chafe.
This includes pulling halyards down and checking their length; running your hands carefully along lifelines, checking for any broken strands of wire, and mousing outhauls out of booms to check for chafe inside the boom if you have a purchase in there.
Also inspect all docklines, reeflines, sheets, tacklines and furling lines, and all control lines, especially ones that run along non-skid or the deck.
If you are at sea and you see chafing happening, the best thing to do is to put a stitch with your whipping twine and a needle through and around the chafed area to avoid it getting worse.
When the cover breaks on a piece of rope, it can really be problematic to fix while sailing.
Aim to tick off that small list you’ve got from last summer of the little things that weren’t working as well as they should be.
If a rope is too big or too small, too long or too short, then now is the time to fix it.
Equally, replacing blocks, clips or jammers that are broken or need servicing is just as essential to provide a smooth sailing experience.
Feel free to get in touch through my Facebook and Instagram accounts or send an email to robin@caniwirigging.com if you have any questions or comments on getting rope ready.
In the next edition, I’ll look at how to use the correct type of rope and detailing to get better performance, reliability, and longevity from your sailing.
Until then, safe and fun boating!
For over three decades, Southern Pacific has been at the forefront of providing top-tier New Zealand-made chase boats to yacht clubs. Leveraging this wealth of experience and guided by the expertise of internationally renowned sailors Richard Macalister and Dean Barker, Southern Pacific’s journey culminates in the PerformR.
Focusing on yacht club support boats, Rob Shaw Design were commissioned
to produce a 6-metre inflatable for effortless operation in any condition. Their top team of naval architect designers worked collectively to produce the ultimate high-performance coach boat.
The PerformR features a GRP V-hull developed in conjunction with Hauraki Consultancy, ensuring superior stiffness and strength. The initial design excelled when facing waves head-on, yet it faced challenges in navigating
Combining a wealth of international sailing experience and cutting-edge design, the PerformR offers a masterclass in both form and function
This model of Southern Pacific’s range is extremely stable as the tubes are active.
The PerformR is an all-round performance RIB and can be used as a chase boat, dive boat, fishing boat, for leisure, or as a ski boat.
Includes an anchor locker in the bow, as well as an integrated ski pole and towing point. The PerformR is designed and assembled in NZ for Southern Pacific conditions.
downwind conditions. The key focus for the redesign was retaining the upwind performance while significantly improving the downwind performance. And by all reports, this was successfully achieved. The new hull also incorporates internal side channels to optimise water flow to the bilge.
The high shear bow design, outboard well and high transom provides a dry ride with controlled wind performance allowing it to penetrate through all
The PerformR offers the driest and most comfortable ride for all passengers, courtesy of the extremely stiff and strong GRP hull with internal side channels for improved water flow to the bilge.
500kg without a road trailer and depending on the chosen outboard.
The 80L alloy underfloor fuel tank is accessible under a panel on the deck.
seaways whilst maximising the waterline length.
Inside, the PerformR offers thoughtful enhancements. Seating at the aft is strategically positioned to preserve internal space, with improved storage options. The hull, deck and internal structure are entirely CNC moulded, ensuring precision and durability, with a range of tubes being offered.
Southern Pacific Inflatables is proud to create the latest chase boat to join
the Yachting New Zealand fleet. With its comprehensive feature set, this chase boat promises to excel whether cruising around the harbour or chasing fleets.
For more information
www.southernpacific.co.nz
B&G have been helping sailors go further, faster, and safer since 1955 through their world-leading sailing electronics –including their range of chartplotters and sailing processors
From $1,979
Designed to make sailing easier, displaying information tailored to the sailor’s needs in that moment, and hiding unnecessary clutter. It comes with new sailing modes, preset dashboards and data views for a variety of sailing situations, along with many enhanced features for a simpler sailing experience.
Key features:
Sailing modes for cruising and racing
New safety alerts feature using C-MAP cartography for collision avoidance
Unique new updates to Laylines, Routes, SailSteer and StartLine
C-MAP DISCOVER X and REVEAL X charts feature highly accurate data with intuitive viewing options
High definition SolarMAX IPS touch screen, viewable in all conditions
Full integration with HALO Radars, Triton 2 Pilots, Triton 2 and Nemesis instruments, sensors and more
Setup Wizard for easy installation
B&G app integration – access data and charting both on and off the water Wireless connectivity, plus full Ethernet and NMEA 2000 networking capability
$5,359
A sailing processor built for sailors who demand more. It boasts greater accuracy, richer features, and better connectivity than ever before. Broad compatibility and advanced datasets give performance sailors the upper hand in competition, and a brand-new web interface allows for easy data recording and management for all.
Key features:
Latest quad-core microprocessor provides all core instrument calculations
Enhanced feature set
Intuitive new design, web interface
B&G app integration & all-new web interface
NMEA 2000 compliant interface
12/24V power supply
Maximised connectivity – including dual Ethernet (100 Mbps), 9 x 12-bit analogue channels, 2 x serial I/O channels, 2 x configurable alarm outputs, 1 x crew overboard input
Micro-SD Card – tested to 256 Gb
$2,399
Ideal for cruisers and small race boats, the Triton Edge sailing processor delivers an enhanced and more accurate suite of sailing data to your Triton and Nemesis displays, Vulcan or Zeus chartplotters, and allows for increased control and access of all your information on and off the yacht, via app integration and web browser control.
Key features:
Latest powerful micro-processor provides all core instrument calculations
Enhanced feature set for serious cruising yachts
B&G companion app integrationdata recording and review integrated webserver provides easy access to system configuration and control Ethernet interface
Industry standard compatible
NMEA2000(R) network
12/24V power
Record all your sailing data to the cloud
Review your sailing data using the B&G companion app
Backup, restore and export sailing data
Radix Nutrition recently became the Official Nutrition partner of Yachting NZ and will be fuelling the NZL Sailing team through to the Paris Olympics and beyond.
In a fast-paced world where convenience often trumps nutritional value, the search for healthy, easily accessible meals can be challenging. Enter Radix Nutrition, a revolutionary New Zealand-based company founded by Mike Rudling, who’s passion for using nutrition to optimise human health and performance resulted in him founding the company 10 years ago. Radix Nutrition offers a game-changing solution that all people, not just athletes, can benefit from.
The company provides ready-to-eat meals and breakfasts, protein powders and recovery smoothie powders, that deliver the most nutritionally complete meals and the most effective protein available, anytime, anywhere – ready in just a few minutes.
Radix's journey began with Rudling’s keen interest in the science of nutrition and human metabolism. As an ex-athlete, he experienced first-hand how challenging it can be to achieve the optimal diet for supporting peak performance. These experiences were the catalyst that led to the creation of Radix. From the outset, Radix has aimed to fundamentally elevate metabolic health and performance through applied nutrition, a vision that has since evolved into a market-leading reality today.
Radix is fundamentally a nutrition technology company - RNA (Radix Nutrition Architecture) embodies the company’s unique approach to nutritional design. This design approach serves as a blueprint for achieving the optimal dietary nutritional profile, selecting the highest quality ingredients and delivering ultimate convenience. All products are gluten-free and made from 100% natural ingredients, ensuring meals are nutrient-rich, delicious, and cater to varied dietary needs.
Through a technical partnership with Fonterra, Radix Nutrition also developed a breakthrough in protein quality. Whey Protein DIAAS Complex 1.61 was released, featuring a complete amino acid profile with maximum bioavailability (by comparison standard whey protein isolate has a DIAAS score of just 1.0) It’s ideal for building muscle and aiding recovery. Plant Protein DIAAS Complex 1.30 is the non-diary sister product for those adhering to a plant-based diet. Radix also provides Ultimate Recovery Smoothie powders that include these advanced protein powders and additional micronutrient-dense superfoods to support your ultimate post workout nutrition.
Radix Nutrition’s role in sports nutrition was notably evident during the Tokyo Olympics, where many New Zealand and Australian athletes relied on Radix Nutrition because their products guaranteed access to a nutritious diet when travelling abroad. Radix Nutrition has now become the established on-the-go products for high performance athletes, and will be supporting the NZL Sailing team through to the Paris Olympics and beyond. The products are also perfect for offshore and short-handed sailing, and supply teams in races such as the Sydney to Hobart to name just one. Try
Claim now
Star 49er sailors Isaac McHardie and Will McKenzie offer a sneak peek of their workout schedule ahead of the next stop on the international circuit
They’ve cemented their position among the top-10 49er teams in the world during the first half of this season, and now Isaac McHardie and Will McKenzie want to become a permanent fixture on the international podiums.
The duo last month finished fourth at the sailing world championships in The Hague, one of six New Zealand crews to qualify their class for a spot at next year’s Paris Olympic Games, after earlier claiming bronze at the Princess Sofia Regatta and finishing just outside the medal places at the French Olympic Week and the Olympic test event.
“We’re reasonably satisfied with how we’ve performed so far this season but now it’s about getting among the medals more regularly,” McHardie said after a twohour session at the state-of-the-art AUT Millennium fitness facility on Auckland’s North Shore.
It’s where they have been spending much of their time since their return from the Netherlands, to be in top shape for next month’s European championships in Vilamoura, Portugal.
“We train in blocks, depending on the period of time we have at home,” McHardie said.
“It can be quite a challenge to maintain our fitness and strength while we’re away because we’re just on the water mainly. So, when we get home, we try to focus a lot of our time in the gym – getting our strength and cardio base back up.”
Over the past month, the young skiff pairing and the rest of the NZL Sailing Team have been put through their paces by High Performance Sport New Zealand’s team of strength and conditioning experts, led by Neil Yeates.
This includes specialised training programmes tailored for the respective sailing classes and according to individual sailors’ needs.
“For Isaac and I, a lot of the focus is on agility and overall movement, whereas for our ILCA (Laser) sailors, for example, the workouts would be a lot more leg-based and focused on endurance because they obviously hike all day long,” McKenzie said.
