YBQ Issue2

December 2023 ISSUE 2

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF

Yachting & Boating Quarterly

PLUS

Inside:

SH ARMIT MEGAN THOMSON + JOIN SH R A M B O R + Y E L S A E B N + BE N MORATZ E T S IR K + H IS R R A P N H JO + SPOTS T O H G IN IS U R C D N A L IS H T + SOU + A TO Z OF LIFEJACKETS

r e H N I Y R O IST H✗ G N I K A THE M

RESULTS & REGATTA CALENDAR

GAME E H T G IN G N A H C D N A S T S ILY, FIR M A F N O S M IA L IL W N IA L IL G EMPOWERING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES

KEEPING GIRLS IN THE GAME THE NEEDS OF YOUNG WOMEN ARE UNIQUE WHEN IT COMES TO SPORT AND RECREATION 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?

HOW CAN ADULTS SUPPORT YOUNG WOMEN TO TRY NEW SPORTS AND FEEL COMFORTABLE TAKING PART? HERE ARE SEVEN TIPS TO CONSIDER. 1. OVERALL WELLBEING

2. SAFE ENVIRONMENTS

3. IT’S THEIR MOVE

4. LEADERSHIP

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.

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THE PARTICIPATION GAP

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.

FUN, FITNESS, AND FRIENDS

Young women are also more likely to cite judgement, lack of confidence and fear of failure as barriers to increasing participation.

are the biggest motivators for young women to participate in physical activity.

5. SOCIAL CONNECTION

6. DEVICES ARE NOT THE ENEMY

7. THE FEELGOOD FACTOR

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.

DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 3

BRIEFINGS

8 32

ISSUE 02 December 2023

42 16 4 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | DECEMBER 2023

TOP MARK 8 10 12 14 15 16 20

Megan Thomson Kiwis fall short at youth worlds Mac attack in Vilamoura Waszp history for Sam Street Meet Caleb Armit Josh Armit: From grounded to flying high Aon Yachting Excellence Awards

14

SECOND BEAT 28 30 32 34 36

Gearing up for summer The Robin Marsh column Beating the Games heat Healthy women in sailing series Radix Nutrition’s v9 revolution

30

HOME STRAIGHT 38 39 40 42 44 46 48 49 50 54 56 60 61

The John Parrish column You Say P Class focus William Mason’s Blake honour Cris Brodie: Man on a mission Product focus: Safety at Sea The Kirsten Moratz column Wooden boat festival set to thrill Cover story: Gillian Williams Around the regions South Island cruising A lifeline for cruisers Caulerpa rules tightened

62 64 69 70

Ben Beasley’s solo run Results Regatta calendar Member benefits

44 61

DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 5

START LINE Here’s to a year of more firsts

Eduan Roos EDITOR

@yachting_new_zealand @YachtingNewZealand @YachtingNewZealand

CONTRIBUTORS Suzanne McFadden, Kathy Catton, Merryn Anderson, Gary Smith, Niall Anderson, Robin Marsh, John Parrish, Kirsten Moratz, Kelly Mulcahy, Hayden Whitburn, Wayne Holdt, Ian Gardiner.

EDITORIAL Eduan Roos eduan@yachtingnz.org.nz ADVERTISING Angela Jordan angela@yachtingnz.org.nz YACHTING NEW ZEALAND 4 Fred Thomas Drive, Takapuna, Auckland 0622 YBQ is published quarterly by Yachting New Zealand.

Cover photo: Eduan Roos

I

t has been a week of firsts for New Zealand sailors on the world stage.

On Saturday, Sam Street was crowned king of the 2023 International Waszp Games in Sorrento, Australia – the flagship event in the popular one-design foiling class.

Street defeated more than 80 other hopefuls from across the globe with a dominant display across four days of racing, to become the first sailor in the competition’s history to win back-to-back world titles in the class.

Less than 24 hours later, Megan Thomson stood atop the podium in Shenzhen, China – her 2.0 Racing team claiming the bronze medal at the World Match Racing Tour final by defeating the in-form Swedish crew of Johnie Berntsson.

Thomson eliminated round-robin winner Bjorn Hansen before losing a close semifinal to eventual champion Ian Williams.

It is the first time a female skipper has finished in the top four of the tour’s championship decider.

Thomson used the opportunity to encourage more women to participate on the open tour.

“It’d be great to see more girls here.

There is definitely the level out there to have them be at these events,” she said.

When, as expected, Gillian Williams is named Commodore of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in August next year, it will be another big first for sailing in this country.

The sailor, lawyer and mum is set to become the first female commodore of the Squadron and while several New Zealand clubs are led by women at all levels, there is no denying the significance of having a woman in this role for the first time in the 153-year history of one of our biggest and

6 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | DECEMBER 2023

most storied yacht clubs.

Female participation and performance is a common theme throughout this edition of Yachting & Boating Quarterly – we lift the lid on Yachting New Zealand’s latest efforts to enhance the health and wellbeing of our young participants, four years after the launch of our groundbreaking Women and Girls in Sailing strategy.

It’s also the topic of two of our columnists – renowned race officer John Parrish and YNZ coach development manager Kirsten Moratz.

There is plenty of work to be done, but it’s important to celebrate and acknowledge the strides made in 2023 – as evidenced by the names on our Aon Yachting Excellence Awards winners list (page 20).

We also tell the story of Thomson (p8), Street (p14), and Williams (p50), as well as several others from all corners of the country and areas of our sport.

I hope you enjoy the read.

On behalf of the team at Yachting New Zealand, I wish you a happy festive season filled with great sailing and a summer full of sunshine.

Here’s to a 2024 of many more first.

TOP MARK ON THE DOUBLE! Street outsmarts competition to claim second Waszp world title 14

Photo: International Waszp Games

‘LESSONS LEARNT’

YACHTING ‘OSCARS’

10-11

20-25

Youth team fall short in Brazil

All the winners

DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 7

TOP MARK Photo: Supplied

M

SAILING ROCK STAR SCALING NEW HEIGHTS When she’s not competing for some of the biggest prizes in match racing, Megan Thomson can be found dangling from cliffs, she tells Suzanne McFadden

Megan Thomson has made match-racing history this season. Photos: WWMRT

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egan Thomson is equally at home behind a wheel on the water, or scaling up a sheer rock face – even though she harbours a fear of

heights.

It’s an interesting combination of passions – sailing and rock climbing – but the Auckland sailor reckons they share much more than just ropes.

“Both need physical strength and take a lot of mental strength and control. It’s so cool when you’re able to push through boundaries,” says the world’s No 3 ranked match racing skipper.

“I was terrified of heights – which got me into rock climbing while I was at university. I love the feeling of overcoming a fear or a challenge. It’s something I can work on in little doses.

“The climbing community is cool, like sailing, and you go to some incredible places not overrun by tourists.”

Thomson spent a month this year climbing on the Greek island of Kalymnos – a break from an epic seven months of sailing at the highest level.

It was a year when Thomson, 26, was truly pushed out of her comfort zone – where she sailed all but one event on the women’s match race tour and ended up on the overall podium; was called on to crew on a leg of the Ocean Race; and helmed a boat in the grand-daddy of match racing, the Congressional Cup. To top it off, she finished third at the season-ending World Match Racing Tour final in Shenzhen last weekend, becoming the first female skipper to medal in the event’s history.

“In sailing it’s about learning to push yourself a little bit out of your comfort zone. If you push yourself too far, things start to fall apart, or you panic. If I’m nervous before an event, or doing something I haven’t done before, I’m always focusing on ‘stretching’ my comfort zone,” she says.

“It’s the same with climbing; you can’t all of a sudden stand on the edge of a cliff – you have to chip away at it.”

Thomson has no fear of leaping on opportunities whenever they present themselves, which took her to some unexpected places in 2023.

MEET THE FLEET

In April she left her job as the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron’s race manager to head for California and got a start in the Ficker Cup – a World Match Racing Tour event and a feeder regatta to the Congressional Cup. She teamed up with Nick Egnot-Johnson and his Knots Racing crew, while they got precious time in a Catalina 37 leading into the Congressional Cup, also raced at the Long Beach Yacht Club.

“For me, it was a super cool learning opportunity on those boats with a team who’d sailed them before,” Thomson says.

“Then we squeaked into the semifinals on a tiebreaker, and then sailed into the final.”

Although they finished the Ficker Cup runners-up to American Christopher Weis, it was enough to win Thomson a start in her first Congressional Cup a few days later. “I certainly hadn’t planned for that!” she laughs. “So, I was last-minute scrambling to find a crew I could do the Con Cup with, which was a little stressful.

I’m very lucky everyone was keen to help out, and once I locked in local sailor Steve Flam to do tactics for me, he put our team together.

“I met my team the night before and some of them even on the dock as we were walking out.”

The sole female skipper in the fleet of 10, Thomson initially found it a little daunting. “You’re up against all these big names and you don’t know how you’ll go, especially with a thrown-together team.

I’m lucky I had an awesome team who did an incredible job,” she says – finishing seventh overall, with six wins (Knots Racing were third).

Thomson then reunited with 2.0 Women’s Racing teammates Anna Merchant, Lisa Dartnall and Maeve White for the first two events on the world match racing tour in San Francisco then Annapolis – making the petit final twice.

Fellow Kiwis Celia Willison and the Edge Women’s Match team won the first stop, the Casa Vela Cup. With some crew changes, including Olympic champion Jo Aleh, 2.0 Racing finished second in Le Havre, France in May. The sum of those performances was enough to put Thomson at No 3 on the

world tour, one spot behind Willison.

“It was a nice little surprise – we didn’t get to the last event in Denmark, so we didn’t think we’d feature on the tour podium,” Thomson says.

“Unfortunately, because all the girls have full-time jobs and they’re very busy trying to sustain a normal life back in New Zealand, we had to chop and change a lot of our team members. Each tour event you’re working out systems with new crew, so it was cool to get a few good results.”

The world match racing championships in Denmark in July, though, knocked Thomson flat – literally. She had her full crew on board – Merchant, Chelsea Rees, Josi Andres and Juliet Costanzo – but they hadn’t managed any training. On the first day racing the Blu26 keelboats, Thomson ended up in hospital - whacked on the head with the boom.

“I had concussion, and I was bleeding out my ear. That put a lot of extra stress on the team. Thankfully we didn’t miss out on any races, they blew up racing that day because of the wind. But I definitely don’t think I was fully there for some of the races,” she says.

She probably shouldn’t have been there at all – but with the language barrier, a doctor thought she’d merely cut her ear, so cleared her to sail. For a month afterwards,

‘I had concussion, and I was bleeding out my ear.

I definitely don’t think I was fully there for some of the races.’

Thomson struggled to focus before coming right.

The lessons kept coming as she “stepped off the deep end” into the Ocean Race – sailing Leg 7, the Hague to Genova, on board the Dutch Team JAJO. “That was one of those funny moments where you get one opportunity and it snowballs,” she says.

It started in 2022 when Thomson went to Saudi Arabia to introduce locals to sailing. The Dutch team were there with their VO65 and short of experienced crew for corporate sails, they invited Thomson on board to help – her first time on an ocean racing yacht.

A year later, a few weeks before the start of Leg 7, Thomson woke up to a text reading ‘Hey Megan, do you want to do the Ocean Race?’

“I thought they texted the wrong person,” she laughs. “I replied ‘It’s not really up my experience alley but let’s chat about it.’”

Even though she was an offshore racing rookie, Thomson was offered a position for the 2200 nm leg; the crew wanted someone they knew, who was eager to be upskilled. “I loved every second of it,” she says. “If the opportunity came again, I wouldn’t say no.”

And that’s her next challenge – deciding which avenue of sailing to pursue.

Thomson, who has a sport and recreation degree majoring in outdoor education, would like to have another year “balancing work, sailing and life again”, but finances mean she might have to narrow down her focus.

She rounded out the year by taking out the national women’s match racing title with 2.0 Racing before her triumpg in China.

Thomson will start 2024 with a special sailing event: competing in the Tasar world championships in Melbourne, with her dad, Fergus – who introduced her to sailing at Auckland’s French Bay Yacht Club.

“When I was about 15, we did a Tasar nationals together, and it was my first time driving with Dad crewing, learning how to drive by telltales on a jib,” she says.

“Hopefully, this time we’ll be better.”

DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 9

TOP MARK

WINDOW ON THE WO No medals but young Kiwis gain plenty of experience from youth competition

F

Top to bottom: Joe Leith and Josh Ferrissey finished fifth in the boys 420; Sean and Rowan Kensington; George Pilkington; Tessa Clinton during the opening ceremony. Photos: World Sailing

or most of the 13-strong NZL Sailing Foundation team, the 2023 youth sailing world championships was their first taste of international competition.

And, says Yachting New Zealand’s talent development manager Geoff Woolley, though they weren’t consistent enough to challenge for the medals, the lessons from Buzios this week are sure to leave our young sailors hungry for more.

The Kiwi contingent, led by Woolley and Yachting New Zealand youth manager Sam Mackay, will return from Brazil empty-handed with Joe Leith and Josh Ferrissey coming closest to the podium with their overall fifth place in the boys 420 event.