Teammates in the same doublehanded class also have different training programmes, depending on their roles.
“For me, it’s mainly about getting up and off the wire and across the other side – so it’s a lot of pull and then stability through the boat,” helm McHardie said.
“For William, as the crew, it’s a lot more about strength. He’s pulling ropes, he’s hoisting the gennaker, and that requires a lot more balance and upper-body strength.”
BANDED MONSTER WALKS
3 x 10
SINGLE LEG DUMBBELL HIP THRUST
3 x 8 (EACH SIDE)
FRONT SQUAT
3 x 8
DUMBBELL BENCH ROW
3 x 8 (EACH SIDE)
DUMBBELL SHRUGS
3 x 8
BARBELL ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
3 x 6
DUMBBELL FRONT FOOT ELEVATED SPLIT SQUAT
3 x 8 (EACH SIDE)
HOLLOW ROCKS
4 x 30 SECS
BANDED HIP FLEXION
4 x 6 (EACH SIDE)
Creativity and courage has made NZ one of the best at our sport. Now it’s time to be one of the most inclusive
Icould see it happening from the safety of the support boat as they approached the top mark – with many in the fleet overlapping, and some coming in on port, a cluster was unavoidable.
But instead of yelling, protests, and drama I was greeted by sailors stopping to say hello and sharing words of encouragement.
It was the first race of the Girls Regatta at Kohimarama Yacht Club, an event that would become a calendar favourite for my daughter Brianna and many other young Kiwi girls.
Things would get even more bizarre as, during the second race and in much windier conditions, Brianna came around the top mark in the top three and was looking pretty good.
When the girl in front of her suddenly capsized, I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Brianna moving into second and
one spot closer to winning the race.
Rather than putting the foot down, however, she went over to the upturned boat, to check that the girl was okay.
It’s fair to say I was baffled – because we are both competitive people, and Brianna wants to do well as much as I want her to do well.
Years later, those two moments remain some of my most endearing sailing
or 15.
Speak to any of the young girls thinking about moving on from sailing or who already have, and there is a common theme.
They don’t like being on their own.
They don’t like boys yelling at them around the racetrack.
They don’t like that it’s all about the racing.
memories.
It also made me think about how we need to run our sport differently.
It’s a familiar story at most yacht clubs around the country – our children start their learn-to-sail programmes with a male-female split of roughly two-thirds to one-third before we see a massive drop-off of female participants around the age of 14
They’re sick of always feeling like they’re losing.
So much of our effort through those junior years is all about learning how to race and how to win. That’s great for some kids but it doesn’t suit everyone.
How many future cruisers, crewmates, designers, sailmakers, boatbuilders, engineers and marine brokers have we lost from the sport because of our focus on
winning trophies?
As clubs, we have a default that every weekend we put buoys out and we go racing and that’s great – we want to continue contributing to what’s been an incredibly successful story of New Zealand sailing.
But let’s also have other options for those youngsters for whom racing is not important or enjoyable – girls and boys.
When I asked some of the children I have coached what their favourite memories of sailing were it was interesting that none of them said the club champs this year, or the nationals that year.
What I did hear a lot was about the sails they did to go get ice cream at Browns Bay or the times they went treasure hunting for chocolate bars taped to the top mark.
Those are the things that stick in these kids’ memories as the most important in their sailing.
We can learn much from simply listening to and watching how our daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers engage in our sport.
Like that day at Kohimarama.
Let’s see more girls-only days, more capsize races, more Mark Foy starts, and more prizes for seamanship, leadership, and perseverance.
One of the most common questions I’m asked by people overseas is how, with only five million people, we are one of the most dominant powers in sailing in the 21st century.
It’s because when it comes to competing on the global stage, we think differently about things – we are courageous and creative in trying to come up with new ways to make our boats go faster.
Hopefully, we can use that same courage and creativity to also make our sport more inclusive.
Mark Orams is a renowned sailor, author, and environmental champion. He is currently a Professor of Sport and Recreation at the Auckland University of Technology, and the university’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research. This column was adapted from Orams’ keynote address at the Yachting New Zealand club conference in May.
I am an experienced sailor and quite often take people out on my Stewart 34 who are new to the sport. I have never done a Learn to Sail coach course, but I enjoy teaching people. I would like to upskill and do the Learn to Sail keelboat course. Can I go straight to the keelboat course, or do I need to do the Learn to Sail coach course first?
Helen van Beek, Marsden Yacht and Boat Club
Thank you for the question, Helen. You can start with the Introduction to Keelboat Sailing (level 1) without the need to complete the Learn to Sail coach first. There are three keelboat courses in total and you can find more information by clicking here – Ed.
I attended the Yachting New Zealand club conference at Bucklands Beach Yacht Club in May and found it informative and a great opportunity to network with fellow club leaders – especially after not having the conference in-person for several years due to Covid-19. Is there an opportunity to have more keelboat discussion at future events? A number of people pointed out that it seemed to have a high focus on youth and dinghy sailing. Also, has any thought been given to making this an annual conference or will it continue to be held biennially?
Denis Loftus, Commodore Panmure Yacht and Boating Club Hi Denis. The frequency of future club conferences was one of the questions in our survey immediately after the event and most respondents indicated that they preferred to have it biennially. We are always looking at new ways of regularly connecting with our members, as well as adding even more value to the club conference – so your feedback is greatly appreciated. – Ed.
ILCA 6s (Laser radials) are often
treated as a smaller or reefed version of an ILCA 7 (full) and lumped into one fleet to boost numbers. No matter the wind strength they are disadvantaged, off the start line they get buried, and in most winds, they don’t have the same power. This means good and upcoming radial sailors are often beaten by mediocre full-rig sailors, which can be discouraging and masks their potential. What can clubs do to counteract this? Some in our region have tried things like separate fleets, allowing the ILCA 6s to start 1 minute ahead of the ILCA 7s, and scoring their results separately. Many of these clubs have seen their radial fleet numbers grow but others still throw them together. Regionally, we have gathered a central radial development/ training fleet, and have seen a revitalising of laser sailing, especially youth and women’s laser sailing. We try to encourage them to still support their local club sailing and coaching, to keep the smaller clubs vibrant but how long do radial sailors continue if it is discouraging for some? Ideas from other regions would be appreciated.
Helen Spencer, Hamilton Yacht ClubI know the coaching ratio numbers are one coach boat to six sailing dinghies, but could you please clarify the correct number of rescue boats for an event?
Matt Metson, Royal Akarana YachtClub
Good question, Matt. The requirement is one coach boat to six dinghies for Learn to Sail levels 1 and 2 but it’s always a good idea to have another support boat on hand. For level 3 and above, one coach boat is needed for every eight dinghies, but again, two RIBs are better than one. For significant events, the ratio is one to 10. Please don’t assume that because many coaches are on hand, they become rescue boats automatically; the club needs to have designated rescue boats in the roster to ensure all parts of the course are covered. – Ed.
Send your questions or comments to media@yachtingnz.org.nz
After a successful debut, Yachting New Zealand’s groundbreaking schools programme is ready for its next chapter, writes
Finetuning of the second module in Yachting New Zealand’s RŪNĀ schools programme is under way, for clubs to use alongside the SailGP event in term one in 2024.
‘Kōrinorino – in our ancestors’ wake’ focuses on the history of the settlement of New Zealand in the period leading up to and following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The module explores the similarities and differences in navigation technologies used by explorers such as Kupe and Cook, with the sailing
experiences at the club linked to learning about local settlement history that takes place in classrooms at school.
During Kōrinorino students explore how Māori and European settlers used the stars and other wayfinding signs in nature to find their way to these shores. They then use this knowledge to help research what the early interactions were like between Māori and settlers in general, as well as in the place where they live.
“Kōrinorino has been designed to help students unpack the stories of arrival, settlement, conflict and unity that underpin our connections to one another,” explained Yachting NZ’s national sport development director Raynor Haagh.
Worser Bay Boating Club has been involved in developing and trialling Kōrinorino with a cluster of its local schools. The club and the schools have worked with tangata whenua to develop
an activity that gets students to use Kāpehu Whetū, the Māori star compass, to find out facts about their local history, both before and after the arrival of European settlers.
“Our sailing area is called Te Whanganui a Tara, after the Ngai Tara Iwi who inhabited the Whetūkairangi Pa site on the hill above the club, while the bay itself was named after Worser Heberley who was the pilot that shepherded the first settler ships through the harbour heads,” said Worser Bay Boating Club commodore Bill Grindell.
“Kōrinorino enables us to collaborate with teachers in schools around us to help them impart this and other aspects of our local history in a fun and novel way.”
Work has already started to set up a network of 13 clubs around the country to be ready to deliver Kōrinorino to their local schools as the excitement of the SailGP
Dean Stanley
returns to New Zealand in the first school term of 2024.
“Sport New Zealand has invested in Yachting New Zealand to start to roll out RŪNĀ over the next couple of years, and one of the first steps in that process is helping get a group of clubs across the country ready to deliver Kōrinorino, including localising the Kāpehu Whetū activity to reflect their own local history stories,” said Yachting New Zealand RŪNĀ Kaiwhakahaere Alisa Torgersen.
Completing this work not only connects clubs and their local schools, but it is also one of a suite of initiatives helping Yachting New Zealand to realise one of its five strategic goals – to increase diversity in sailing.
“There is an old saying in sport that goes ‘if you can’t see it, you can’t be it’ and we are using RŪNĀ as a vehicle to help Māori and Pacific people to see themselves in sailing, which we hope will make them want to be
involved and feel welcome in our sport,” Haagh said.
In addition to localising the Kāpehu Whetū activity in Kōrinorino, clubs involved in the rollout of RŪNĀ will be supported to work with mana whenua to establish a rāhui or similar form of marine environment protection for the Moanamana module. They will also be helped to include pūrākau (local stories) in their school’s programmes, and to build Va’a Motu (traditional sailing waka) for use across all three RŪNĀ modules
“We are at the early stages of the RŪNĀ journey and are really looking forward to how it unfolds over the next few years and seeing the impact it has on increasing both participation and diversity in our sport,” Haagh said.
Click here for more on Yachting New Zealand’s RŪNĀ schools programme.
Established: 1926
Location: Worser Bay, Wellington
Commodore: Bill Grindell
Membership: 300
Notable current/former members: Daryl Wislang, Josh Junior, Greg Wilcox, Matt Stevens, Josh Porebski, Sam Bacon, Olivia Christie Biggest fleet(s): Zephyr, Optimist, Laser
Known for: Having the biggest dinghy fleet in Wellington
1The Black Ball Maritime Society will host the inaugural Whangārei Maritime Festival at the Town Basin on October 14-15. The festival will include classic yachts on show, nautical markets, sea shanty bands and demonstrations from local maritime craftspeople.
2
Aspiring Optimist sailors between 9 and 15 can sign up for Sandspit Yacht Club’s (left) beginner Learn to Sail course. It starts at 8.30am on Sunday, October 15 at Algies Bay and runs until the end of the first school term of 2024.
3Kohimarama Yacht Club needs your support to give their 45-year-old committee boat Marama a facelift. The upgrades include swapping the 39hp diesel motor for electric propulsion – and the use of some new smartphone-based software. To donate, click here.
4Glendowie Boating Club (left) will celebrate its 75th season with a regatta and dinner in March. The club was formed by a small group of local boaties on March 17, 1949, with the first clubhouse in the hull of a beached steam ship. Its first race featured a Frostbite, P Class and Penguin and it later became the first home of the Arrow and Starling classes.
5Clarks Beach Yacht Club’s (right) recent Learn to Sail fundraiser BBQ at Mitre 10 Pukekohe offered more than just a feed – there was also plenty of interest in the club’s sailing programmes. “It was neat having little kids sit in an Opti with a helmet and life jacket on holding the tiller, who knows where that could lead to,” said LTS coach Ann Byford.
6Jonathan Kline (left) has retired as Commodore of Mercury Bay Boating Club after four years. Kline helped the club recover from a dwindling membership and no junior sailing programmes, Covid-19, and the relocation of its building due to erosion of the club’s foreshore.
8Ngaroto Sailing Club is gearing up for a big early part to their season, hosting three North Island class regattas over the weekend of October 28-29 – the Hansa 303 Singles, Hartley 16s and Noelex 22s. The briefing will take place during halftime of the Rugby World Cup final on the Sunday, with racing starting at the end of the game, followed by radio-controlled DF95 racing.
7A total of 72 sailors from across the country descended on the Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club earlier this month for the 2023 Zespri AIMS Games. Finloe Gaites, Sofia Turner, Matteo Barker and Greta Hutton finished top of their divisions after three testing days of competition.
9New Plymouth Yacht Club is a holding junior Learn to Sail course from September 26-28.
10Wairoa Yacht Club (below) is holding a working bee on October 1 to clear the boat ramp and a rigging space of silt and log debris from February’s Cyclone Gabrielle. A final decision about the club’s annual regatta, set for November 18-19, is yet to be made.
11
The latest edition of the Napier Sailing Club handbook is out now. It includes everything from information on subscriptions and fees and special events for the season ahead, to the club’s rescue boat roster and regatta calendar. Download it here
12Worser Bay Boating Club recently held a constructive and informative Wāhine Sailors of Worser Bay meeting to discuss addressing the needs of female sailors at the club.
13Sailability Wellington’s 21st birthday auctions were a great
14Nelson Yacht Club (above) is looking forward to seeing their four new Fusion dinghies in action. In a social media post, the club thanked The Lion Foundation and NZ Community Trust for the welcome additions to their fleet.
15Naval Point Yacht Club Lyttelton (right) is on the hunt for an experienced part-time club manager with strong interpersonal and operational skills, good attention to detail, and an outgoing personality. Click here to apply.
16Charteris Bay Yacht Club (above) is getting a refresh ahead of the new season – with a new concrete ramp poured, and a new male changing room and bathroom fit-out under way.
17Akaroa Yacht Club (right) is making good progress on the second phase of their jetty repairs, following a working bee earlier this month.
19Macandrew Bay Boating Club (above) will host Dunedin’s first Learn to Sail course for over six years on October 7 and 8. The course will include onwater and classroom content and requires pre-course online learning. Click here for more information.
18
Wānaka Yacht Club’s (below) Welcome to Spring fun regatta kicks off next week (October 7) with small fleet races for centreboard boats. Club members of any level of sailing ability are welcome with boats provided and teammates chosen on the day.
20Timaru Yacht and Powerboat Club is seeking volunteers for the 35th Aviemore Classic Trailer Yacht Regatta from October 19-23. The event, which often doubles as the national championships for the Noelex 25, Noelex 22, Ross 780 and Elliott 5.9 classes, will this year include a half-course circuit for cruising boats.
21Life membership has been awarded to Garth McCombe, who has been involved with the Marakura Yacht Club since 1984 in a variety of different roles – from competitor and committee member, to race management member and Commodore. McCombe has also been the club’s patron since 2019.
Just like we wouldn’t want to let gorse run rampant over our farm pastures, or something like convolvulus (bindweed) get established in our vegetable patch at home, there is urgency to do everything we can to prevent the spread of species like exotic caulerpa in our bays and harbours. To know how to identify and report exotic caulerpa, the rules about anchoring and fishing, and how to check your gear – especially anchors and anchor chains – click here and here
Check your in-water equipment carefully for signs of weed fragments at the boat ramp. If you find any exotic caulerpa, don’t throw it back into the water at a new location –best to put it in a plastic bag and dispose of safely in rubbish that will go to landfill – e.g. a council rubbish bin or your own household rubbish.
On a cold winter’s day in 2021, ecologist Jack Warden was fishing with his father in Ōkupu/Blind Bay, Aotea Great Barrier Island when, thanks to a lower-than-usual tide, he spotted some seaweed he hadn’t seen before.
Curious, Warden loaded photos of it to an online community called iNaturalist where it was quickly identified as an invasive species of exotic (new to New Zealand) seaweed called caulerpa.
This set in motion a response from Iwi and Biosecurity New Zealand that ultimately led to a rāhui and Controlled Area Notice (CAN) for several of the Hauraki Gulf’s most popular bays to try to prevent the pest seaweed spreading.
Despite the response, a few months later exotic caulerpa was found in two more harbours on Aotea Great Barrier, followed by a discovery of a small amount at Ahuahu Great Mercury Island. In May it was found in Te Rāwhiti Inlet in the Bay of Islands, followed by the Northern Channel of Kawau Island and Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf.
New Zealand also has two native species of caulerpa: Caulerpa articulata
and Caulerpa brownii. This is why the invasive species, Caulerpa parvifolia and Caulerpa brachypus are referred to as “exotic caulerpa” or “invasive caulerpa”.
Described as the ‘perfect invader’ Caulerpa parvifolia and Caulerpa brachypus are native to Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, and can thrive in New Zealand conditions.
The impacts are not only ecological. For the communities on Aotea Great Barrier, the reality of living in the hot zone of an exotic caulerpa response means that because of the biosecurity controls, access to the water is limited, as is the ability to anchor.
It’s at best inconvenient, at worst economically challenging for those who make their living from the sea, and heartbreaking for those who love and care for those bays.
One of the worst species of caulerpa, Caulerpa taxifolia, is not in New Zealand so far. Genetically engineered by the aquarium trade to grow fast in colder water, it was released into the Mediterranean in the 1990s through an outfall from an aquarium in Monaco where it was discovered by a passing diver.
Inspect all fishing gear and anchors every time you pull it up out of the water and before you move on to a new location. This way, it’s unlikely you’ll take exotic caulerpa with you. If you find seaweed on your gear, dispose of it responsibly and don’t throw it back in the water.
The arrival in NZ of exotic caulerpa continues to have a significant ecological and economic impact on several North Island communities. Zoe Hawkins explains the scale of the problem, what we do and don’t yet know about the invasive seaweed, and how its spread can be stopped
It has caused serious environmental problems in waters between France and Croatia. Closer to home, Caulerpa taxifolia was found in New South Wales in 2000 and is now present in 14 estuaries and coastal lakes in the state – where fortunately its impacts are said to be less than first feared.
We may never know how Caulerpa parvifolia and Caulerpa brachypus arrived in New Zealand – but there is plenty of speculation in both the scientific and boating communities.
It’s possible that they arrived as a fragment on an anchor or fishing equipment, potentially from the Pacific
FROM
Nearly all moored boats are already doing a great job of keeping their hulls clean, antifouled, and well-maintained. This not only stops the spread of pests that spread as biofouling, but it also means your boat will perform better under sail and use less fuel too. Like the other groups, you’ll need to look out for anchoring restrictions, and check your gear and equipment before switching locations.
Islands or Australia where it is native, but not prolific. One theory recently reported in the media is it may have entered our waters in an aquarium on a superyacht.
While the Ministry for Primary Industries has confirmed the species of concern are not sold in New Zealand by the aquarium trade, one expert believes it’s possible that a fragment could have slipped in with the species that are permitted.
Even before the Waiheke Island discovery, the Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust and the Waiheke Marine Project had worked with Biosecurity New Zealand to bring a group here who had achieved
You are in a great position to help spread the word: keep your members informed about the latest exotic caulerpa news. Let them know to check and clean their equipment. If you are running a coach boat or laying buoys, please be vigilant about checking for weed each time you haul up an anchor or race mark.
some success in controlling another caulerpa species (Caulerpa proliferia) in California to share their knowledge and expertise.