The pair finished only eight points off the bronze and were denied a late tilt at the podium when racing was cancelled on the final day of the five-day regatta.

Aimee Bright (11th, girls windfoil), Hugo Wigglesworth (12th, boys kitefoil), Naiomi Ferrissey (13th, girls ILCA 6), and Sean and Rowan Kensington (13th, boys 29er) all finished just outside the top ten, with Tessa Clinton and Nicola Hume (girls 420) 15th, Lucy Leith and Chloe Turner (girls 29er) 18th, George

10 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | DECEMBER 2023

Pilkington (boys ILCA 6) 20th, and Ben Rist (boys windfoil) 28th slightly deeper in their fleets.

According to Woolley, all the sailors showed glimpses of their best but lacked the consistency to charge up the leaderboard.

“Buzios delivered an incredible week of sailing, and the event has been a great experience for all our sailors,” Woolley said.

“We had some very encouraging individual performances on different days and in different conditions but, overall, the team wasn’t consistent enough through the week.”

Bright claimed New Zealand’s only race win on day two of the girls iQFOIL, while Leith and Turner, Clinton and Hume, and Naiomi Ferrissey (twice) managed to finish a race in the top three.

The Kensington brothers also recovered from a sluggish start that saw them 25th overall in the 29er fleet after the first day.

Leith and Ferrissey were the clear standouts, however, finishing with four top-fives across their eight completed races – including a second place.

“They will take a lot of confidence from the fact that they were right in the hunt for medals,” Woolley said.

“Our lack of big-fleet race experience showed for our sailors. A lot of hard work is required now but we’ve learnt valuable lessons which can be shared with all the

REVIEW

Two more classes qualify for Games

WORLD youth sailors back home.”

Though disappointed to miss out on the podium, Leith was impressed with their overall performance in challenging conditions.

“It was a good regatta with pretty tight racing, and you had to be on your game to do well this week – as proven by the Americans [Freddie Parkin and Asher Beck], who won it last year but only finished eighth this year,” Leith said.

“We did leak a few points with boat breakages and other little mishaps throughout the regatta but we’re happy to get fifth overall and get some solid top-five finishes.”

The pair’s focus now turns to an even bigger challenge – the 420 open world championships in Rio de Janeiro in early January.

“We’re looking forward to heading over there to try and put our learnings into practise and give some international racing another crack.”

Full results here.

Lukas Walton-Keim says he had to go behind enemy lines to clear a major obstacle in his quest for Olympic selection – but it was mission accomplished as the Auckland kitefoiler finished second at Sail Sydney to secure New Zealand a country spot in the class at next year’s Games.

Also booking a spot on the start line – in the ILCA 6 – was Greta Pilkington, who finished sixth overall in the event formerly known as the Laser Radial.

While the kitefoil will make its Olympic debut in Marseille, where the sailing events will be held, Pilkington could become the first Kiwi to compete in the ILCA 6 at the four-yearly showpiece since London 2012.

Walton-Keim finished runner-up to Cypriot Denis Taradin in Sydney, claiming a top-three result in all but four of the 15 races.

“I’m really happy with this week. I did what I needed to do and qualified the country for the 2024 Olympics, so I couldn’t be more pleased with that and I’m looking forward to the next step, which is getting selected,” Walton-Keim said.

“It’s been a really good few weeks for me. I’ve had some excellent training with some really good training partners, and I’m happy to be able to put that on display this week.

“It was great racing against the Aussies. It felt like I was coming into enemy territory a little bit in their backyard but actually, they were so welcoming and friendly, and we all just had a great time racing.”

Walton-Keim, who has impressed

since returning from a serious knee injury in June, was full of praise for teammate-turned-coach Justina Kitchen, who is battling injury concerns of her own after a string of strong results in Europe earlier this year.

“It’s been great having Justina here to coach me and be my support person, she helped me so much and I’m really grateful,” Walton-Keim said.

Pilkington, 20, impressed in a fleet stacked with experienced sailors, managing three top-three race results.

“The first box for Olympic selection has been ticked – my goal was to achieve that, and I’m stoked that it’s done,” she told Live Sail Die. “I’m really happy that I’ve been able to qualify NZL for the ILCA 6 class, but there’s still more work to do. I’m ready to get into it.”

Both sailors will now attempt to gain selection for the Games, starting in a little over six months.

For Walton-Keim that opportunity is only a few weeks away.

“I’m stoked to tick this off the list and now I just have to focus on my selection regatta, which is coming up pretty soon in the new year. I’ll be training hard and getting back to the training partners and doing what I need to do to keep improving.”

New Zealand qualified six other classes for the Games – the 49er, 49erFX, ILCA 7, Nacra 17, and men’s and women’s windfoil – at the sailing world championships in The Hague in August.

Full results here.

Lukas WaltonKeim (left) and Greta Pilkington (inset). Photos: Sail Sydney

DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 11

MAC ATTACK TOP MARK

Isaac McHardie and Will McKenzie ended an impressive 2023 with silverware in Europe and are determined to get onto more international podiums next year

I

saac McHardie and Will McKenzie ended an impressive 2023 on a high – despite being denied the chance to strike gold by light winds on the final day of the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European championship in Vilamoura last month.

The McKiwis, as locals dubbed McHardie and McKenzie during the event, finished the regatta third overall just 3.4 points short of French crew Lucas Rual and Emile Amoros in first and 3 points behind Dominik Buksak and Szymon Wierzbicki of Poland in second.

Competitors spent several hours on the water on the last day of competition waiting for a breeze that never came with both the final gold-fleet race and the doublepoints medal race in the 49er competition abandoned.

The New Zealanders won four of the 12 qualifying races and claimed top-10 finishes in five others to be among the front of the fleet throughout the event.

An uncharacteristic 20th place in the final fleet race ultimately proved costly, as McHardie and McKenzie surrendered

12 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | DECEMBER 2023

the lead they had gained with their fourth bullet of the competition shortly before.

“It was a long day. The forecast had no breeze all day, but that’s sort of the forecast we’ve had all week,” McKenzie said shortly after racing was called off on the final day.

“Every day we’ve managed to sneak in a few races, so we woke up expecting to get out there for some more light-wind races, but unfortunately, the wind didn’t play ball and the fleet race was cancelled. We went out on the water for the medal race, but the breeze rarely got above three knots.

“This was probably the lightest regatta we’ve ever had – the max breeze we saw was probably about seven knots, so a very tricky regatta.”

Despite the disappointment of not having another medal race, the Kiwis were pleased with their progress after narrowly missing out on the podium several times this season.

They claimed top-10 finishes at the French Olympic Week, the Olympic test event, and the sailing world championships this year – with bronze at the Princess Sofia Regatta in Spain in April their only other medal success in 2023.

REVIEW

McKiwis in 2023 11th Lanzarote International Regatta (February) Bronze Princess Sofia Regatta (April) Erica Dawson in the Nacra 17 (left), and Isaac McHardie and Will McKenzie. Photos: World Sailing

6th French Olympic Week regatta (April) 5th

“We’re stoked with the result and it’s nice to walk away with a bronze medal.

It’s a little step up to what we’ve been used to in the last few major events, with two fourths at the last two worlds and a fifth at the [Olympic] test event. Breaking into the medals is always good.”

The pair spent a lot of time over the last few months working on their starts, which they felt were a weakness previously.

“There was a good training block back at home with the wider NZL sailing team working on our starting procedures,” McHardie explained.

“It was good seeing that pay off quite nicely here, managing to get some good starts and hold some good lanes and use our speed to our advantage.”

The European championship was also the first of two selection trials for next year’s Olympic Games, with the 49er and 49erFX world championships in Lanzarote in February the other.

McHardie and McKenzie are vying for the sole New Zealand spot on the 49er start line against teammates Logan Dunning Beck and Oscar Gunn, who finished 11th in Portugal.

The duo battled their way back from 43rd overall after day 1 with a string of low scores and they would have been confident of making the 10-boat medal race – and further inroads into the leaderboard – before racing was shelved.

Jo Aleh and Molly Meech had earlier ended their 49erFX regatta in 34th overall after impressing with their season-best sixth place at the sailing world championships in August.

Meanwhile, Nacra 17 team Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson were satisfied with certain aspects of their campaign in the Algarve despite finishing fifth – some way off the top three teams.

“We felt like we learned a lot. This regatta, particularly, felt like we made some gains in our upwind speed and even though some days we felt like the luck didn’t go our way or we didn’t sail our absolute best, it seems like a lot of teams also had a tricky one,” Dawson said.

“What’s pretty clear to us… is that the Italians and the Brits are miles ahead of the whole fleet and we’ve got a lot of work to do in our summer block at home to try and narrow that gap.”

Olympic test event (July)

4th Sailing world championships (August) Bronze 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European championships (November)

That includes training with the Netherlands’ Laila van der Meer and Bjarne Bouwer.

“We’re really stoked to have the Dutch Nacra team coming down to NZ for the whole summer and we think we’re going to make some really good gains.”

For full results from the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European championship in Vilamoura, Portugal, click here.

VIDEO

DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 13

TOP MARK

REVIEW

STREETS AHEAD Kiwi Waszp ace dominates world champs Down Under

S

am Street has made history at the International Waszp Games by becoming the first sailor to win back-to-back world titles.

The 23-year-old New Plymouth Yacht Club sailor dominated the competition winning six of the regatta’s 10 races in Sorrento, Australia to claim the crown by 12 points from Denmark’s Magnus Overbeck.

It follows his triumph at Lake Garda in 2022, a result that saw him shortlisted for the male sailor of the year at the international Foiling Awards.

Street led a nine-boat Kiwi contingent at the event, with New Zealand-flagged boats also near the front of the women’s, youth and Masters fleets.

Tim Howse, in his first major Waszp regatta, narrowly missed out on a podium spot finishing fourth overall and second youth courtesy of five top-five results, while Helena Sanderson was 37th overall and second only to Brit Hattie Rogers in the women’s division.

Dave Shaw edged out countryman George Wills by two points to claim the Masters title. “[It’s an] unreal feeling to defend the world title and be the first person ever to win two overall world championships in the class,”

Photo: International Waszp Games

14 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | DECEMBER 2023

Street posted on social media.

While Street has had unprecedented success in the Waszp on the global stage, he had to wait until March this year for his first national title in the class, at the fifth attempt.

Shortly after winning the title, he told Yachting New Zealand he would likely step away from the boat in early 2024.

“I want to do the world champs at the end of this year and then get into the Moth class,” Street explained.

“The Waszp is an awesome class – it’s a one-design, so it is simplified and has a steep learning curve, but it’s also limited in a sense and plateaus quickly.”

Street has also been campaigning with Brittany Wornall for a spot at next year’s Olympic Games in the mixed 470 and has been competing in the 69F series with fellow Kiwis Serena Woodall and Andre van Dam. Sailing in vastly different classes has its advantages, he believes.

“It’s been cool developing the different skills, surfing the waves and being a lot more dynamic with your body in the 470 while just being locked into pretty much a sailing path in the foiling stuff,” Street said.

“Having that knowledge and developing the ability to switch your mindset between the two has definitely made me a more rounded sailor.”

MEET THE FLEET

MOROCCAN MAGIC Consistency, teamwork key for young ILCA 7 sailor’s proudest moment

H

is rise to the podium at the 2023 ILCA under-21 world championship may seem like a sensational solo effort but Caleb Armit credits teamwork for one of the proudest moments of his young sailing career.

The 18-year-old achieved his first international success in the ILCA 7 (Laser) by taking out the bronze against 114 other competitors from 31 nations in late October, after a less-than-ideal start to the regatta in Tangier, Morocco.

Armit was 16th overall after the first day of competition but managed six top-ten results in 11 races, including two thirds, to fight his way into medal contention.

“It was pretty tough and quite high scoring, with some big variation between some of the days. A couple of the days, it was up to 30 knots and then on another day it was down around five knots, but I just tried to stay consistent and slowly climb up the leaderboard,” Armit said.

“This result is definitely up there with my third at last year’s [ILCA 6] youth world championships.”

Despite having some experience on the world stage – Armit this year competed at the Princess Sofia Regatta in Spain,

the French Olympic week in Hyeres, and the sailing world championships in The Hague – the soft-spoken Aucklander was as surprised as anyone by his success in the North African city.

“I didn’t really have any expectations. I was just trying to figure it out each day on the water – to have a good regatta and see where I could end up,” Armit said.

He was grateful to have Phil Douglas in Morocco with him as his coach, as well as in the lead-up training for the event in New Zealand.

“It was great being able to have Phil there and to have his support throughout the event.”

Armit believes working with Yachting New Zealand coach Mark Howard and the rest of the ILCA 7 sailing group – including former world champion Tom Saunders and George Gautrey, New Zealand’s only medallist in The Hague – also helped him.

“It’s great being able to talk to Mark and the more experienced Laser sailors, to get their view on things and ask them

Caleb Armit won bronze in Tangier, Morocco.

Photos: PROW Media

questions and have that ability to speak openly during briefings and debriefs.”