While their use of suction-dredging achieved some success at one Californian location, this was a smaller incursion in a small, contained body of water, unlike open coastal environments.
However, the experience is informing current trials here to see if techniques such as suction dredging and other treatments that are being piloted may be of assistance in New Zealand.
Like with Mediterranean fanworm, which has been suppressed and even
eliminated in many New Zealand harbours, a combination of early detection through surveillance and rapid response is a proven strategy for pest management.
It not only provides protection to marine environments by suppressing the population of the pest species, but it also buys scientists time to develop new techniques to control these species, and to determine the extent of their impacts on our native ecosystems.
The hunt for exotic caulerpa has so far followed the routes and anchoring spots that are most used by New Zealand’s vessel fleet. While exotic caulerpa can spread via currents and waves, the reality is that
Exotic caulerpa has fronds or leaves up to 10cm long that rise from long runners or roots known as stolons. It is found growing from the tideline to 35 metres deep, on both hard surfaces (reefs) and in sandy/muddy sediment. After stormy weather it can wash up on the beach.
1
Exotic caulerpa was first found in NZ waters in 2021 at Great Barrier (Aotea) Island
2 ... and then later at Great Mercury (Ahuahu) Island.
3
In 2023, exotic caulerpa washed up at Omākiwi Cove in the Bay of Islands.
4 It led to the discovery of a significant amount of the invasive seaweed in the Te Rāwhiti inlet.
5
In July 2023, small 20cm to 30cm patches of exotic caulerpa were found in waters near Kawau Island in the Auckland region.
6
Exotic caulerpa has most recently been found off the northern coastline of Waiheke Island, between Waiheke Bay and Thompson’s Point. The caulerpa in this area appears to consist of small young plants in the early stages of development, but surveillance is required to determine its extent.
vessels can take it to new places more quickly than natural dispersion.
That is the reason why so much focus is placed on the checking and cleaning of equipment.
There is hope. While it’s possible that exotic caulerpa will now always be a part of our ecosystem, in New South Wales the invasive species has not affected native seagrass as much as first feared.
Scientists explain that introduced marine species tend to “boom” when they first establish in a new environment and over time there is a decline in abundance.
Even in Blind Bay where the infestation is some 44 hectares in size, the coverage of
If you find exotic caulerpa, please take GPS co-ordinates and a photo, and contact MPI on 0800 80 99 66 or online at report.mpi.govt.nz
exotic caulerpa is only around 50%.
Key questions for the scientific community and authorities in New Zealand are: how far and fast will it spread? What will its impacts be? And can we control it? Only time will tell.
In the meantime, as boaties, playing our part and remaining vigilant is essential.
Zoe Hawkins is an accomplished communications practitioner and writer. She has a passion for the marine industry and extensive experience working with industry and councils on marine biosecurity and environmental issues.
marina.
They’re already working toward achieving a second star – with a big focus on other forms of recycling including old mobile phones, as well as composting, Bassett said.
which we take back once we have them in our freezer and they then reuse for other orders.”
The response from members to the club’s efforts to be more sustainable has been overwhelming, Mahon said.
The next step to achieving clean club status is much smaller than you think. That’s the message from two of the recent additions to Yachting New Zealand’s pioneering environmental initiative.
Gulf Harbour Yacht Club and Pleasant Point Yacht Club last season received their certification as part of YNZ’s Clean Club programme – a framework for yachting and boating clubs’ sustainability journey that was launched in December 2021 –taking the total number of certified “clean clubs” in the country to nine.
The programme focuses on five areas – administration and leadership, waste management, resource conservation, community outreach, and education – and is a progressive system with clubs moving from one star through to three stars, depending on how many best-practice criteria a club has achieved.
According to GHYC’s sustainability representative Diana Bassett, the club has made progress in many of these areas by eliminating all paper communications to members and introducing dedicated disposal stations for batteries, expired flares, waste oil and other substances.
The club has also been using only tank water and has grills placed over stormwater outlets to avoid rubbish going into the
“It was hard finding a composting method that would help to get rid of food scraps, especially meat, but we’ve now become involved with the Hibiscus Coast zero-waste scheme called City to Farm which sees it [the composted scraps] eventually make its way into swale drains on farms to improve soil quality.”
Waste disposal also formed a large part of Pleasant Point’s efforts – with the club recently gaining their second star.
Members at the Christchurch club have been taking turns to take compost and recycling to their home bins, said Arthur Mahon, PPYC’s sustainability representative.
“Soft plastic recycling is also sorted and taken to a collection point within Christchurch. We source our sausage rolls and pizza slices from a local bakery, who very kindly give them to us at really good prices and supply them in a cardboard box
“I have received so many positive comments from people about getting involved with this programme. Many people have now offered to help us reach two stars… as they realise this is something extremely worthwhile in the current situation we live in.
“The certification means a lot for the club, and it provides an excellent foundation for us to improve our environmental and sustainability practices. Given what is happening all around the world, it is something that is very important to everyone, especially those who use the water for recreation and racing.
“To reach level one we had to make only a few changes from what we do every day at our club, which was great.”
Bassett agrees.
“Many of the things we had been doing for some time without even realising it and a big part of applying for the certification was merely about documenting what we do.
“First of all, look to see what you’re already doing – a lot of stuff you might already have under way. Things like replacing your paper cups with washable ones, and several other little tweaks you can make to kick-start things. Those little changes can make a big difference.”
Click here for more information.
Having a big impact on the environment starts with small changes - just ask two of the country’s latest clean clubs
P Class sailors to come out on a Friday when learn-to-sail courses were being held, and they could go out for a fun sail at their leisure with no coach – if they were within earshot of a Learn to Sail coach boat.
These small adjustments created not only higher retention for the season, but I could also see a marked change in the group dynamic – the sailors became a more cohesive unit, a team.
Before getting on the water this season, budding coaches could benefit from taking a deep dive into the data
The start of the new sailing season is a great time for coaches to reflect on the one that’s just been and to plan for the months ahead.
It’s also an ideal opportunity to make changes and to try new ways of making the most of the fresh season.
As a coach, I find Sport New Zealand’s annual participation survey data to be a great source of inspiration and the perfect place to start this planning phase.
The survey, titled ActiveNZ:Changes inParticipation, is published each July and highlights trends in active play and sport for tamariki (children aged 7-12) and rangatahi (13-17). This data helps me shape my own programme to better suit the needs of my sailors and, hopefully, to improve retention in my coaching courses.
For instance, the survey conducted in 2021 and released last July showed there was a rise in unorganised play and activity, and a decline in organised sport participation. From that data, I incorporated unorganised play into my sailing programmes as much as I could throughout last season. Sometimes I would ask the sailors to plan the last activity of the session, and other times I would designate the final 10 minutes of training to a fun do-what-you-want sail.
I also made it an option for Starling and
All sailors – whether they were into racing or just wanted to cruise – had a reason to keep sailing and kept coming back week after week.
This year’s survey again highlights several points of interest that could make a difference to the sailing season – from a club and coaching perspective. The three
This is a significant time commitment for young sailors and their families and could lead to some dropping out of your programmes.
According to the survey, the biggest barriers to play this past year were a lack of time, being too busy, weather, other family priorities, and cost.
Considering these findings, my tips for the upcoming season would be: Make sailing more of a team sport Play more team-based sailing games (follow the Yachting New Zealand coaches Instagram page for weekly game ideas), or run a Sail Ball tournament as an event alongside a regatta.
Create teams at the start of the season and award points as it progresses with a prize for the winning team at the season’s
that caught my eye are:
Tamariki are more interested in team sport than individual sport
While participation in football increased by 19% and basketball by 12%, individual sports like cycling decreased by 30%, scootering by 26%, and trampolining by 16%. This is an important statistic for all sailing coaches, considering sailing is mostly an individual sport for tamariki.
If team sports are on the rise, how can we create more of a team atmosphere within our clubs and programmes?
Rangatahi prefer more flexibility
As sailors grow and move up in classes, they are often encouraged to sail multiple classes at once multiple times a week. A Starling sailor may also sail in the P Class, in 420 teams racing for their school, and club racing at the weekend.
end. Include everyone along the way and make new families part of the team.
Give rangatahi more control
Do this through increased flexibility and social opportunities – like getting kids to co-design their own season programme. Many sports have also had success with including young leaders in committees and decision-making processes.
Remove barriers to participation Be flexible and adapt your programmes to suit the needs of those in your region. Are you offering a programme that suits the needs of just the top performers, or most of your members?
Kirsten Moratz has been coaching in New Zealand and internationally for the past 15 years and has been Yachting New Zealand’s coach development manager since August 2022.
Faulty equipment and tough conditions couldn’t keep young Ewan Brazle from snatching his first world title in Rimini. Not when he had a Kiwi sailing icon by his side
Atimely message from a sailing great helped catapult young Kiwi O’pen Skiff sailor Ewan Brazle to the world title in Italy, after faulty equipment and foreign conditions had earlier threatened to see victory slipping from his grasp.
The 13-year-old took out the under-15 division at the 2023 world championships in Rimini in mid-July after an impressive fightback – securing the crown with victory in the last of his 14 races.
Brazle is one of a group of talented New
Zealand sailors in the growing class and beat more than 160 other competitors to continue his impressive run of results in the boat he only started sailing three years ago when his family – originally from the US –visited New Zealand on a “surfing holiday” and decided to stay.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet. I was just stoked to represent New Zealand at the worlds, and I feel really fortunate to have such a great group of teammates and support back home,” Ewan said.
“After the last race, we all jumped off our boats and swam over to each other!”
It was a celebration born out of relief as much as joy, he admits.
The young Manly Sailing Club sailor was one of the favourites coming into the event, after winning a major ranking regatta in Cagliari only days before the start of the world championships.
Top-10 results in Brazle’s first three races were followed by a string of inconsistent
scores in extreme heat, light air, and heavy chop.
He also suffered equipment failure that was only discovered after scores of 23, 61 and 82 on day three of the regatta.
“The regatta definitely did not go as expected but even though my results weren’t what I’d hoped they’d be after the first few days; I knew I could improve.
“I was excited to get back on the water each day, but it wasn’t until I crossed the finish line in first place in the final race that I thought I had probably done enough to win.”
An inspirational message from America’s Cup great and SailGP founder Russell Coutts helped turn around his fortunes, Ewan’s dad Joel revealed.
“Russell shared experiences about top teams and athletes that have faced challenges, some seeming insurmountable at the time. He talked about how these teams and athletes were able to learn from
the past, put it behind them, and then focus on what’s next,” Joel Brazle said.
“It was a seminal moment in the regatta which I think really helped Ewan move forward. He has always shown resilience after bad races but to see him finish like he did with a bullet in race 14 was remarkable.”
Ewan Brazle’s success wasn’t the only
Category: Single-handed dinghy
Fleet size: 700+ (NZ & Aus)
Annual membership: $30
2023 national champs:
Ewan Brazle & Lucy Millar
Next events:
O’pen Skiff winter champs
Murrays Bay Sailing Club
October 5-8
O’pen Skiff North Island champs
Plimmerton Boating Club
November 4-5
O’pen Skiff South Island champs
Wānaka Yacht Club
November 17-19
Website: openskiff.org.nz
Email: info@openskiff.org.nz
Phone: 0800 242 776
Kiwi triumph in Rimini, with Hugo Smith and Orlando Botha finishing ninth and 31st respectively in the same category.
Oliver Tiedemann narrowly missed out on a podium spot in the under-12 division, finishing one point off the bronze-medal position, while Storm Douwes ended 39th overall in the under-17s.
Coutts has been a key figure throughout the group’s preparation for the event, which started just over a year ago at the 2022 world championships in Maubuisson, France.
“Russell has been very involved in the New Zealand O’pen Skiff team from the initial planning stages,” said Joel, who is also the president of the NZ O’pen Skiff class association.
“We had three sailors in 2022 and we knew we wanted to come back with a bigger team so more kids could have this incredible experience.”
Coutts hosted a five-day training
camp at Lake Garda, and spent five more days with the team in Rimini – whether “delivering master classes in big-fleet strategy” or simply “taking the kids out for gelato”.
“He committed a great deal of time and energy to these kids. They are better sailors because of him but more importantly, he’s helped them gain confidence and build character that will certainly help them in their lives outside of sailing.”
Ewan agrees.
“Our experience in Italy was really great and I would definitely do it again. It was worth it just from the standpoint of all the new friends I made. Also, I loved being there with my teammates and Russell,” he said.
“It’s hard to explain how much it means to have him out there with us. He takes the time and effort to help each one of us improve and he’s really fun to have on the water.”
Young Martina Harper, 11, shined brightest in another star-studded lineup for the Waikawa Women’s Regatta
The 2023 Evolution Sails Waikawa
Women’s Regatta saw another bumper number of sailors take to the picturesque Marlborough Sounds, but it was 11-year-old Martina Harper who stole the show.
The Nelson schoolgirl became the event’s youngest helm when driving Mariel – a 46ft Hanse 455 – during the second of three races earlier this month.
According to mum Renata, it was their first Waikawa Women’s Regatta and Martina’s first time sailing anything bigger than an Optimist.
“The conditions were extremely challenging as we had gusts of up to 40kn during the race and a large fleet, but Martina showed incredible resilience,” Renata said.
“I was so nervous, but she wasn’t fazed at all – she just wanted to know if we had
won anything after the race!”
The Harpers finished fourth overall on handicap in their division.
“Martina absolutely loved the event. It was an incredible experience to see so many women all sharing their passion for sailing – and we will be back again next year.”
Organising committee member Juliet Abbott said 255 females sailed on 35 yachts this year – making it the biggest turnout in the regatta’s five-year history.
“When we first held the women’s regatta we received around 70 entrants, so it has gone from strength to strength since,” Abbott said.
“The regatta wouldn’t be as successful as it is, without the fantastic group of volunteers who help bring it to life, and the yacht owners who make their boats available to these women.”
Yachting New Zealand national sport
development director Raynor Haagh said the organisation was proud to be a sponsor of this year’s event.
“Yachting NZ and Waikawa Boating Club share a passion for and commitment to advancing equal opportunities in the sport for females and growing our female sailing community,” said Haagh.
“This year’s event was another major step on this journey.”
For full results, click here.
MCC WOMEN’S PROGRAMME RACE
Mangonui Cruising Club
September 16
1. Chavala
2. Frantic
3. All Go
4. Apollo
5. Native
6. Sheer Bliss
WAIKAWA WOMEN’S REGATTA
Waikawa Boating Club
September 16-17
Division 1
1. Voila - 5 pts
2. Northern Rebel - 7 pts
3. Ocean Gem - 10 pts
Division 2
1. Tiamana - 7 pts
2. Abracadabra - 10 pts
3. Erazer - 13 pts
Division 3
1. Entropy - 4 pts
2. Camargue - 5 pts
3. Coup D’etat - 11 pts
Full results here
SPRING REGATTA
Taipa Sailing Club
September 9
Laser and Jollyboat fleet
1. Andy Child
2. Roger Hall
3. Greg Tattnell
4. Ian Wallace
5. Dribbs Hopkins
Splash fleet
1. Aunty Ere
2. Eric Aorahall
ELLIOTT 5.9 TRAVELLER SERIES
Race 4
Opua Cruising Club
September 9-10
1. Shapeshifter - 12 pts
2. Revelry - 31 pts
3. Reggae Shark - 35 pts
Full results here
Race 3
Mercury Bay Boating Club
July 15-16
1. R+R - 15 pts
2. Shapeshifter - 25 pts
3. Slam Dunk - 35 pts
Full results here
Race 2
Napier Yacht Club
June 17-18
1. Shapeshifter - 8 pts
2. Slam Dunk - 12 pts
3. Bloodline - 14 pts
Full results here
AIMS GAMES
Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club
September 2-5
Optimist fleet
Year 7 boys
1. Finloe Gaites (Murrays Bay Intermediate) 1 1 1 3
1 1 3 (8) 4 - 15 pts
2. Will Fyfe (Murrays Bay Intermediate) 4 5 4 1 2 7 (9) 4 1 - 28 pts
3. Lauchy Wills (Bucklands Beach Intermediate) 8 8 (36UFD) 6 2 14 16 20 7 - 81 pts
Year 7 girls
1. Sofia Turner (Murrays Bay Intermediate) 7 4 15 5 6 2 15 (25) 12 - 66 pts
2. Zofia Wells (Saint Kentigern College) 10 10 6 (36DNF) 5 17 21 23 18 - 110 pts
3. Ula Chan (St Patrick’s School Napier) 18 24 13 17 22 9 23 (30) 8 - 134 pts
Year 8 boys
1. Matteo Barker (Saint Kentigern Boys’ School) 1 1 (36UFD) 1 1 1 1 1 13 - 20 pts
2. Nathan Soper (Murrays Bay Intermediate) 3 3 3 2 4 3 (11) 2 2 - 22 pts
3. Ekhi de Jager (Hereworth School) 2 2 1 2 74 10 3 (15) - 31 pts
Year 8 girls
1. Greta Hutton (Murrays Bay Intermediate) 2 2 (36UFD) 3 3 7 4 6 3 - 30 pts