Caleb wasn’t the only Armit to make waves recently – older brother Josh placed fourth at the wingfoil racing World Cup in Cagliari only days after being included in the NZL Sailing Team following a string of top-10 iQFOIL (windfoil) results over the European summer.

The 21-year-old has had a remarkable rise in the growing class since switching from the ILCA 7 in late 2020.

Caleb has no similar plans just yet.

“I’m having a lot of fun with the Laser at the moment. It’s a big challenge and a big step up from sailing in the Radial (ILCA 6) and I am enjoying it a lot,” he said.

“I love that everyone, within reason, has more or less the same speed so it comes down to tactical racing. It’s also not much boat work, so you have a lot of time on the water.”

His next goal is to have a strong showing at the Australian nationals and the ILCA world championships in Adelaide early next year – while also playing his part in helping to shape the next generation of Kiwi sailors.

“I’ll be doing a lot of training between now and Adelaide and just learning as much as I can,” Armit said.

“I’m also coaching a lot of the kids down at Murrays Bay Sailing Club. It keeps me busy but it’s something I really enjoy.”

Full results from the ILCA under-21 world championships here.

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LABOUR OF LOVE Rising windfoil star Josh Armit’s journey to the Olympic Games is back on track after a few unexpected twists and turns and one significant detour

T

o realise his Olympic dream, Josh Armit needed to give up what he loved.

A junior world champion in the ILCA 6 class and raised in a family rich with sailing success, Armit seemed destined for a future of international honours.

But instead of standing atop a podium,

Armit was instead standing on a labouring site, the product of a difficult few years which had seen his daggerboard and sail traded for hammer and nail.

After a rocky transition from the junior ranks to the top level, Armit had taken some time off to rethink his future – one he would soon begin to consider monotonous, showing up every day to a worksite, unintentionally taunted by messages from his friends who were out on the water experimenting with a rapidly growing sailing class – windfoiling.

One day, as another message rolled in exclaiming the merits of the exciting class, the then 19-year-old decided to have a go, and quickly came to a realisation.

The brief days of Josh Armit, manual labourer, were over.

The Olympic dream was back on. But not how anyone expected.

Josh Armit has established himself as one of the world’s leading men’s windfoilers in 2023. Photos: Radix Nutrition, World Sailing

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B

eing on the water is seemingly a requirement for those who carry the Armit last name.

Josh’s grandfather Tony Armit was the first New Zealander to sail around the world, embarking on a three-year voyage with friend Brian Loe in 1954, while dad Leith was a four-time OK Dinghy world champion who was the New Zealand Sailor of the Year in 1985 and a travelling reserve at the 1988 Olympics. Younger brother Caleb is also making his mark on the sailing world, having recently claimed a bronze medal at the ILCA 7 under-21 world championships.

Josh enjoys the iQFOIL squad, led by world-class coach Nathan Handley.

“To have Nathan leading the programme, one of New Zealand’s most successful Olympic sailing coaches, has really helped my

FEATURE

progression in the last year.

“I feel fortunate to have him in my team, leading the way.”

Given his lineage, it’s not surprising he’d be an Olympic contender - but his path to getting there has been far from straightforward.

Armit’s original journey had him destined for success in a traditional sailing class.

Growing up around the sailing club at Murrays Bay, Armit took up the sport aged 10, and was a quick learner.

By age 13, he was the youngest person to ever win the Starling Nationals, and in 2015 joined the likes of Peter Burling, Jo Aleh and Sam Meech as winners of the Sir Peter Blake Memorial Trophy.

Armit followed it up by winning the under-17 ILCA 6 world championships in 2017, triumphing in the Netherlands by a whopping 41 points despite only being 15.

Victory followed at the 2018 youth sailing world championships, confirming his status as a prodigiously talented ILCA sailor, while he also replicated a feat of his father’s by taking a bronze medal in a 111-boat fleet at the 2019 OK dinghy

world championships.

The overwhelming age-group success saw Armit opt to move into the full-rig Olympic class despite still having a year

remaining at youth level, and at the age of 17 – while still juggling school with sailing – he found it to be a tough transition.

“I had a bit of a tough time when I first moved into an Olympic class,” Armit admits.

“I did well in the youths but moving into the Olympic side of things, I was still in school and probably put myself in the deep end. I found it quite difficult and decided to take a step back and reassess things and where I found enjoyment.”

He quickly discovered enjoyment was unlikely to be uncovered while swinging a hammer.

“Over Covid I did some labouring and really hated it,” he laughs.

“I was brutally labouring away, assessing my options and what to do.

It was a good time over Covid to just rethink what I was enjoying and plan how to go about things.”

That’s when a rapidly growing sailing class came to his rescue.

“I had a lot of mates doing windfoiling and telling me how sick it was and to get into it. I gave it a go and got pretty addicted.

“I was like ‘oh, I’d do anything to be doing this over spending days at a worksite’.

Anything to keep that going was an awesome motivator.”

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While windsurfing has been at the Olympics in some guise since 1984, the higher speeds of windfoiling have taken off in recent years, with many sailors looking for a high-octane experience closer in nature to the America’s Cup than traditional sit-down sailing classes.

“We’re flying above the water now with the foils, the board’s about half a metre off the water, doing speeds up to 50km/h,” Armit explains.

“It’s awesome – heaps of adrenaline, an exhilarating sport.”

The boom in interest saw the iQFOIL selected as an Olympic class for the Games in 2024 and 2028, leading to a rush of sailors looking to take their interest in the code from leisure to competition.

That included Armit.

He had previous windsurfing experience – having learned the ropes when he was 12 and enjoying summers on the board, but he never expected a stand-up sailing class

to be his ticket to the Olympics.

Almost as soon as he started to take foiling seriously, the results followed – Armit took out the 2022 windfoiling national championships and returned to the ruthless world of international competition.

He soon stormed to the front of the windfoiling leaderboards.

Eighth place at the French Olympic week and 18th at the iQFOIL world champs in 2022 immediately signposted him as a contender, and his progression

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was accelerated this year.

Armit finished fourth at the Princess Sofia Regatta and ninth at the Olympic test event in Marseille – wedged between two seventh place finishes at the iQFOIL European championships in Greece and the sailing world championships in The Hague.

Those results saw him fast-tracked into the NZL Sailing Team in September – and while it has been a rapid rise, Armit, who turned 22 this month, was never going to take any half-measures as he chased his new dream.

“I’ve always been super competitive, as a youth I always enjoyed the racing side of sailing, pushing the boundaries of what I can do. When I hopped into windsurfing, I wanted to give it a good crack – to enjoy the sport and the journey of it.”

He could also draw upon plenty of his obvious (traditional) sailing skills to fast-track his rise through the international

FEATURE

Armit was a youth world champion ILCA 6 (Laser Radial) sailor before he gave up the class. Photos: Sailing Energy, World Sailing

foiling ranks.

“It brings a lot of experience in a different way – I try to utilise what I’ve learnt in the past and those experiences help with my racing,” Armit says.

“It’s been quite a fast-paced change, it’s all been happening a lot faster, quite different muscles, but it’s all down to the same basics. It’s still a sailing race, so my background helps a lot.

“It’s super physical on the water, the physical side is a big aspect especially in light air. It’s a bit different as usually the light airs are the harder conditions for us with a lot of pumping involved, compared to a lot of other sailing classes where it’s the heavy airs [which are more physical]. It’s quite brutal aerobically.”

Still, Armit prefers a brutal day on the water to a brutal day on a worksite, and his appreciation for the sport is something he’s keeping close at heart as he edges closer to his Olympic dream.

“That’s a big part of my campaign in windsurfing – making sure it’s always fun and keeping my enjoyment. Being on the water is what I love and making sure I remember that is a big driving part.”

The bonds he’s formed with Handley and fellow iQFOIL competitors Thomas Crook, Eli Liefting, Veerle ten Have and others is also something special, Armit adds.

“I really value the close team environment and friendship the entire windfoil squad has.”

And, given his family history and competitive nature, just getting to the Olympics in just over six months won’t be quite enough for Armit.

“It’s always been a goal since a young age – not just to get to the Olympics, but to get a medal at the Olympics,” he says.

“I’ve always been driven by that.

“It motivates me a lot. Getting to a gold medal is what motivates me.”

The flying Kiwi Armit has gone from 100th in the world to one of the world’s leading windfoilers in just over 18 months.

Ranking

12 Apr 2022 4 May 2022 8 June 2022 28 June 2022 9 Aug 2022 13 Sep 2022 1 Nov 2022 14 Feb 2023 18 Apr 2023 9 May 2023 27 June 2023 5 Sep 2023 17 Oct 2023 7 Nov 2023

100 78 70 70 70 69 42 48 46 56 50 13 14 14

• Source: World Sailing

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AND THE The Aon Yachting Excellence Awards is a highlight on the annual calendar, celebrating the best of the past sailing year – and the 2023 edition was as tightly contested as ever

Service Awards

Bart Allsop-Smith & Taylor Williams (Pine Harbour Cruising Club) Allsop-Smith has volunteered as a race officer for over 20 years and has played a big role in educating local skippers on Yachting New Zealand’s racing rules and training and supporting several others - including his grandson, Williams. The 20-year-old now often takes on the race officer responsibilities on his own while also helping his grandad to assist other clubs like the Waikato Yacht Squadron with the running of the Gulf Classic.

Bruce Benson

(Point Chevalier Sailing Club) Point Chevalier Sailing Club’s Learn to Sail programme has seen a boom over the past seven years – thanks in no small part to Benson’s efforts. Since taking over the LTS duties in 2016, he has committed a significant amount of his own time to growing the programme, coaching, and recruiting coaches, and managing support boats. This has seen an estimated 300+ junior sailors complete the programme under Benson’s guidance.

Chris Bowman

(Northcote Birkenhead Yacht Club) Bowman was the Commodore at NBYC for the last eight years, overseeing the club’s growth from fewer than 20 members to a financially viable organisation with an oversubscribed Learn to Sail programme. In this time, he has built a small but effective team with a clear strategy, ensuring it supports the local community, and has navigated several challenges – including the erosion of the cliff behind the club, parking, and use of its wharf, boat ramp and pontoon.

Ann Byford

(Clarks Beach Yacht Club) Byford is credited with reviving the club’s Learn to Sail programme in 2021, following a decade of inactivity. To do this, she completed her LTS coaching training during Covid lockdowns and raised money to repair the club’s aged fleet of Optimists and Sunbursts. The first LTS intake graduated from the programme in October last year, and Byford has also arranged skipper courses to ensure confident and capable drivers during LTS and club days.

Alan Dawson

(Waiuku Yacht Club) Dawson has served on the WYC committee for over 20 years, including three years as Commodore and 14 years as club captain. During this time, he has used his extensive networks for significant maintenance and development

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work on the clubhouse and surrounds, while also working alongside the council and other community groups to manage the foreshore. He has also kept the patrol boat fleet up to standard, developed a Finn fleet, rebuilt several Hartley 16s, and regularly cooked fundraiser sausages.

John Elliott

(Hamilton Yacht Club) A member of the club for almost 50 years, Elliott is the most successful Farr 3.7 sailor in New Zealand history, winning the national title nine times. Equally impressive is his work in numerous administrative roles at the club – where he has been a long-term race and safety officer – and the Farr 3.7 class association, in which he has served as secretary and president for a combined 39 years. He also has a distinguished involvement with the Waikato Thames Yachting Association where he served as president for a great number of years.

Egor Leonenko

(Gulf Harbour Yacht Club) Few have contributed more to simplifying racing in this country than Leonenko, through the development of several automation tools including the Voice Start Timer and Beat Length Calculator applications. These apps have improved the accuracy of race management and have replaced pages of tables and graphs.

His dedication has reduced the number of people required on start vessels, enabled quick decisions to be made easily when under time pressure, and helped minimise human error – ensuring almost anyone can now run good racing.

2023 AON YACHTING EXCELLENCE AWARDS

WINNER IS… Paul Mygind

(Paremata Boating Club) When it comes to club sailing, there’s seemingly nothing Mygind can’t do. He has been volunteering and sailing at the club since the 1980s and has organised and taught the Learn to Sail programme, served for many years as a race officer, authored countless sailing instructions, and been a scorer, umpire, handicapper and sailing committee member. He can also be found working on the club buildings and teaching and mentoring other volunteers in his warm and understated way.

Sarah Wiblin

(SSANZ) When Cyclone Gabrielle threatened to derail the 2023 Round North Island race, organisers needed someone with a cool head and plenty of drive and energy. Fortunately, Wiblin has that in spades. She is the woman behind the successful last-minute stopover change during this year’s race, and for the last five years, she has contributed to the retention of large fleets at SSANZ events and increased sponsorship opportunities through her work marketing and promoting the association.

Chris Williams

(Waikawa Boating Club) Williams has had a lifelong association with the club and his dad, Gwynn, was the club commodore. Over the years, Chris has contributed in many ways – from serving as Rear Commodore responsible for moorings and assets to several years on the management executive, and the sailing committee. He managed the funding and building of a fit-for-purpose start boat for the club and has also been the driving force behind its offshore racing programme.