2. Charlotte Handley (Murrays Bay Intermediate) 5 4 5 4 (8) 2 7 7 6 - 40 pts
3. Sasha White (Glendowie School) 11 8 13 77 13 (26) 11 16 - 86 pts
AIMS Cup
1. Murrays Bay Intermediate Full results here
RS FEVA WINTER CHAMPIONSHIPS
Maraetai Sailing Club August 19-20
RS Feva fleet
1. Callum Hyde/Callum Noyer (Maraetai Sailing Club) 1 1 4 (9OCS) 1 1 1 - 9 pts
2. Anna Dold/Lola-Jean Hutchens (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) 4 (6) 5 1 3 2 2 – 17 pts
3. Tom Peters/Josh Dixon (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) 2 3 3 (9OCS) 4 3 3 – 18 pts
RS Quest fleet
1. Andrew Goldfinch/Riley Hunter (Northcote Birkenhead Yacht Club) 1 (2) 1 1 1 1 1 – 6 pts
2. Mervyn Hunter/Cassanda Marryatt/Robyn Ashton (Northcote Birkenhead Yacht Club) 2 1 (4DNC) 2 2 2 2 – 11 pts
3. Eben McCamish/Breanah Kirby/Georgie Hamilton/Lewis Smith (Maraetai Sailing Club) (4DNF) 4DNC 2 4RET 4RET 4RET 4RET – 22 pts
RS Aero fleet
1. Marco Canegallo (Panmure Yacht and Boating Club) 1 (2) 2 1 1 1 – 6 pts
2. Dave West (Northcote Birkenhead Yacht Club) 2 1 1 (3) 3 3 - 10 pts
3. Matthew Metson (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) (4DNC) 4DNC 4DNC 2 2 2 - 14 pts
Full results here
SSANZ TRIPLE SERIES
July 1-August 26
Beacon 1 Division
Line Honours
1. Mr Kite - 3 pts
2. Triple8 - 8 pts
3. Omega - 10 pts
Handicap
1. Omega - 5 pts
2. Mr Kite - 9 pts
3. Fiction - 9 pts
Beacon 2 Division
Line Honours
1. 38 Special - 5 pts
2. Akonga - 6 pts
3. Hotdogger - 7 pts
Handicap
1. Hotdogger - 3 pts
2. 38 Special - 7 pts
3. Akonga - 8 pts
Beacon 3 Division
Line Honours
1. Exodus - 3 pts
2. Timberwolf - 8 pts
3. Attitude - 12 pts
Handicap
1. Exodus - 7 pts
2. Hooters - 9 pts
3. Freedom - 11 pts
New World Victoria Park 1 Division Line Honours
1. Gale Force - 5 pts
2. Bizzarre - 10 pts
3. The Entertainer - 18 pts
Handicap
1. Moody Blues - 9 pts
2. Penury - 22 pts
3. The Entertainer - 27 pts
New World Victoria Park 2 Division Line Honours
1. Kailani - 3 pts
2. Kiss - 7 pts
3. Vagan - 10 pts
Handicap
1. Sweet Chariot - 7 pts
2. Lew Anne - 11 pts
3. Vagan - 12 pts
New World Victoria Park PP Division Line Honours
1. Wasabi - 5 pts
2. Motamouse - 10 pts
3. Animal House - 12 pts
Handicap
1. Harmony - 12 pts
2. Rat Catcher - 12 pts
3. Motamouse - 13 pts
RailBlaza 1 Division Line Honours
1. Serena - 3 pts
2. Higher Ground - 8 pts
3. Hijinx - 12 pts
Handicap
1. Start Me Up - 13 pts
2. Kaimai Express - 15 pts
3. Katana - 18 pts
RailBlaza 88 Division Line Honours
1. Mindbender - 5 pts
2. Flash Gordon - 10 pts
3. Skitzo - 13 pts
Handicap
1. Sattelite - 10 pts
2. Jamiroquai - 16 pts
3. Paddy Wagon - 18 pts
Full line results here and full handicap results here
BARTON MARINE WINTER SERIES
Evans Bay Yacht and Motorboat Club
June 17-August 26
Keelboat fleet
Line Honours
1. After Midnight - 6 pts
2. Slingshot - 7 pts
3. Jesse James - 10 pts
Handicap
1. Saucy Sausage - 7 pts
2. Slingshot - 11 pts
3. Incantare - 14 pts
Paper Tigers fleet
Handicap
1. Double Dutch – 13.5 pts
2. Pom Puss – 16 pts
3. Hairy Maclary – 20 pts
Trailer yacht fleet
1. Helter Skelter – 8 pts
2. Fine Entry – 14 pts
3. Xtsea – 22 pts
Full results here and here
RPNYC WINTER SERIES
Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club
June 11-August 6
Line Honours
1. Rascal Racing - 4 pts
2. St Laurence - 6 pts
3. The Guarantee - 8 pts
PHRF
1. Rascal Racing - 8.5 pts
2. Wiseguy - 10.5 pts
3. Saucy Sausage - 14 pts
General Handicap
1. Wiseguy - 11 pts
2. Rascal Racing - 11 pts
3. Floating Free - 18 pts
Full results here
TBBC WINTER SERIES
Titahi Bay Boating Club
June 4-September 10
Optimist fleet
1. Max McDonald Limacher - 58 pts
2. Blake Braddock - 59 pts
3. Lucas Holm - 67 pts
Full results here
Starling fleet
1. Jack Olson - 16 pts
2. Pat Poland - 37 pts
3. Xavier Blythen - 51 pts
Full results here
Open A fleet
1. Caelan Davidson - 27 pts
2. Nick Vause - 33 pts
3. Graham Hook - 35 pts
Full results here
Open B fleet
1. Richard Schmidt/Brian Hogg - 27 pts
2. Caelan Taylor - 40 pts
3. Dave Tattersfield/Simon Courbrough - 67 pts
Full results here
AUCKLAND JUNIOR WINTER SPRINTS SERIES
Wakatere Boating Club, Kohimarama Yacht Club, Murrays Bay Sailing Club, Royal Akarana Yacht Club
June 10-August 26
29er fleet
1. Nicholas Wong (Kohimarama Yacht Club) 4
5 2 3 4 (13OCS) - 27 pts
2. Bella Jenkins (Kohimarama
2. Amber Hughes (Glendowie Boating Club) 2 (7) 7 5 7 2 1 3 2 - 29 pts
3. Thomas Linklater (Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club) 10 5 (11) 3 6 1 3 2 3 - 33 pts
Full results here
BRASS MONKEY WINTER SERIES
Mangonui Cruising Club
June-September
1. Native
2. All Go
3. Discovery
NZ OPEN TEAM SAILING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Royal Akarana Yacht Club
June 3-5
1. Thievery
2. RNZYS
3. Akarana Swim Club
Full results here
29ER/470 NZ NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Kohimarama Yacht Club
June 1-5
29er fleet
1. Sean Kensington/Rowan Kensington (Kohimarama Yacht Club) 1 1 6 1 1 1 2 (8) 2 1 (12) 1 - 17 pts
2. Will Leech (Charteris Bay Yacht Club)/Tim Howse (Kohimarama Yacht Club) 4 3 4 2 2 2 3 4 (5) 2 2 (8) - 28 pts
3. Nelsen Meacham/Josh Schon (Wakatere Boating Club) (9) 2 1 (12) 4 3 1 9 4 3 3 3 - 33 pts
Full results here
470 fleet
1. Derek Scott (Torbay Sailing Club)/Rebecca Hume (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) 1 2 1 1 (3) 3 1 2 (4) - 11 pts
2. Brittany Wornall (Naval Point Club Lyttelton)/Sam Street (New Plymouth Yacht Club) 2 1 (3) 2 2 2 2 (3) 2 - 13 pts
3. Ashlee Daunt/Brayden Daunt (Royal Queensland Yacht Club) 3 3 2 (5) (4) 1 3 1 3 - 16 pts
Full results here
BAY OF ISLANDS WINTER SERIES
Kerikeri Cruising Club
May-September
1. Animal Biscuits - 36 pts
2. Vim - 36 pts
3. Tongue Twister - 37 pts
LBYC WINTER SERIES
Lowry Bay Yacht Club
May 28-August 13
Handicap
1. Stunned Mullet - 18 pts
2. Clarebuoyant - 19 pts
3. Sliver - 26 pts
Full results here
WOMEN’S WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR
KDY Women’s Match Race
Skovshoved, Denmark
September 21-24
1. Anna Östling (Swe)
2. Lea Richter Vogelius (Den)
3. Camilla Ulrikkeholm (Den)
4. Kristine Mauritzen (Den)
5. Julia Aartsen (Ned)
6. Celia Willison (NZ)
7. Juliet Costanzo (Aus)
8. Brooke Wilson (Aus)
Full results here
ETF26 SERIES
Round 4: Grand Pavois La Rochelle, France
September 20-23
1. Entreprises du Morbihan - 25 pts
2. Team PRO - 30 pts
3. Blueshift Sailing Team - 33 pts
4. Toroa Racing - 60 pts
5. Live Ocean Racing - 63 pts
6. Athena Pathway - 70 pts
7. Lady Team PRO - 74 pts
8. Orient Express L’Oreal Racing Team - 89 pts
Round 3: Foiling Week
Malcesine, Italy
June 28-July 1
1. Entreprises du Morbihan - 21 pts
2. Team PRO - 34 pts
3. Blueshift Sailing Team - 41 pts
4. Live Ocean Racing - 43 pts
5. Toroa Racing - 54 pts
6. Lady Team PRO - 76 pts
7. Athena Pathway - 76 pts
Round 2: Raid Quiberon
Quiberon, France
May 31-June 3
1. Team PRO - 34 pts
2. FIN1 RACING - 41 pts
3. Entreprises du Morbihan - 47 pts
4. Blueshift Sailing Team - 56 pts
5. Live Ocean Racing - 72 pts
6. Toroa Racing - 75 pts
7. Athena Pathway - 89 pts
8. Lady Team Pro - 119 pts OK