Youth Performance Awards Matteo Barker

(Murrays Bay Sailing Club) In late June, Barker secured the highestplaced finish by a New Zealand sailor at the Optimist world championships since George Lee Rush in 2019. Barker, one of five Kiwis in the fleet at the 2023 world champs in Costa Brava in Spain, had an outstanding qualifying series that saw him rise as high as seventh overall, before eventually finishing in 39th.

Stella Bilger

(Wakatere Boating Club) Bilger won the women’s title at two SailGP Inspire regattas in the Waszp, including at the Christchurch debut of the event.

She was selected to represent New Zealand at the series final in San Francisco where she stormed to victory against seven competitors from across the globe.

She also claimed podium spots at the iQFOIL national championships and the US Sailing youth champs.

Tessa Clinton & Nicola Hume

(Wakatere Boating Club) Clinton and Hume achieved a rare sailing double when they won the women’s title at the 29er national championship in June, only

three months after also claiming the women’s title at the 420 nationals – making them the first female combination in at least a decade to hold national titles in two doublehanded youth classes at the same time. They were also crowned overall champions at the 420 North Islands, finished first female crew at the 2023 Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta, the 420 Auckland championships, and the NZ youth champs.

Callum Hyde & Callum Noyer

(Maraetai Sailing Club) The two Callums won the under-13 division at the RS Feva world championships in Follonica in July after earlier securing the junior category at the class nationals. In Italy, the duo finished an impressive fourth overall with four top-10 results across the 10 races, including a bullet in their sixth race.

Bella Jenkins

(Kohimarama Yacht Club) Jenkins won the girls’ title at the AIMS Games in September last year and followed it up with victory in the Tanner and Tauranga Cups in January. She was second to Kate Rasmussen at the 2023 Starling national champs and, along with her Westlake Girls’ High teammates, secured the school’s first NZ secondary school team championship title since 2012, as well as the same division in the 2023 Harken national secondary school keelboat event.

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Youth Performance Awards Continued

Performance Awards

Sean & Rowan Kensington

(Kohimarama Yacht Club) The Kensington brothers’ impressive list of 29er titles over the last 12 months includes the North Island championships, the Sir Peter Blake Regatta, the Auckland championships, the Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta, the national championships, and the NZ youth championships. They also fought their way back from deep in the fleet to finish 11th overall at the 29er world championships and helped Auckland Grammar secure the 2023 Harken national secondary school keelboat title.

Seb Menzies & George Lee Rush

(Murrays Bay Sailing Club) After 29er bronze at the youth sailing world championships and gold in the 49erFX at the junior worlds in 2022, Menzies and Lee Rush have shown steady progress since transitioning to the full 49er, with the highlight their top-10 finish at the junior class worlds in Germany in August. The pair also debuted in the foiling catamaran for the Live Ocean Racing team in the ETF26 series this year, finishing the season in fourth place overall.

Jacob Pye

(Manly Sailing Club) Pye could lay claim to being the unofficial Moth world champion after sitting atop the leaderboard when the world champs were abandoned in June. Only two races could be completed – with Pye winning both – before the breeze died two races short of a valid result. He had earlier won the UK national championships, known as the pre-worlds, by beating more than 90 boats from 16 nations, and dominated the 2023 New Zealand national champs in February, winning 13 of 18 races.

Jo Aleh & Molly Meech

(Torbay Sailing Club) It took Aleh and Meech some time to hit their straps since joining forces in the 49erFX early last year, but the experienced duo has shown significant progress over the last few months. They finished sixth at the sailing world championships in The Hague in August – their strongest performance of the season – after glimpses of their best at several European events earlier in the year.

Josh Armit

(Wakatere Boating Club) Armit has catapulted himself into the NZL Sailing Team with a string of top-10 results at several international regattas this season. He came agonisingly close to the podium at the Princess Sofia Regatta and finished ninth at the Olympic test event in Marseille – wedged between two seventh place finishes at the iQFOIL European championships in Greece and the sailing world championships.

Logan Dunning Beck & Oscar Gunn

(Wakatere Boating Club & Murrays Bay Sailing Club)

Dunning Beck and Gunn make up one of the country’s two top 49er crews – and are among the best teams in the world. They started 2023 with a silver medal at the Lanzarote International Regatta and are the only New Zealand team to win gold at a major event this season – taking out the title at the Princess Sofia Regatta after a dramatic medal race.

Knots Racing

The Knots Racing team – Nick EgnotJohnson, Sam Barnett, Zak Merton and Bradley McLaughlin – realised a childhood dream of standing on the podium at the

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prestigious 2023 Congressional Cup this year. They were third at match racing’s most prestigious event in April after beating British match-racing great Ian Williams in the petit final and finished the world championship season in fifth overall.

George Lane

(Hamilton Yacht Club) Lane became the first Kiwi in more than two decades – and only the second ever – to win the men’s ILCA 6 world championship when he struck gold in Poland in July. The 31-year-old secured top-five finishes in all 12 races – including four race wins – and held off strong challenges from the Montenegrin and British sailors in the final and decisive race to claim the title at his third attempt.

Isaac McHardie & William McKenzie

(Torbay Sailing Club) McHardie and McKenzie have forced their way into the top 10 in the world this year with consistently strong results on the big stage. They won bronze at the Princess Sofia Regatta and came close to the podium in three other major competitions – the French Olympic week, the Olympic test event, and the sailing world championships in The Hague.

Veerle ten Have

(Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club) Ten Have has stepped up a gear since her breakthrough season in the women’s iQFOIL in 2022, claiming bronze in Palma in April and finishing sixth at the Olympic test event in July. She also competed at the iQFOIL European championships and the sailing worlds in August and has broken into the top 20 on the World Sailing rankings for the first time this season.

Micah Wilkinson & Erica Dawson

(Ngaroto Sailing Club & Murrays Bay Sailing Club)

The Kiwi Nacra 17 pair have continued their upward trajectory this season, qualifying for medal races in all but one of their

2023 AON YACHTING EXCELLENCE AWARDS international regattas. Bronze in Lanzarote in March has been the 2020 Olympians’ only medal success, after just falling short at the Olympic test event, where they finished fifth.

Race Officer Emeritus Award

Harold Bennett

Bennett has devoted the best part of his life to seeing races are sailed fairly and well. He is best known for being the principal race officer for five America’s Cups between 2000 and 2013 and was front and centre for Team New Zealand’s first defence of the Cup and their dramatic loss in San Francisco more than a decade later. He was also this country’s first professional sailing coach, is credited with establishing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron’s youth training programme, he has coached at five Olympic Games and more latterly has been heavily involved with the Manly Sailing Club and the Russell Coutts Sailing Foundation.

Official Of The Year Alistair Deaves

Deaves is an international measurer for the OK Dinghy and Olympic Nacra 17 class and serves on the World Sailing international measurers sub-committee.

He was the chief event measurer at the OK Dinghy world championships in Marstrand, Sweden late last year and was also part of the race official team at the Olympic test event in Marseille and the sailing world championships in The Hague this year. He is widely regarded as a Mr Fix-it when it comes to finding solutions for measuring problems and is an efficient communicator and a passionate volunteer who is always ready to help – as he did with this year’s New Zealand youth trials.

Emerging Coach Of The Year

Matthew Rist

Rist has coached everything from O’pen Skiffs and Starlings to RS Fevas and the Learn to Sail programme with

the Russell Coutts Sailing Foundation – and has consistently demonstrated an outstanding capacity to balance his own demanding academic and sailing commitments with inspiring a cohort of young sailors. His leadership, work ethic, creativity and dedication propelled one of his O’pen Skiff sailors to the gold medal and two others to top-ten finishes at the 2023 world championships. He was instrumental in preparing these sailors for their overseas regattas with great attention to detail and his calm and positive attitude helping them through high-pressure situations.

Performance Coach Of The Year Mark Howard

Howard is Yachting New Zealand’s lead ILCA 7 (Laser) coach and has been instrumental in the breakthrough success of sailor George Gautrey this season. Under Howard’s mentorship, Gautrey won bronze medals at both the Princess Sofia Regatta in Spain in April, as well as the sailing world championships in The Hague – securing New Zealand’s only medal at the event while also ensuring a nation qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games in the world’s most hotly contested sailing class.

President’s Award

Waikawa Boating Club

WBC has become synonymous with the Waikawa Women’s Regatta – a celebration of female sailing from world and Olympic champions to absolute beginners. The event continues to go from strength to strength with this year’s regatta attracting 255 females sailing 35 yachts – making it the biggest in its five-year history. It’s a far cry from the 70 entries in its first year and has inspired several other clubs to host similar events. Judges were most impressed with the club’s continued passion for and commitment to advancing

equal opportunities in the sport for females and growing the female sailing community.

Sustainability Award Live Ocean

Live Ocean are champions for the ocean – whether racing in the ETF26 series as Live Ocean Racing, shaping innovations, or leading projects and partnerships – they take the message of positive ocean action to the world. They’ve done that more than ever this past year through several initiatives, including with their work with the oceanic manta ray; developing climate resilient kelp in Whakaraupo Lyttelton; Jono Ridler’s record-breaking Swim4TheGulf project; and capturing the mood of the nation around their value and perception of the ocean through the Live Ocean Barometer 2023.

Sportsmanship Award

Murray Hartley

In April, Hartley went above and beyond to help a sailor he had never met so they could get on the start line for the Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge off New Plymouth. Australian sailor Trevor Hill suffered a major setback when his selfsteering device failed less than an hour before the start of the race and Hartley undertook an 11-hour round trip to assist after learning about Hill’s misfortune on social media. When his efforts ultimately failed, Hartley returned to New Plymouth a few days later to help Hill hand steer his boat to Wellington.

According to Hill, Hartley’s selfless gesture softened the blow of having to withdraw from the race and underlined the camaraderie that exists between sailors – even those on opposite sides of the ditch.

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Cruising Award

Emerging Talent Award

Island Cruising NZ

Greta Hutton

A business since the 1980s, Island Cruising NZ has gone from strength to strength in recent years, culminating in a record 87 entries for this year’s Pacific Rally. This included participants from yacht clubs from across New Zealand and the world, as well as 35 children cruising in Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia.

Island Cruising NZ is owned by Viki Moore (pictured) and continues to provide expert advice, support and training courses for people planning on sailing on long coastal or overseas voyages, as well as assistance to cruisers visiting this country. It also helps to promote the New Zealand marine industry and provides social networking, discounts, and other events for its members.

Young Leadership Award

Nathaniel Short

Short has been an active member of Ngaroto Sailing Club from the moment he completed his first Learn to Sail programme eight years ago. Most recently, he has been coaching and managing all the club’s LTS activities and has been a member of the club committee for the past four years. Short participated in the Blake Inspire for Sailors programme in 2019 and is committed to helping his club grow and thrive through bringing in new members.

He displays a poise, confidence and professionalism that belies his young age and is already being earmarked as a future club commodore.

Young Male Sailor of the Year

Hutton finished 25th at the Optimist European championships in Greece in July – something no Kiwi girl has achieved since Naiomi Ferrissey in 2018. She impressed all season, culminating in her victory at the Optimist national champs in tricky and tidal conditions. Hutton managed top-10 results in half of the regatta’s 12 races in a fleet of more than 100 boats. + YOUTH PERFORMANCE AWARD

William Mason

Mason has had success in several different classes this season and won both the Optimist and Starling national titles within five days of each other in April. He also sailed the 29er – securing podium results at the Auckland championships and the Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta, the P Class – finishing in the top three at the Tanner Cup, Tauranga Cup, and the North Island championships, and won the SailGP Inspire event in the RS Feva at Naval Point Club Lyttelton in March. + YOUTH PERFORMANCE AWARD

VIDEO

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Ewan Brazle

The 13-year-old O’pen Skiff sailor took out the under-15 division at the 2023 world championships in Rimini in July after an impressive fightback – securing the crown with victory in the last of his 14 races. He also won the age-group titles at two major Italian ranking regattas in the build-up to the worlds, the 2023 North American Championship, the NZ national championships, and the 2022 Sir Peter Blake Regatta. + YOUTH PERFORMANCE AWARD

VIDEO

2023 AON YACHTING EXCELLENCE AWARDS Young Female Sailor of the Year

Female Sailor of the Year

Sailor of the Year

George Gautrey

The Manly Sailing Club sailor won the women’s title at both the New Zealand and Australian wingfoiling national championships and finished second in the free fly slalom at the GWA World Wingfoil Tour in Tauranga. She was also selected to represent New Zealand at the 2023 Anoc World Beach Games in Bali before the host nation pulled out at the last minute.

On her favoured iQFOIL, Bright took out the under-19 national title, won two major regattas in America and booked her spot in the NZL Sailing Foundation youth team for the youth world championships in Brazil. + YOUTH PERFORMANCE AWARD

Celia Willison and her talented crew – Charlotte Porter, Paige Cook, Alison Kent and Serena Woodall – ended the fourevent Women’s World Match Racing Tour championship in second place overall, just two points behind Sweden’s WINGS match racing team. The Kiwis won the inaugural Casa Vela Cup in San Francisco in April in convincing fashion, before finishing second at the Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis a week later. They had to settle for third in the Normandie Match Cup in Le Havre in May but the result was good enough to secure them a spot in the season-ending Bermuda Gold Cup. + PERFORMANCE AWARD

Gautrey announced his arrival as a serious contender in the Laser with his third place at the class world championships in 2019 but he had to wait almost four years to get back on a major international podium. In 2023, he did. Twice. Gautrey won the silver medal at the season-opening Princess Sofia Regatta in Spain in April, coming from the back of the fleet to win the medal race in dramatic fashion. Since then, he has been one of the country’s most consistent sailors – missing out by one spot on a podium place at the Olympic test event in Marseille in July, before securing a nation spot in the ILCA 7 for next year’s Games and bagging a brilliant bronze medal at the combined sailing world champs in The Hague. + PERFORMANCE AWARD + MALE SAILOR OF THE YEAR

VIDEO

VIDEO

VIDEO

Aimee Bright

Edge Women’s Match

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VIADUCT EVENTS CENTRE AND JELLICOE HARBOUR

W W W. AU C K L A N D - B OATS H O W. C O M

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T I C K E TS O N SA L E N OW !

SECOND BEAT EQUIPMENT • TECHNOLO GY • FITNESS • NUTRITION

HOT TOPIC

Games forecast has sailors sweating 32-33

Photo: Eduan Roos

Looking the part this summer 28-29

Spotlight on athlete wellbeing 34-35

DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 27

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DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 29

SECOND BEAT

THE RUB OF IT

Robin Marsh THE ROPESMITH

Chafing is any rope’s worst enemy. Here’s how to avoid it and what to look out for when getting your next halyards

T

he summer of sailing is well and truly under way, even if some days it feels like the Auckland weather didn’t get the memo.

Hopefully you’ve ensured your rope is in tip-top shape, by using some of the tips I shared in the previous edition of Yachting & Boating Quarterly.

Today I want to look in more detail at the reliability, performance and longevity of your running rigging and share a few

things to consider when buying new halyards.

As any sailor knows, when it comes to equipment reliability is key, and it’s no different with your rope – it holds up your sails, affects the boat speed through trimming them in and out, it can lift your dinghies into and out of the water, hoists people up and down the mast, and – if you have an inline rig – even keeps your mast upright.

Yet, many people still underestimate the importance of rope, often until it is too late. The last thing you need when you’re out sailing is for your rope to break or, as is more common, the cover to break.

Identify early any signs of chafing through regular and thorough inspection. Look closely at the rope – if the chafing has gone right through to the core, the rope is no longer safe. If even one strand is broken, the rope

30 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | DECEMBER 2023

is compromised and will not work to the same standard or workload it was designed for. (If only the cover is chafed, you may be able to save your rope – depending on where the chafe is.)

It’s important to know what is causing the chafing. The sheave that the rope runs over in the mast can get sharp points from clips and sails banging against it and can damage your rope.

Other times it could be where you store it when you’re at the dock, or at anchor, and sometimes it can rub over standing rigging. Often, however, chafing is simply due to day-to-day use and wear and tear.

I always recommend the top few meters of a halyard to have a Dyneema or Spectra chafe guard spliced onto it to help prolong its life. If the top part is worn, you may consider having a rigger end for end your halyard as the other end is usually still in good condition.

EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

If you are buying a new halyard, always:

1 2

Buy a few meters more than you need.

This way, when it comes time to end for end it, you can afford to lose that extra meter the rigger will need to splice the new loop on the new working end.

Consider purchasing a halyard with a blend of anti-chafe material. Often our general cruising ropes have a polyester cover and if your ropes are running through jammers and/or the jammers and winches are new, they are notorious for burning through rope. There are so many cover blends available these days, but a common one in New Zealand is a polyester and technora combination.

Although this may cost a bit more to begin with, it will save you burning through covers as polyester on its own can fluff up easily, and even break.

3

Check the size of your jammers or ‘clutches’. They often have a diameter range (like 6-10 mm or 8-14 mm).

Make sure your rope diameter is right in the middle of these sizes. This way you know it will hold without having too much friction running through it.

If you are out at sea and you spot a chafed cover, the best thing to do is get out the whipping twine and a needle and put a stitch along the rope to try and hold it together. The last thing you need is for your cover to break as it can lead to all sorts of tricky situations.

When it comes to performance, there are so many things to look for in a piece of rope. You don’t want your halyards

stretching and your sails slowly falling.

Sheets need to be strong, but kite sheets need to have a little “give” in them. You also don’t want your spinnaker sheets to be too heavy or your runners and strops to be much stronger than they need to be, and if you have rope lifelines, you never want to see chafe on them!

With so many different types of rope and variables to consider, finding the right rope solution can be daunting.

Fortunately, all these options mean there is a type of rope designed and built for every application - including yours.

Feel free to get in touch with me through Facebook and Instagram or send an email to robin@caniwirigging.com if you have any questions or need advice.

Until next time, safe and fun boating!

Robin Marsh is an experienced offshore sailor, ropesmith and rigger, and a wife and mum of two boys. She owns and operates Caniwi Rigging Services, specialising in customised splicing and deckgear solutions.

DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 31

SECOND BEAT

BEATING THE HEAT The NZL Sailing Team will face more than just the top sailors in the world at the 2024 Olympic Games with temperatures in Marseille expected to soar, as Merryn Anderson writes

W

hat’s on the menu at next year’s Paris Olympics?

Ice – and lots of it.

It’s predicted the 2024 Olympic Games may be one of the hottest yet, and our sailors are already preparing, with some help from High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ).

Temperatures are expected to soar into the mid-30s in Marseille, where the sailors will compete.

Anna Skipper, a senior performance physiologist at HPSNZ working with

the NZL Sailing Team, says anything above 25 or 26 degrees can impact athlete performance, so it’s a big job.

“Our goal really is to make the heat really comfortable and normal for the sailors, we don’t want it to be something that detracts or takes away from their performance,” she says.

Having the sailors based in Auckland means that they can train at AUT Millennium, and use the environmental heat chamber, and a gym that can be heated up to 32 degrees.

“We do heat acclimation training here in New Zealand and we just get them used to being really hot and what that feels like,” says Skipper.

“We do it in a particular way that does allow them to acclimate, so we do blocks of heat that allow them to physiologically adapt to training in hot environments.”

Lucy Jacobs is also a performance physiologist and says sailing provides unique challenges.

“The radiation from the sun is a whole

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other factor rather than just the heat and humidity,” Jacobs says.

“It’s knowing what works for individual athletes, having the coach and team on board with the plan and getting the timing right so the athletes are cooled and ready to race.”

For the Olympics, there will be a team on land waiting for the sailors to come out of the water.

“They will be assisting them with their cooling protocols and helping them with their ice vests, making sure their recovery ice bath is nice and cold so that they can do pre-cooling or post-cooling coming on or off the water, making sure the slushie’s ready,” Skipper explains.

They had a sailing Olympic test event in Marseille in July, at the venue where they’ll compete at the Games.

“My goal was just to make sure that the athlete had what they needed to cool themselves,” Skipper says, who travelled with the team.

“Because once you get over there in the

FITNESS & NUTRITION

Left to right: Veerle ten Have and Logan Dunning Beck in the heat chamber; Marseille Marina; HPSNZ’s Lucy Jacobs. Photos: Eduan Roos

environment, you’re just trying to make sure they’re cooling optimally.”

The HPSNZ team learned from the Tokyo Olympics just how different every athlete was and provided a number of cooling options for every athlete and their team.

“We used a range of methods from ice slushies that they drink, to ice vests, ice towels and ice blocks,” Skipper lists.

“Staying in the shade and the air conditioning of the container and the boat park as much as possible, and just making sure that they’re not out in the heat when they don’t need to be.

“Making sure they feel comfortable and just meeting them when they come in off the water with an ice vest and an ice block and a cold drink goes a long way.”

But unlike the humid air in Tokyo, the Marseille water might provide some relief to the Kiwi sailors.

“We’re very fortunate that when they go on the water it is cooler than being on land,” Skipper says.

Both joke that the water in Tokyo was like hopping into a bath – and not an ice bath like the ones they provide.

Along with the physical impact the heat has on athlete performance, it can also affect their mental performance.

“Being a sailor, you need to make good decisions, you need to make quick decisions, and even a small amount of dehydration can reduce that significantly,” Jacobs explains.

“It’s really being on top of hydration, cooling internally and externally, if

possible, because that gives you the best combo. Extreme heat has a huge impact, so they have to be on top of it.”

It’s a mission that is happening more regularly now, as summer temperatures continue an upward trend worldwide.

“I don’t think that we’re ever going to see a cool Olympics ever again, I think in future, they’re always going to be ramping up,” Skipper says, pointing out the next two Olympics will be held in historically hot cities, Los Angeles, and Brisbane.

“It is going to be our new normal that we’re operating in, so we need to be prepared for it.

“We need to make sure that the athletes are good to go and know their practices well, and then it’s just routine as normal.”

Temperatures are expected to soar in Marseille, the sailing venue at next year’s Olympic Games.

Photo: World Sailing

DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 33

SECOND BEAT The Healthy Women in Sailing series aims to educate and upskill the sailing community.

Photo: Live Sail Die

CONVERSATION S Yachting New Zealand’s new online series looks at ways to better support our young female sailors

I

f there’s one thing Jenny Armstrong wants her new Healthy Women in Sailing series to achieve, it’s to start the conversation about how we can better support our young female sailors in 2023 and beyond.

And while, in the past, that hasn’t always been an easy discussion to have, it’s never been more important than it is right now, she says.

Armstrong, an Olympic gold medallist and Yachting New Zealand’s women’s sailing manager is the driving force behind the successful new online series launched in October.

The series is themed ‘Wellbeing is the foundation to build performance and fun’ and spanned two virtual seminars in as many weeks. It was aimed at upskilling and educating the country’s female sailors, parents, and coaches collaboratively and educationally.

It canvassed a range of topics – from brain health and nutrition to injury prevention and mapping the journey of a high-performance athlete – and featured in-depth conversations with several industry experts.

“We wanted to get to as many people across the country as we could, especially those who are outside of our existing programmes, to give more people more information to better support our valuable female sailors,” Armstrong said.

“Reach across the entire country was the main reason for running the series online, as opposed to in-person, as it enables us to share the sessions with the click of a button and have it as an online resource tool for future reference.”

The work is part of Yachting New Zealand’s groundbreaking Women and Girls in Sailing strategy, launched in 2019 and refreshed earlier this year. It is also closely aligned with a similar campaign being done by Sport New Zealand.

An estimated 80 sailors, parents and coaches tuned in across the two sessions,

34 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | DECEMBER 2023

Armstrong said.

Speakers included a range of specialists from High Performance Sport New Zealand – performance physiologists Anna Skipper and Lucy Jacobs, head of psychology John Sullivan, performance nutritionist Kelsey Paterson, physiotherapist Mark Overington, and athlete life advisor Vicki Hudson.

Veerle ten Have, the country’s leading female windfoiler and an Olympic campaigner, was also on hand to answer questions from attendees and to share some of her experiences on the various topics.

Brain health was a big focus of the first session, Armstrong said.

“John [Sullivan] offered insight into balancing life and sport and also delved into the importance of staying brain healthy, including sleep as part of the recovery process, and addressing some

FITNESS & NUTRITION Olympic campaigner Veerle ten Have participated in the series, answering questions and sharing her experiences.

Photo: Sailing Energy

STARTER important for female health and how to be of the stigmas that still exist around the better at it – from ensuring you get your concept of brain health.” eating schedule and routines right to Nutrition was another popular the best available snack bars for topic, with Paterson speaking sailors.” at length about the concept The series concluded of fuelling for growth, with a detailed look at development, and the journey of a highperformance. performance sailor.

“It led to some “Balance is key, valuable discussions especially as so around things like many of the girls are how to know if you’re now managing their eating enough, the sailing, other sports causes of under-fuelling, Jenny Armstrong and academic studies. We and what happens when wanted to talk about ways of energy needs are not met,” not only being able to juggle both but Armstrong said. to excel at both,” Armstrong explained.

“These are all part of our education “It’s a fine balance to maintain because efforts to illustrate why nutrition is so

having healthy women in sailing also means spending enough time with your family and friends and in other areas of life.”

Identifying “red flags” and knowing where to turn for help is critical.

“The biggest benefit of this series is to start this conversation and show that there is support available if you are struggling in one or more of these areas – whether that is from your GP or school counsellor, coaches, or a trusted adult,” Armstrong said.

“I am also just a phone call away for any advice or guidance.”

To access Yachting New Zealand’s Women and Girls in Sailing online resources, or to watch the Healthy Women in Sailing series, click here.

DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 35

SECOND BEAT

FITNESS & NUTRITION

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36 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | DECEMBER 2023

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HOME STRAIGHT

GOING IT ALONE Ben Beasly’s solo adventures 62-63

Photo: James Tomlinson Photography

KIWI AS

SAFE AND SOUND

40-41

60

Tonne up for pugnacious P Class

Meet the storm spotters

DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 37

HOME STRAIGHT

NEXT GENERATION’S TURN TO MAKE

John Parrish

FROM THE START BOAT

There’s never been a better time for women to become involved in race management

Y

ou can say we were in the right place at the right time.