Stage 10: Detroit Cup
Detroit, USA
August 24-27
1. Justin Callahan (USA)
2. Gavin Brady (USA)
3. Ryan Seago (USA)
4. Chris Poole (USA)
5. Cole Tapper (Aus)
6. Max Paul (Aus)
7. Michael Kirkman (USA)
8. Ruairi Finnegan (Irl)
9. Matt Whitfield (GBR)
10. James Pinder (GBR)
11. Megan Thomson (NZ)
12. Bridget Groble (USA)
Stage 9: Chicago Grand Slam Chicago, USA
August 17-20
1. Timothée Rossi (Fra)
2. Gavin Brady (USA)
3. Cole Tapper (Aus)
4. Cormac Murphy (USA)
5. Pearson Potts (USA)
6. Jeffrey Petersen (USA)
7. Megan Thomson (NZ)
8. Matt Whitfield (GBR)
9. Ryan Seago (USA)
10. Ruairi Finnegan (Irl)
Stage 7: Match Cup Sweden Marstrand, Sweden
July 5-8
1. Bjorn Hansen (Swe)
2. Chris Poole (USA)
3. Johnie Berntsson (Swe)
4. Mati Sepp (Est)
5. Jeppe Borch (Den)
6. Eric Monnin (Sui)
7. Nick Egnot-Johnson (NZ)
8. Oscar Engström (Swe)
9. Jefferey Petersen (USA)
10. Rocco Attili (Ita)
Stage 6: OM International Ledro, Italy
July 5-8
1. Eric Monnin (Sui)
2. Rocco Attili (Ita)
3. Vladimir Lipavsky (Isr)
4. Jeffrey Petersen (USA)
5. Damian Michelier (Fra)
6. Robbie McCutcheon (NZ)
7. Timothee Rossi (Fra)
8. Mati Sepp (Est)
10. Martin Allix (Fra)
11. Ted Blowers (GBR)
Overall standings:
1. Chris Poole (USA) - 104 pts
2. Jeppe Borch (Den) - 60 pts
3. Eric Monnin (Sui) - 60 pts
4. Mati Sepp (Est) - 58 pts
5. Bjorn Hansen (Swe) - 54 pts
6. Nick Egnot-Johnson (NZ) - 53 pts
7. Gavin Brady (USA) - 52 pts
8. Johnie Berntsson (Swe) - 51 pts
9. Rocco Attili (Ita) - 50 pts
10. Jeffrey Petersen (USA) - 46 pts
11. Megan Thomson (NZ) - 44 pts
24. Robbie McCutcheon (NZ) - 20 pts
SAILING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS The Hague, Netherlands
August 10-20
49er
1. Bart Lambriex/Floris Van De Werken (Ned) 1 4 5 2 1 1 3 5 2 10 (13) 6 1 1 3 18 - 63 pts
2. Sebastien Schneiter/Arno De Planta (Sui) 3 4 3 9 7 5 2 1 6 (25) 9 4 12 5 5 16 - 91 pts
3. Diego Botin/Florian Trittel (Esp) 1 1 5 3 8RDG
2.8RDG 1 1 2 8 12 7 4 (26BFD) 16 20 - 91.8 pts
4. Isaac McHardie/Will McKenzie (NZ) 2 (15)
(24) 3 14 10 - 50 pts
2. Jordi Xammar Hernandez/Nora Brugman Cabot
(Esp) 7 13 4 4 15 5 (20) 4 3 8 15 8 - 86 pts
3. Tetsuya Isozaki/Yurie Seki (Jpn) 6 8 12 1 2 11
14 (21) 12 6 - 91 pts
53. Derek Scott/Rebecca Hume (NZ) 27 28 27 21
23 17 7 6 (32UFD) 14 22 - 192 pts
57. Brittany Wornall/Sam Street (NZ) 29 24 12 19
26 (32UFD) 32RET 30 22 7 24 - 225 pts
60. Annabelle Rennie-Younger/Blake McGlashan (NZ) 26 32 (33RET) 25 24 12 24 31 15 13 27 - 229
ILCA 7
1. Matt Wearn (Aus)
2. Michael Beckett (GBR)
3. George
(70BFD) 9 10 - 101 pts
11. Tom Saunders (NZ) 10 13 21
17 - 150 pts
89. Luke Deegan (NZ) 43 23 (50)
OLYMPIC TEST EVENT Marseille, France July 9-16
49er
1. Bart Lambriex/Floris Van De Werken (Ned) 5 19 2 (25) 2 3 1 1 1 5 7 7 2 - 55 pts
2. Erwan Fischer/Pequin Clement (Fra) 2 9 6 4 11 13 12 (19) 6 1 4 6 6 - 80 pts
3. Sebastien Schneiter/Arno De Planta (Swi) 6 2
6.5DPI 14 4 10 (16) 2 16 10 6 9 8 - 93.5 pts
5. Isaac McHardie/William McKenzie (NZ) 14 4 3 5 (20) 1 8 13 8 8 9 18 12 - 103 pts
49erFX
1. Odile Van Aanholt/Annette Duetz (Ned) 3 6 3 (21)
1 1 2 6 6 13 1 1 4 - 47 pts
2. Martine Grael/Kahena Kunze (Bra) (24UFD)
12 5 15 1 8 7 6 4 12 - 77 pts
3. Vilma Bobeck/Rebecca Netzler (Swe) 13
(14) 8 14 2 5 10 2 22DNC - 81 pts 16. Jo Aleh/Molly Meech (NZ) 11 (22) 7 11 20
17 3 20 12 12 7 - 138 pts Nacra 17 mixed
1. Gianluigi Ugolini/Maria Giubilei (Ita) 2
9 5 7 (15) 4 10 12 10 (29DNF) (13) 13 11 6 10 2 - 99 pts
Women’s kitefoil
1. Lauriane Nolot (Fra) (7) 1 1 2 (28DNC) 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 (4) 4 1 1 - 18 pts
2. Eleanor Aldridge (GBR) (13) (28DNF) 2 2 2 1 2 1 1
2 1 3 2 2 3 (7) - 24 pts
3. Lily Young (GBR) (28DNF) 2 2 1 2 (28DSQ) 2 3 (28UFD) 6 2 4 9 9 5 2 - 49 pts
24. Justina Kitchen (NZ) 4 11 (28RET) 10 8 14 8 9 (17) 7 9 11 20 (21) 20 21 - 152 pts
Full results here
29ER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Weymouth, England July 27-August 4
1. Clementine Van Steenberge/Nathan Van Steenberge (Irl) 2 2 6 5 (9) 3 4 (16) 13
- 59 pts
2. Maximo Videla/Juan Cruz Albamonte (Arg)
4 5 3 (12) 1 (24) 7 17 13 10 1 - 75 pts
3. Alex Demurtas/Giovanni Santi (Ita) (6) 5
10 6 20 2 14 (43) 14 - 82 pts
11. Sean Kensington/Rowan Kensington (NZ) 2 9 (26) 19 10 7 7 5 15 4 (45) 19 9 4 - 110 pts
Bronze fleet
1. Boróka Fehér/Szonja Fehér (Hun) 32 (47) 25 29 33 28 26 1 2 14 10 (53NSC) - 200 pts
2. Tobias López Tilli/Joaquin Tarasido (Arg) 27 26 (43) 13 31 33 11 28 20 19 20 3 - 203 pts
3. William Stratton/Ronan Curnyn (USA) 19 (38) 38 27 26 33 24 6 3 3 35 (53NSC) - 214 pts
38. Lucy Leith/Chloe Turner (NZ) 31 34 32 (49) 33 30 31 42 9 26 48 (53NSC) - 316 pts
ILCA 4 YOUTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Volos, Greece
July 22-30
1. Ghicas Hermionie (Gre) 10 2 1 1 1 (76 DSQ) 3 2
35 1 - 56 pts
2. Anastassiou Kleopatra (Gre) 3 1 5 5 (25) 18 12 12
5 14 - 75 pts
3. Shapovalova Alina (Ukr) 2 5 2 (35) 8 1 1 31 13
19 - 82 pts
106. Kate Rasmussen (NZ) 23 (76BFD) 36 50 46
27 39 76BFD 4 31 - 332 pts
9. Seb Menzies/George Lee Rush (NZ) 8 3 4 18 15 7 2 (19) 8 16 15 5 10 10 - 121 pts
11. Francesco Kayrouz/Hamish McLaren (NZ) 7 17 6 2 9 2 19 8 6 20 5 12 20 (24) - 133 pts
14. Sam Bacon/Cailen Rochford (NZ) 20 2 2 1 14 (29BFD) 1 11 3 5 21 22 18 20 - 140 pts
20. Campbell Stanton/Will Shapland (NZ) 14 19 5
7 21.4DPI 8 3 1 3 (29) 8 19 28 26 - 162.4 pts
420 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Alicante, Spain July 21-29
Men’s fleet
1. Pol Mateu Badia/Alejandro de Maqua Xalabarder (Esp) 6 2 6 4 6 1 8 11 1 (16) 5 15 - 65 pts
2. Miguel Angel Morales/Alejandro Martin (Esp) 7 3 9 6 6 1 9 12 (20) 20 6 8 - 87 pts
3. Dimitrios Sourlatzis/Nikolaos Sourlatzis (Gre) 17 (24) 15 4 21 6 10 7 2 5 3 10 - 100 pts
25. Cameron Brown/Alex Norman (NZ) 9 12 11 5 2 18 15 1 (45BFD) 41 33 24 - 171 pts
38. Joe Leith/Joshua Ferrissey (NZ) 5 1 5 2 45UFD 12 35 25 24 26 44 (45UFD) - 224 pts
75. Jed Potbury/Finn Balchin (NZ) 39 25 28 25 23 14 15 13 21 25 37 (39) - 265 pts
Women’s fleet
1. Iakovina Kerkezou/Danae Giannouli (Gre)
4 2 1 2 3 6 1 (33DNC) - 26 pts
2. Joana Goncalves/Gabriela Vassel (Bra) 2
3 2 1 4 2 4 (33DNC) - 41 pts
3. Nora Garcia de la Casa/Mariona Ventura Relat (Esp) 2 3 6 2 2 6 6 5 (15) 4 5 10 - 51 pts
56. Tara
RS FEVA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Follonica, Italy
July 22-28
1. Ben Greenhalgh/Tom Sinfield (GBR) 1 3 16 3 6 5 (9) 21 3 20 - 78 pts
2. Giuseppe Bicocchi/Gemma Giovannelli (Ita) 6 11
1 10 3 (66) 13 12 1 32 - 89 pts
3. Ruta Mazunavicyiut/Nojus Volungevicius (Ltu) 4
4 15 6 (DNF) 3 11 15 6 14 - 99 pts
4. Callum Hyde/Callum Noyer (NZ) 2 (50) 18 19 19 1 4 18 13 6 - 100 pts
6. David Ferris/Cameron Ferris (NZ) 27 5 21 (28)
27 2 2 5 7 23 - 119 pts
21. Erin Kee/Isla Kee (NZ) 30 14 48 4 10 16 33 23
19 (BFD) - 197 pts
49ER JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Travemünde, Germany
July 21-30
1. Jack Ferguson/Jack Hildebrand (Aus) 2 4 2 7 2 3 1
2 4 (24) 19 4 11 7 - 68 pts
2. Richard Schultheis/Youenn Bertin (Mlt) 3 2 1 12 3
1 17 2 2 3 (18) 15 4 11 - 76 pts
3. Marius Westerlind/Olle Aronsson (Swe) (25) 5 3 2
4 9 4 8 9 9 2 24 6 4 - 89 pts
Under-17 fleet 1.