It was 1982, and I had just become the rear commodore of the Lake Taupō Yacht Club, where I had built and been sailing my Sunburst for the last eight years.

The rear commodore was also in charge of the sailing programme, and back in those days, if you couldn’t find anyone to run it, you had to do it yourself.

So, I did – and my career in race management started. Later, when I met my wife Linda, she was dragged along into it and became a race officer by association.

Since then, she has been very much a part of my story, and race management has been an indelible part of both our lives.

We bought a boat together – a Lotus 10.6 called Toyshop – and we moved up to Auckland. Once the kids had flown the nest, our situation changed, and while we are no longer heavily involved in the centreboard community as such, we do still race socially in Gulf Harbour

Photo: Adam Mustill Photography

Yacht Club events, we go cruising and do Wednesday night races, and, of course, we use Toyshop as a race committee vessel.

My international career started as a mark layer in the lead-up to the 2000 Sydney Olympics. We were a bit short for the test event, so we flew Linda across. We were both involved in Athens four years later, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Being honoured with awards like the Peter Montgomery Trophy is very humbling because being able to do this for such a long time is reward enough. I’ve been very lucky as I’ve had the opportunity to go to six Olympic Games and numerous other international events as a race official and as a World Sailing clinic and seminar instructor, and I’ve been able to see and experience the world and meet people I would otherwise never have been able to.

And that is why we do this – it’s about the wonderful people you get to meet.

We take pleasure in seeing the boating activity in places where we have delivered clinics and seminars.

I wasn’t particularly good at sailing, as I was expected to play football and cricket when I was growing up and only got into it in my 20s. It’s also fair to say I’m not the best at social conversation, but I can talk to anyone all day long about sailing, and that is the beauty of our sport.

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Naturally, a lot has changed over the years, but the sport is still as reliant on volunteers as it was when I started 40 years ago. It also presents a big challenge to get the next generation involved, and it is a question I know that Yachting New Zealand and a few of us have been working hard on trying to find creative solutions for. How do we inspire a new intake of race officials to take the same journey we’ve had? My age group has done things a certain way, but I believe more work is needed to find out how our 20-40-yearolds want to be engaged and trained.

Some people may be put off by the idea of being under pressure to make decisions and being criticised if they get it wrong, but, looking back at our careers, I know Linda and I would have welcomed more feedback.

You won’t always get it right, and when you do make a mistake, it is important to acknowledge it, apologise and move on.

Often you can deal with it during a race - you can postpone, or if you stuffed it up during the race, you could abandon.

Sometimes, though, you just have to say ‘sorry, I didn’t get it right’. It’s the only way you get better and learn. After all, experience is the sum of all your cockups!

Clear communication is important to set clear expectations early, and you need

RETURN TO SENDER

E THEIR MARK to start on time and make decisions – even if they turn out to be wrong. Yes, the sailors would like for you to set a perfect start line, but no one wants to spend all day waiting for you to get it right.

They would rather race.

Most importantly, race management should be invisible. Like a rugby or football match, we are there to paint the lines on the field, blow the start whistle and let the sailors do their job.

In my opinion, one way to entice more people into race management is to ensure that more big sailing events are held in New Zealand. The Covid-19 years didn’t help, but the last big one on our waters was the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 world championships in 2019.

Our biggest challenge, however, is to ensure that we have good representation from both men and women at the highest level. As chair of World Sailing’s event appointment working party, the group responsible for making the official appointments to the Olympics, I know the directive of the International Olympic Committee is to be gender equal in all facets of sailing. Again, plenty of work continues to be done in this space domestically, but we just don’t have the numbers yet.

I’m sure everyone would agree that we need more women in sailing – from mark layers to race officers and everywhere in between.

While Linda and I feel we still have plenty to offer at domestic level in New Zealand, we decided some time ago to step away from officiating internationally.

We believe it is time for younger officials to have the same experiences we had and to bring that back to their local clubs and sailing communities.

In all the time that we’ve been involved, there has never been a better time for women and men to become race officials.

The possibilities are endless; it’s just about grabbing the opportunity.

John Parrish has been running racing for more than 40 years and recently received the Peter Montgomery Trophy with wife, Linda, at the 2023 Sir Peter Blake Regatta.

You Say HANDICAP INFO We are a small club with several different centreboard classes all racing in a mixed fleet. Does Yachting New Zealand have any handicap information or a system to cater for this type of racing and where can I find it? Bob, central North Island.

Yachting New Zealand have various handicapping options detailed on our website under the racing tab and includes information on PHRF, IRC and general handicap. Under general handicap we have derived a table of different handicap ratings from the various handicap systems – Weymouth, Portsmouth, Victoria and Horowhenua. We recently added a few new classes to this list, including O’pen Skiff and RS Feva. There you will also find a link to the NZ Trailer Yacht Association rating system for trailer yachts. - Ed. THIRD-PARTY PUZZLE Some regattas are putting in their notice of race that “Yachting New Zealand recommends that each participating boat shall be insured with a valid third-party liability with a minimum cover of $1,000,000” which makes it optional. Others seem to state it is a requirement: “Each participating boat shall be insured with a valid thirdparty liability with a minimum cover of $1,000,000 per incident”... What is Yachting New Zealand’s advice and guidance on third-party insurance? Ian, Christchurch.

National championship regatta notices of race and sailing instructions are reviewed by the race management subcommittee as these events are to be held to standards set out in the YNZ regulations, which state that: The organising authority (OA) is required to hold adequate insurance to cover the OA, its officers, employees, and any members or other volunteers assisting the OA in conducting the event, against any claims by third persons arising from the event. This shall include current public liability insurance to a minimum of $5 million (this cover must have no marine and/

or watercraft restrictions), and thirdparty liability insurance for vessels operated by the OA for the event. It is highly recommended that the OA requires competitors to be insured with valid marine third-party liability insurance of a minimum of $1m for dinghies and a minimum of $5m for keelboats. This insures competitors against property damage, bodily injury and legal costs resulting from their own actions to a third party. It does not cover losses to their own boat and equipment. This provides peace of mind to competitors and the OA that if damage caused by another competitor occurs, their costs are covered. YNZ have templates available and recommend that clubs and organising authorities use these for their regatta documentation. It includes a clause in the standard notice of race that requires competitors to be insured with valid marine third-party liability insurance.

We recommend this is included in the notice of race for an event or series and that a copy of the competitor’s insurance certificate is requested, in line with World Sailing and other international events. – Ed. IDEAS FOR COACHING As a learn to sail coach, I struggle with ideas of what to do with the kids if the weather is not good for going out on the water – which has happened a lot recently. Do you have any ideas?

Beth, Wellington.

This is a common dilemma, and one even the most experienced coaches struggle with. On-land time can be valuable, and the key is to keep the kids active and have as much fun as possible. Running games are great – try Capture the Boat Parts, Capsize Tag, or Captain’s Coming. Theory also doesn’t have to be boring! The different types of knots, right of way rules, and points of sail can all become fun games. Check out the Yachting New Zealand coaching Instagram page or contact YNZ’s coach development manager Kirsten Moratz at kirsten@yachtingnz.org. nz. – Ed.

Send your questions or comments to eduan@yachtingnz.org.nz Letters must not exceed 200 words, must include the author’s name and may be edited for clarity or brevity.

DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 39

HOME STRAIGHT

Love them or hate them, the pugnacious P Class is part of sailing Kiwiana - and is about to celebrate its 100th birthday. Gary Smith takes a stroll down memory lane

T

he number of boats attending the 2023 national championships and the number of clubs they come from may be down, but the remarkable evolution of the P Class means it remains relevant to today’s young Kiwi sailors.

A fleet of north of 50 boats are expected for the national championships in Tauranga next month, that coincides with the centenary celebration of the class

that many of the country’s most successful sailors cut their teeth in.

The boat was designed by Harry Highet in Whangārei just over 100 years ago.

Highet was an engineer, World War I soldier, and a leading bridge builder for the then Ministry of Works. As a boy growing up in Wellington, Highet made a name for himself as a great yachtsman. He had previously designed several 14-footers, but after facing the cost of building his house, had to economise and scale his 14-footer design down by half. And so, the P Class was born – at 7ft long, with a 2ft, 10in beam, a Gunter-rigged mast of 10ft and a boom of 7ft, 10in. The flat triangular bow and the quarter inch white pine construction made the boat unique.

The P Class was first launched at the Whangārei New Year’s Day Regatta in 1920 and quickly became known as the first boat

The P Class turns 100 next year and has been sailed by many of New Zealand’s top sailors. Photos: Howick Sailing Club, supplied

40 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | DECEMBER 2023

in New Zealand to be unsinkable and easily rightable after a capsize. Highet, who was 6ft tall and weighed 82kg, sailed alongside the SS Clansman when he capsized the boat, but quickly righted it and sailed on.

This caught the attention of several sailors.

By 1922 Highet had moved to Tauranga and taken the P Class plans with him.

Several boats were built and they were originally given the letter T for Tauranga.

In 1924 the class was recognised by the Yachting Federation (the forerunner to Yachting New Zealand) as the P Class and the plans and copyright given to the Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club. Since then, the TYPBC has administered the P Class with the help, for many years, of the Wellington Yachting Association.

An advantage of being a New Zealand class boat, is that the class rules have been

CLASS FOCUS

Top: Class designer Harry Highet with Jimmy Gilpin at Tauranga in 1951. Gilpin is still the only person to win the Tanner and Tauranga Cup double on three occasions (1951-1953). Above: Robbie Denniston on board Twinkle at the 1956 Tanner Cup.

able to be changed as building materials and abilities have progressed. The original 25mm wooden planked boat with a five-panel cotton sail on a Gunter rig was redrawn in 1956 by Gary Denniston and the new plywood design, along with a wooden Marconi rig, was agreed on.

Robbie Denniston won the Tanner and Tauranga Cup in 1956 aboard Twinkle – the last year this design was sailed.

Since then, changes have been made from wooden ‘Power Poles’ to the diamond-shaped bendy wooden masts, to aluminium masts and fibreglass hulls, to carbon masts and carbon rudders and

centreboards.

It’s hard to imagine any other class undergoing such radical changes and surviving – yet with each adaptation, the class has flourished, and the infamous P Class Dads have accepted the change.

Some of the Hulls built in the 1960s and 70s are still sailing today – like Staccato, which was built in 1968 by Bill Moyes, using a Carter kitset. It is currently owned

by Craig Monk and is still competed in by many Murrays Bay sailors. Mintie, owned for many years by the Davies family, Len, Mike, and Rae also dates from this time.

Cardinal Sin is also still racing – Todd Olson recently refurbished the boat and his son Jack sailed in it at the 2023 national championships at Plimmerton Boating Club in January.

The change to a carbon mast in 2003 had the fleet move from an aluminium mast to all carbon, over two national championships, though some of the original Willets masts are still used today.

There has been a history of kitsets used by various builders – with many of the earlier boats built from Carter kitsets. Most were built by dads at club boat building sessions and during the 1980s Keith Elliot built a large number of boats, using a variation of the 10mm tolerance to the Griffin boats, built in Christchurch. Of late Dan Leech has been assisting many of the new builds with his ‘flat pack P Class’.

The roll call of sailors of this class includes, but is in no way limited to Jimmy Gilpin, Robbie and Gary Denniston, John Moyes, Greg Palmer, Craig Gilbert, Dave Barnes, Peter Blake, Trevor Cox, Chris Dickson, Russel Coutts, Leslie Egnot, Jon Bilger, Barbara Kendall, Jo Aleh, Paul Snow-Hansen, Erica Dawson, Peter Burling, Jason and Tom Saunders, Molly and Sam Meech, Blake McGlashan, Oli Stone, Bella Jenkins, Will Leech, William Mason and Nelsen Meacham.

We hope to have a few of these attend our centenary celebrations in Tauranga next month, culminating in the Coombes Johnston BMW Centenary Regatta from

Class Focus Category: Single-handed dinghy Fleet size: 50+ Annual membership: Free 2023 national champs: Oli Stone & Bella Jenkins Next events: The Coombes Johnston BMW Centenary Regatta Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club January 3-9 Tanner Cup Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club January 4-5 Tauranga Cup Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club January 7-9 Website: https://yacht.org.nz/sailing/ p-class Email: office@yacht.org.nz Phone: 0785512

January 3-9.

The event will also see the 84th sailing of the Tanner Cup (January 4-5) and the 80th edition of the Tauranga Cup (January 7-9).

A centenary race is planned for January 6 (from 3pm), with a Legends Dinner on Sunday (January 7).

Any past and current P Class sailors are invited to join us in Tauranga for the celebrations. Please contact the TYPBC at office@yacht.org.nz for more information.

Gary Smith is the president of the New Zealand P Class association.

DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 41

HOME STRAIGHT

WILL POWERS TO BLAKE HONOUR William Mason has been as surprised as anyone by his success in 2023 – but he has no plans to slow down in 2024

H

is success on the water over the last year has exceeded William Mason’s wildest expectations but the Auckland teenager is determined to aim even higher in 2024.

Mason this month added to his impressive list of sailing accolades in 2023 when he received the Sir Peter Blake Memorial trophy at the annual regatta with the same name.

The event was again sailed off Waiake Beach and saw over 360 young sailors from across the country slug it out in 10 different classes.

Mason finished fourth overall in the 43-boat Starling open fleet – only four points behind the winner – but bagged the coveted award in honour of the late Kiwi yachting icon and environmental champion.

The Sir Peter Blake Regatta is one of the biggest small-boat regattas in the Southern Hemisphere, and the memorial trophy is awarded each year at the end of the competition to the sailor who has displayed not only racing success but leadership and competitive spirit across the season.

Mason admits he was as surprised as anyone to win the top gong.

“I wasn’t expecting it at all because initially I thought the award was just for outstanding achievement at the specific

regatta, but I won it for my performances across the season,” he said.

Those performances included a historic double triumph in April – winning both the Optimist and Starling national championships within five days of each other.

He also had success in several other classes this season – securing podium results at the Auckland championships and the Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta in the 29er; finishing in the top three at the Tanner and Tauranga Cups and the North

Island championships in the P Class; and winning the SailGP Inspire event in the RS Feva at Naval Point Club Lyttelton in March.

He decided on sailing the Starling at the Sir Peter Blake Regatta as part of a special project with dad Matt, a former America’s Cup sailor.

“Dad and I started building the boat

42 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | DECEMBER 2023

William Mason

from scratch about two weeks before the start of the Sir Peter Blake,” Mason said.

“We spent up to 10 hours every single day working on it down at Bayswater. We were flat-out just trying to finish it in time for the race. Even the Friday night before the regatta, we were still clear coating the bow.

“It was really cool being able to build your own boat, to see what’s behind it and how it’s done and learning about how the slightly different shapes can affect performance.”

Young Arran Begic took out the overall honours in the Starling open fleet, with Brooke Cooper winning the development fleet with two race wins across the six races.

Charlie Bridger claimed the Optimist open title by four points from Matteo Barker, with Charlotte Handley (fourth overall) the first girl. Sam Kandziora and Elsi Carryer took out the 76-boat Optimist green fleet crown.

P Class honours went to Hamish Brown and Lauren Arnold; while the Kensington brothers Rowan and Sean continued their dominance in the 29er class by seeing off the challenges of Oli Stone and Marcel van der Voort, and Lucy Leith and Chloe Turner.

Other winners include Joe Leith and Josh Ferrissey, and Tessa Clinton and Nicola Hume (420); George Pilkington and Naiomi Ferrissey (ILCA 6); and Sebastian Corso-Fenelon and Hermione Aris (ILCA 4).

Ewan Brazle and Valentina Gladiadis claimed the O’pen Skiff gold fleet titles, with Patrick Kell and Jessica Lee winning the O’pen Skiff silver fleet.

Tom Peters and Josh Dixon, and

REVIEW

Photos: Live Sail Die

Gemma Hebberd and Gretel Satterthwaite were the top RS Feva teams, while Stella Bilger beat five other competitors in the iQFOIL class.

Renowned race officials John and Linda Parrish were also honoured for their contribution to sailing with the Peter Montgomery Trophy while the big award of the weekend went to Mason.

The 14-year-old last month won a youth performance award and one of two emerging talent awards at Yachting

New Zealand’s Aon Excellence Awards after also recently being named Takapuna Grammar’s Junior Sportsman of the Year.

“These awards are all very cool but winning the Emerging Talent Award was just that little bit more special,” Mason said.

“It has so much history behind it with many previous winners going on to achieve big things.”

He’s hoping to achieve some of those big things in 2024 – starting with the defence of his national Starling title in early

February. Mason will also test the waters in another new class.

“I’ve just started sailing the Waszp and I hope to be competitive at the national champs in March,” he said. “I also still enjoy the 29er. There’s a highly ranked Italian sailor who’s coming to my school for two terms, and I’m going to be sailing with him in the 29er. Hopefully, I can have even more success next year – that’s the goal.”

Full results from the 2023 Sir Peter Blake Regatta here.

The New Zealand agent for RS Sailing, we are built “by sailors for sailors”. We strive to bring you top quality boats and the very best advice and service.

NZSAILCRAFT.CO.NZ

+64 27 210 2383

Born from a passion to use the latest design and technology to create inspiring boats, RS Sailing has evolved from heritage racing classes to include boats for beginners, families, clubs and schools. From humble beginnings they’ve become the world’s largest small-sailboat brand.

DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 43

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MAN ON A MISSION Yachting NZ’s new safety and technical officer Cris Brodie is a seasoned offshore sailor – and he wants others to learn from his adventures and misadventures

C

ris Brodie’s story wouldn’t look out of place in the pages of an actionadventure novel.

After all, he’s sailed to destinations others only dream about, survived violent storms at sea and even stared down the barrel of a pirate’s firearm.

The opportunity to share the lessons he’s learned from those adventures, was a big reason Brodie decided to join Yachting New Zealand as their new safety and technical officer last month.

The 58-year-old replaces Angus Willison after nine years in the role and will be responsible for safety inspectors and regulations, safety advice and advocacy.

Sailing has been a part of Brodie’s life for as long as he can remember – his dad Alan went to school on a square rigger called the HMS Worcester, a merchant navy training ship in England and Brodie grew up “mucking around on keelboats” at Okahu Bay on weekends with his neighbour from a well-known sailing family, the Mills.

“I did not get the opportunity to race dinghies but bought my first keelboat when I was 17. It was a John Gladden design that cost $500 and that had a railway sleeper as ballast on the floor,” Brodie laughs.

“A mate and I attempted to circumnavigate Waiheke Island in it without an engine. It took us a week and I almost died trying to sail off a lee shore, but I fell in love with the adventure there and then.”

It is a love affair that would see many vessels – among them an Owen Woolley Raven 26 and a self-built Carpenter 29 – and even more exotic locations (and mishaps).

He was soon being asked to race other people’s boats, and in 1987 then 22-yearold Brodie set sail from Auckland to

Cris Brodie

Noumea for his first offshore race with a crew of skilled sailors.

John Bethel was the skipper and Aubrey Montague was the navigator who taught him to use a sextant and be precise with coastal navigation.

“I managed to get a job on the wellknown Icefire, a 45ft race boat that I would end up doing three Sydney-Hobarts on. It certainly wasn’t the most comfortable, but I didn’t care – I was doing what I loved and meeting incredible people along the way.”

One of those people was Kiwi offshore sailing icon D’Arcy Whiting, who Brodie still considers a mentor.

“The one lesson from him that stands out was to always have a tractor tyre on

VIDEO

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board to use as a drogue offshore,” Brodie said.

“At the time I thought it was a bit odd, but I quickly changed my mind during a delivery to Sydney when the boat was being battered in a big storm and the rudder was damaged after we were knocked down. I only managed to save it by dragging that tyre behind the boat.”

It was a terrifying experience only eclipsed by the time a teenage pirate pointed a gun at his head while sailing a Swan 77 up the Red Sea to England.

“I remember thinking how completely futile my only defence was – the flare pistol I was hiding just out of sight,” Brodie said.

After 10 years, he swapped life on keelboats for yacht rigging – something he is still involved in more than two decades later.

He has also accumulated several dinghy titles – “I did my sailing the wrong way around” – including three national Laser masters’ titles.

Brodie fondly remembers how one battle with an up-and-coming Ben Ainsley ended with the Kiwi being pushed into the anchor chain of the committee boat.

“I thought I had him that day but looking back now I realise I was never in his league!”

Naturally, Brodie also met his wife, Cristiana, a naval architect, on a yacht.

They purchased their current yacht in Raiatea, French Polynesia during Covid-19 and sailed it back two-handed nonstop due to all countries being closed; completing 18 days at sea.

The couple have recently taken up wingfoiling – but Brodie hasn’t had much time to improve since joining the Yachting New Zealand team just in time for the new season.

“Sailing has been such a big part of my life, and I have always been extremely interested in the safety aspect of it,” he said.

“This role is an opportunity to give back and really trying to make a difference to the new sailors taking up cruising – and there are plenty of them.

“I have been fortunate enough to learn from my own and others’ mistakes and if those lessons can help only one sailor be prepared, to make the right decisions and to stay safe then I’ve done a good job.”

Get in touch with Brodie at cbrodie@yachtingnz.org.nz.

SAFETY

Grim prediction for drownings CRIS BRODIE’S TOP TIPS

1

Your lifejacket should be labelled with the vessel’s name or that of the owner of the jacket. Have all crew try theirs on during crew briefing and then number them if they are to be stowed away so they can be fitted quickly in an emergency. Fit a self-igniting light and whistle to all lifejackets as well as a crotch strap.

Yachting NZ supports the ‘Just Wear It’ campaign. Photos: Safety at Sea, Water Safety NZ

Water Safety New Zealand has issued a stark warning to Kiwis this summer with updated predictive modelling suggesting 2023 could be the most devastating year for drowning fatalities this century.

Revised projections now anticipate up to 103 lives could be tragically lost by year’s end – more than the decadehigh total of 94 in 2022.

As of October 31, the alarming tally of fatalities had already reached 75, outpacing previous years. Drowning is the leading cause of recreational death in the country with craftrelated incidents accounting for 31% of those deaths.

The warning comes amid renewed calls from Water Safety NZ, Coastguard NZ and Yachting New Zealand urging Kiwis to wear lifejackets when out on the water this summer.

In 2022, there were 29 drowning fatalities from watercraft and 21 of the people who died weren’t wearing a lifejacket.

“A lifejacket has never ruined a day on the water, but not wearing one has destroyed many lives. Drownings are a devastating event for whānau, family and friends and for our incredible volunteers who are on the frontline. These tragic deaths leave a long-lasting impact on our communities,” said Coastguard NZ chief executive Callum Gillespie.

“We have a simple message for all watercraft users, whether you’re on a boat, yacht, kayak, jet ski, SUP – ‘Just Wear It’ Wearing one is the easiest way to keep yourself and others safe while enjoying a fun day out on the water.”

Despite the sobering statistics, research shows more than a quarter (27%) of boaties surveyed aren’t ensuring everyone on board has a lifejacket that fits them, and while 86% of children are wearing a correctly fitting lifejacket, a third of adults (33%) are not wearing them the entire time they’re on the water.

Yachting New Zealand’s national sport development director Raynor Haagh, who serves on the Safer Boating Forum’s leadership group, says YNZ is proud to support the ‘Just Wear It’ campaign.

“As we head into summer, we would like to encourage wider use of lifejackets or appropriate personal flotation devices for your activity – whether you are popping out for a fish, cruising short-handed, ferrying to shore in your dinghy, or trying out some new equipment,” Haagh said.

“We know accidents happen quickly and often there is no time to put on a lifejacket before it’s too late.”

2

Maritime Rule 91 requires lifejackets to be worn at all times of heightened risk. This could be fishing from an open boat, at nighttime, sailing short-handed, in heavy weather, leaving the cockpit to carry out a task such as reefing or foredeck work, going ashore in the dinghy (especially if it is rough or there is a shore break), crossing a bar and during emergencies.

3

It is important as a skipper to display a culture on board where crew feel comfortable wearing lifejackets. Few people can stay floating for extended periods of time and even the best swimmers will be affected by hypothermia. Wearing the correct lifejacket increases your chance of survival.

4

If your lifejacket is inflatable, service it as per the manufacturer’s requirements.

Regularly check the CO2 cylinder for corrosion which you can prevent with a light coating of Vaseline. Dry lifejackets after use and keep them in a dry place, out of the sun.

DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 45

HOME STRAIGHT ADVERTORIAL

Fit for life

Choosing the right lifejacket can be a life-or-death decision. Here’s what to consider when finding your perfect fit

I

t is important to choose a lifejacket that fits the purpose for its use, says Safety at Sea Managing Director and experienced yachtie Richard Macalister.

“Some people are just ticking a box, whilst others acknowledge that it is an important piece of lifesaving equipment, and therefore having the right lifejacket available becomes most important when it is being used.

It can be life or death,” he said.

“Don’t regret not paying the selection of the product the respect it deserves.”

Safety at Sea are a partner of Yachting New Zealand, and they stock a wide range of industry leading Baltic lifejackets.

According to Macalister, there are five things to consider when purchasing your next lifejacket:

1 2

Compliance to a standard doesn’t always mean consistent quality. Baltic test every jacket before it enters the market whereas others only do batch samples.

There is a misconception that a higher Newton rating is beneficial. One needs to be careful that a bladder is not too big and will restrict movement.

In general, higher Newton ratings are applicable in situations where the individual may be wearing heavy gear and/or is loaded with tools etc.

It is important to pick a jacket that fits well, as if a lifejacket is uncomfortable to wear it likely won’t be worn. Specially designed ladies’ lifejackets are now available such as the Athena which are designed to ergonomically fit a women’s body shape.