Niccolo Giomarelli (Ita)
Storm Douwes (NZ) 19 24 27 40
FORMULA KITE YOUTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Gizzeria, Italy
July 13-23
Boys fleet
1. Maximilian Maeder (SGP) - 13 pts
2. Qibin Huang (Chn) - 21 pts
3. Riccardo Pianosi (Ita) - 28 pts
29. Hugo Wigglesworth (NZ) - 89 pts
33
55. Toby Wigglesworth (NZ) - 301 pts
Girls fleet
1. Lysa Caval (Fra) - 28 pts
2. Magdalena Woyciechowska (Pol) - 31 pts
3. Heloise Pegourie (Fra) - 38 pts
16. Lucy Bilger (NZ) - 205 pts
OK DINGHY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Lyme Regis, England
June 22-30
(GBR)
8 (9) 3 3 2 4 2 1 1 - 24 pts
NZCT is one of the largest gaming societies in New Zealand and the country’s biggest funder of amateur sport. We believe that New Zealand’s communities are at their strongest when people actively come together – to take part, organise or be a vocal supporter.
NZCT is committed to helping people achieve their best, and by supporting sports competitions, we hope Kiwis are inspired to work hard, reach for their goals and excel.
Excitement is building ahead of the 2023 PIC Coastal Classic, now only weeks away.
The 40th instalment of New Zealand’s great race takes place on October 20, and with over 80 entries already received, the organisers are confident they will see an impressive fleet of over 120 boats at the start line.
One of these is a striking yacht formerly owned by America’s Cup yachtsman
Dennis Connor.
Poseidon II, a sleek Farr design sloop in blue and white livery, is now owned by Northlanders Mike Lodge and David Skudder.
At 18.3m (60ft) long, Poseidon II is the biggest of the entries so far and will race for Kerikeri Cruising Club.
Launched in 1998, Poseidon II raced extensively in New York and the eastern United States before coming into Connor’s ownership.
Lodge purchased the vessel from the America’s Cup great around seven years ago and sailed it home to New Zealand via Hawaii and Fiji.
“We just sail for fun with family and friends,” Lodge said.
Another remarkable contender is Elevation, a 7-meter vessel that clinched the coveted overall handicap victory last year – a remarkable feat, triumphing over larger vessels and even the swift multihulls.
The PIC Coastal Classic is an annual season-opener attracting yachts of all shapes and sizes that was first contested in 1982.
Commencing at Devonport Wharf in Auckland, this thrilling race culminates at Russell Wharf in the picturesque Bay of Island, spanning an impressive 119 nautical miles.
Mark your calendars as entries are set to close on October 6.
For more information, click here.
As warmer weather returns to New Zealand, so too will the first participants on this year’s Pacific Rally – with 89 boats the biggest in the event’s 40-year history. We caught up with rally director and Island Cruising New Zealand owner Viki Moore to find out about the highlights from this year, lessons learnt and what Kiwi cruisers can expect in the months ahead
This year is the biggest Pacific Rally yet. What do you attribute the growth to?
Many sailors dream of setting sail to the South Pacific, and the lifestyle is amazing. You are effectively taking your house and everything you need with you – every day you can choose to wake up in a different bay, exploring some spectacular destinations.
You can interact with the locals and explore places that the usual tourist could never get to, learning more about their culture and way of life.
Sailing across oceans can be hugely challenging and equally rewarding. Cruising is also a more sustainable way of living for many people, you are effectively off the grid and out of the hustle and bustle of crazy life. There are no traffic jams out here!
There’s been a noticeable uptick in the number of families cruising this year.
Yes. This year, we have 19 boats with families and over 39 children on the rally. Cruising is an incredible experience for families to spend more time together –having a shared adventure, and the children absolutely thrive.
The local schools often open their
doors and invite the children to come and spend time with them in class. Many of the children are doing homeschooling but also learning so much more – about boat maintenance, navigation, fishing, and reallife experiences.
Families are increasingly keen to show their children there is more to life than being glued to a device, to spend more quality time together, and to give their children a unique insight into a different way of life.
Are many new people getting into cruising, or is it the same crowd every year?
About a quarter of the people on the rally this year are returnees from last year. Some
families might just do one year to give their children the experience and then head back to school and work again.
The rest of the rally group is made up of first-time cruisers and other very experienced sailors who are keen to tap into all the inclusions and be connected to the rest of the group.
What have been some of the highlights of this year’s rally?
After being closed for three years with Covid-19 and the volcanic eruption, the welcome we received in Tonga was incredible. The Lau Group entry into Fiji was another highlight, as well as visiting the Mount Yasur volcano and the Land Diving festival at Pentecost Island in Vanuatu, and the annual Fiji Regatta at Musket Cove.
Do you have any advice for new cruising families considering taking a trip like this for the first time?
There is lots to do to get prepared, so start early! Signing up for the rally is a great way to lock in a date and get all the additional support and some great discounts to help you prepare for the adventures ahead.
Spend plenty of time sailing your boat and ensuring all your systems are working and that you are confident with how everything works.
The list of jobs to do on the boat pre-departure can sometimes feel a little overwhelming, but that is where joining the rally can really help people get prepared.
What are some of the earliest opportunities for Kiwis to go cruising next?
We are lucky to be able to sail around our spectacular coastline all year round. We have got the South Island Rally running around New Zealand this summer. Also, the boats returning from the Pacific in October will be looking for crew if people are keen to get offshore sailing experience.
The 2024 Pacific Rally will depart in May next year.
Which destinations would you recommend Kiwis experience at least once?
The South Island is an incredible
sailing destination and right on your doorstep. Marlborough and the Abel Tasman are particularly stunning with numerous protected anchorages, some excellent walks, remote resorts you can visit for a bite to eat, and interesting history and sights along the way.
For the more adventurous, Fiordland and Stewart Island are incredible, remote, and sometimes challenging cruising conditions, but spectacular places to visit.
Heading offshore – Tonga and Fiji are firm favourites of Kiwi cruisers with Vanuatu and New Caledonia popular with those who are keen to venture a little further afield.
We also have boats on the rally in French Polynesia and others heading to Indonesia and Australia, so the fleet is spread far and wide but still connected.
Any activities that should be on the to-do list while cruising? Swimming with the whales in Tonga, and the manta rays in Fiji. The Lau Group in
Fiji is known for being one of the most remote and beautiful places on Earth and I recommend immersing yourself in a local village, getting to know the people and learning about their way of life. It’s a more authentic way of connecting with the people, places and environment.
Where should new cruisers start their journey?
You can join Island Cruising as a member for just $129 per year. This gives you access to all our resources and each week you get some tips on bite-sized steps you can take to start on your cruising adventures.
Get experience sailing with different people and on different boats – joining in with your local yacht club racing scene is a great way to hone your sailing skills. Crew with others, firstly around the coast and then on an offshore passage and buy your own boat and learn as you go.
Once you are ready, sign up for a rally. This means you’ve set a date and a target to aim for.
NZ youth championships
Royal Akarana Yacht Club
September 29-October 2
O’pen Skiff winter championships
Murrays Bay Sailing Club
October 5-8
12ft Skiff Auckland championships
Royal Akarana Yacht Club
October 7
Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race
Royal Akarana Yacht Club/Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club
October 7-14
Gold Cup race 2: Roy McDell Memorial
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
October 14
Starling North Island championships
New Plymouth Yacht Club
October 14-15
North Island Sprints Regatta Rotorua Yacht Club
October 14-15
PIC Coastal Classic
New Zealand Multihull Yacht Club
October 20-21
Aviemore Classic Regatta
Timaru Yacht and Powerboat Club
October 20-22
P Class North Island championships
Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club
October 21-22
NZ Match Racing championships
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
October 25-29
Hartley 16 North Island championships
Ngaroto Sailing Club
October 28-29
Noelex 22 North Island championships
Ngaroto Sailing Club
October 28-29
Hansa 303 Singles North Island championships
Ngaroto Sailing Club
October 28-29
Gold Cup race 3: Bean Rock Race
Royal Akarana Yacht Club
November 4
Optimist North Island championships
Napier Sailing Club
November 4-5
O’pen Skiff North Island championships
Plimmerton Boating Club
November 4-5
NZ Women’s Match Racing championships
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
November 9-12
Flying Fifteen national championships
Lake Taupō Yacht Club
November 9-12
Young 88 Northern Owners championships
Bucklands Beach Yacht Club
November 11
Zephyr North Island championships
Lake Taupō Yacht Club
November 11-12
Sunburst North Island championships
Lake Taupō Yacht Club
November 11-12
O’pen Skiff South Island championships
Wānaka Yacht Club
November 17-19
A Class Auckland championships
Manly Sailing Club
November 18-19
Optimist Team Cup Lake Pupuke
Murrays Bay Sailing Club
November 18-19
Young 88 Southern Owners championships
Naval Point Club Lyttelton
November 18-19
OK Dinghy national championships
Napier Sailing Club
November 24-26
ILCA North Island championships
Napier Sailing Club
November 25-26
Canterbury Trailer Yacht championships
Naval Point Club Lyttelton
November 25-26
Elliott 5.9 Traveller Series
Naval Point Club Lyttelton
November 25-26
Flying Dutchman South Island championships
Naval Point Club Lyttelton
November 25-26
Sir Peter Blake Regatta
Torbay Sailing Club
December 1-3
Double Trouble Multihull Regatta
Mercury Bay Boating Club
December 2-3
Nelson/Marlborough regional championships
Queen Charlotte Yacht Club
December 2-3
South Island Zephyr championships
Queen Charlotte Yacht Club
December 2-3
Starling South Island championships
Queen Charlotte Yacht Club
December 2-3
Gold Cup race 4: Percy Jones Memorial Bucklands Beach Yacht Club
December 9
Finn class Auckland championships Wakatere Boating Club
December 9-10
Auckland P Class Tanner Cup Trials
Kohimarama Yacht Club
December 9-10
ILCA South Island championships
Naval Point Club Lyttelton
December 9-10
Finn class South Island championships
Charteris Bay Yacht Club
December 9-10
South Island Paper Tiger championships
Charteris Bay Yacht Club
December 9-10
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