Lifejackets should always be fitted with a crotch strap, otherwise when they inflate, they will ride up over your head. Ensure whenever you purchase one that a crotch strap is included.

Inflatable jackets should be serviced by an approved facility. If you inflate the bladder by mouth, you will get moisture in the bladder that will eventually get fungal growth and shorten the life of the jacket. Corrosion on the CO2 cylinders can also deteriorate the fabric surrounding the cylinder over time.

3 4 5

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PUTTING THE BUY IN BUOYANCY Commercial/ocean

HYBRID 220 AUTO LIFEJACKET

A closed cell foam inherent buoyancy aid and inflatable lifejacket combination with an integrated safety harness. The combined buoyancy of the inflated lung and buoyancy aid is 220N with the lung having a buoyancy of 165N. Size: 60-120 kg Cost: From $699 Features:

Commercial/ocean

LEGEND 305 LIFEJACKET

Twice the buoyancy of Baltic’s standard inflatable lifejackets and is suitable for ocean sailing when using heavyweight waterproofs and clothing, such as floatation suits. The integrated safety harness has a woven attachment loop for a lifeline.

Size: 40-150 kg Cost: From $499 Features:

SAFETY

Coastal/Offshore/Racing

POSEIDON HARNESS LIFEJACKET

The valve and cartridge are placed in a unique way to allow maximum comfort. Extra adjustment possibilities with, for example, an adjustable back and is lightweight and flexible. Integrated safety harness.

Size: 40-120 kg Cost: From $521 Features:

Children

OCEAN HARNESS LIFEJACKET

A lifejacket for children and juniors with integrated CE approved safety harness with a stainless-steel D-ring front and back for lifeline attachment (smallest size has D-ring only at the back). Fitted with whistle, retroreflective patches, and crotch strap.

Sizes: 3-15 kg (baby), 15-30 kg (child), 30-40 kg (junior) Cost: From $169 Features:

LEGEND 305 LIFEJACKET [PIC: Legend 305 red] Children Twice the buoyancy of Baltic’s standard inflatable lifejackets and Coastal/Offshore/Racing BAMBI LIFEJACKET is suitable for ocean sailing when using heavyweight waterproofs and clothing, such as floatation suits.

The integrated safety WINNER HARNESS LIFEJACKET Designed for babies from newborn to 12 kg. The harness has a woven attachment loop for quickly a lifeline.

Bambi turns the child into a safe back Baltic’s top-selling model in an updated Features: [Icons: LEGEND FEATURES] position and has extra soft material throughout the design. Integrated safety harness, strong Size: 40-150 kg vest. Fleece-lined neck, fitted with whistle, retroouter fabric and fitted with a detachable reflective patches, and two-position crotch strap. crotch strap. Available in manual orCost: auto. From $499 Sizes: 3-12 kg (baby) Size: 40-150 kg Coastal/Offshore/Racing Cost: From $149 Cost: From $259 POSEIDON HARNESS LIFEJACKET [PIC: Poseidon] Features: The valve and cartridge are placed Features: in a unique way to allow

maximum comfort. Extra adjustment possibilities with, for example, an adjustable back and is lightweight and flexible.

Recreational Women Integrated safety harness.

ATHENA LIFEJACKET Features: [Icons: POSEIDON FEATURES] ADVENTURE BUOYANCY AID Size: 40-120 kg The first ever inflatable lifejacket developed Perfect buoyancy aid for fishing and wildlife From with a focus on women. For a betterCost: fit and a $521 exploration with three zipped pockets, and two large slimmer vest, the valve is placed horizontally mesh pockets on the back. Multi-point attachment HARNESS LIFEJACKET [PIC: Winner 165 orange] patches on the shoulders. under the bust, and combined withWINNER good fitting and retro-reflective Baltic’s top-selling model in an updated design. Integrated safety adjustment possibilities it offers a neat and Sizes: 30-50 kg (S), 50-70 kg (M), 70-90 kg (L), 90+ kg (XL) harness, strong outer fabric and fitted with a detachable crotch flexible model regardless of body shape.

Cost: From $189 strap. Available in manual or auto.

Size: 40-120 kg Features: Features: [Icons: WINNER FEATURES] Cost: From $409 Size: 40-150 kg Features: Cost: From $259 Recreational Children

PRO SAILOR LIFEJACKET

Excellent fit due to the smaller tolerance size range. The two smallest sizes have a beaver tail crotch strap. Size 3-10 kg has twin fastening points for the best possible fit. Fitted with retroreflective patches, whistle, and a grab handle under the collar on the three smallest sizes.

Sizes: 3-10 kg (baby), 10-20 kg, 15-30 kg (child), 30-40 kg, 40-50 kg (junior), 50-70 kg (M), 70-100 kg (L), 100+ kg (XL) Cost: From $114 Features:

DINGHY PRO BUOYANCY AID

Used by numerous national teams in international Optimist class. Zipped front pocket.

Extra soft foam makes it the dinghy sailor’s favourite buoyancy aid. Velcro waistband has adjustment with over the head and side entry.

Sizes: 25-40 kg (XS), 40-50 kg (S), 50-70 kg (M), 70-80 kg (M/L), 80-90 kg (L), 90+ kg (XL) Cost: From $149 Features:

For more information and full product range, visit:

DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 47

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COACHING

HOW WE GET MORE GIRLS SAILING out with exciting and innovative ways to create more diversity at their club. What they have found is that you can make a big difference with small changes.

Here are five ways that your club can attract and keep more girls in sailing: Create a more social and team atmosphere by running a girls-only fun sailing night, with double handed boats.

Make your programme more funfocussed and less about drills. Games can be a far more effective teaching method, as kids generally learn better when they are enjoying it.

Offer girls-only results beside the overall results at club racing or offer club racing with no points recorded.

1 2 Safety and fun are key factors

Kirsten Moratz FROM THE COACH BOAT

to better gender balance in your programme this summer

A

s coaches, volunteers, managers, and club administrators of learn to sail and learn to race programmes, we all have the same goal. We want to create a successful sailing programme that keeps sailors involved in the sport for life, by creating a safe and fun environment for everyone to learn.

We all want to do our best and make our programmes the best they can be. But how can we tell if we are succeeding? Many will point to their retention rates and whether sailors stay in the programme, others will point to the volume of sailors who complete a course that year.

So, what does a successful programme and retention rate look like? What factors do we need to consider?

I challenge you to look at your success in your programme’s diversity this year and think about whether it reflects your community’s demographics. Specifically, if we look at gender, last year only 33% of club members under 12 were female, and 37% for females 13-18. This past winter, only 28% of participants of coaching courses were female.

How can we change this?

Over the past few years, we’ve seen some clubs and learn to sail programmes come

3

In the end, keeping girls interested in sailing is about creating a supportive and enjoyable environment.

Coaches play a crucial role in this.

By understanding and addressing the specific needs of female sailors, coaches can ensure that everyone, no matter their gender, feels safe, supported, and excited to be part of the sailing community.

For more ideas you can check out what New Zealand Cricket have done with their Yeah! Girls programme where they increased female participation from 10% to 40% in a few years.

If you have an idea that you want to bounce off us or get support for, send an email to kirsten@yachtingnz.org.nz.

We also have social media channels and a web page for women and girls in sailing

Photo: Adam Mustill

4

Ask the girls what they want in a programme. Many sports have had success by creating youth-led programmes.

Create a safe space for female participants. Often when girls are on their period, they may have low energy or be in pain, and as coaches we should be able to offer that they hang out on the powerboat instead of going sailing. It is a good idea to have a period kit at your club in a discreet location that stays stocked for athletes to use when they need.

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called SheSails NZ – aimed at promoting and championing our female sailors and their journey in our sport. You can see more here.

I invite you to join the conversation and explore how we, as a community, can collectively contribute to making sailing more appealing to all.

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.

PREVIEW

TIMELESS CLASSIC Auckland’s first Wooden Boat Festival will celebrate the city’s rich maritime heritage

T

he story of Auckland’s maritime heritage is set to come to life like never before early next year.

The inaugural Auckland Wooden Boat Festival, which is part of the Moana Auckland Festival, will be held on the waterfront from 1-3 March 2024.

It is organised by members of the Tino Rawa Trust and the Classic Yacht Association with the support of Tātaki Unlimited, the New Zealand Maritime Museum and Eke Panuku.

It will tell the story of Auckland’s maritime history from early Māori times through to today.

“Wooden boats are in our DNA,” said founder of the event, Tony Stevenson.

“We are an island nation, connected by waterways and boats are truly integral to our way of life. Wooden boats are that connection back to our heritage.”

From its festival village in Wynyard Quarter, it will offer up timeless activities like sail making, boat building, try-sailing sessions, seminars and films,

and an astounding display of more than 100 boats.

“Each of these boats has an intergenerational story to tell. They were handcrafted in a time when we still made things with our hands. Some carried across oceans, some were traders serving communities up and down our coasts. They were our transport and our recreation,” Stevenson said.

Auckland has one of the largest active classic fleets in the world but until now has never had its own major wooden boat festival.

“Many of these boats are 100 years old or more. They have survived wars, depression, celebrations, anniversaries, disrepair and thankfully restoration.

“This festival is a celebration of the boats, their custodians, skilled craftsmen, sailors and enthusiasts who laid the foundation of New Zealand’s maritime tradition, and the generations that followed them.”

The Auckland Wooden Boat Festival is also an opportunity to reflect on how far New Zealand has advanced, Stevenson added.

“So often we are ahead of our time, in design, technology, sailing and even socially. This is a chance to showcase these historical and contemporary stories.”

The event is calling for expressions of interest from CYA boat owners.

For more information, click here.

‘So often we are ahead of our time, in design, technology, sailing and even socially. This is a chance to showcase these historical and contemporary stories.’

Auckland is set for its first wooden boat festival in March.

DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 49

HOME STRAIGHT

GAME-CHA I

t’s a Thursday afternoon, and Gillian Williams is itching to go sailing with her all-female crew.

Most are friends she’s had for 30 years, and they’re racing in the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron’s women’s club racing series on board Williams’ swift Cape 40 canting keeler, Mr Kite.

“We’ll go out and laugh and laugh and just have fun,” Williams says.

Getting out on the water is like a tonic for Williams, whose plate is full. She’s a

lawyer and owner of a suburban Auckland law firm, a mother, a netball coach, an experienced sailor and vice-commodore of the RNZYS. Next August, she’s in line to become the first female commodore of the iconic yacht club in its 153-year history.

“I have a lot on, but it’s all enjoyable stuff. What else would I be doing – sitting on the couch and watching TV? I don’t think so,” Williams laughs.

She’s been a keen yachtie since

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COVER STORY

ANGER she was nine, when her family moved from Hamilton to Bucklands Beach and all learned to sail to make the most of living near the water. She’s still got the learn-to-sail certificates signed by her first sailing instructor, triple Olympic medallist Barbara Kendall.

And she’s been a member of the Squadron for nearly 25 years, signing up not long after she met her Gillian Williams sailor husband, Nathan Photo: RNZYS

Williams.

Her 14-year-old daughter is a promising netballer (which is how Williams became a netball coach). But like her mum, she’s happy to be at sea, having cruised to Tonga and Fiji when she was eight years old.

Now Williams wants to get more females – young and old – out on the water, so they can experience the enjoyment and camaraderie she takes from the sport.

Gillian Williams is set to become the RNZYS’ first female commodore next August - and her focus is on seeing the sport grow, she tells Suzanne McFadden

As the current chair of sailing at the Squadron, Williams is passionate about the sailing programme.

“If I can achieve anything while I’m in this role, it’s increasing participation,” she says.

With the cost-of-living crisis having a real impact on discretionary spending, it’s about being innovative to get people back on the water.

“A classic example is our women’s yachting programme. In the past, we’ve

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HOME STRAIGHT done round-the-buoys racing in MRXs, but that’s expensive to run and participate in. This year we’re focusing on the general fleet and doing a harbour course. Our women club racers will get more out of that.”

Williams was also behind the Squadron’s Women’s Day Out initiative run in August, attracting 200 women to a day on the Waitematā Harbour, sailing and connecting.

“It was amazing,” she says. “It was inspired by the annual Waikawa Women’s Regatta in Picton, which a lot of our members go down to, and it’s all about participation. You all go out sailing, laugh and have fun, and do social stuff together off the water as well.

“Half the women had organised themselves with their friends and a boat, and the other half signed up individually and were sorted onto boats. Traditionally you haven’t been able to do that, but I think there’s potential there to get more women sailing.”

The vast array of women who sailed also impressed Williams. “High school girls were sailing the Elliotts fleet, and older women in their 60s and 70s were out there, too,” she says.

“Our boat had Keryn McMaster, who’s sailed around the world, and her two daughters who haven’t done a lot of sailing. And they had a ball. There were a few mother-daughter combos on the water.”

Inclusivity is important to Williams as she prepares for a two-year term as commodore. “There’s more inclusivity we could do rather than just men and women.

It would be nice if we were more reflective of Auckland. That’s a journey we’re starting on.”

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t was Williams’ parents who got the ball rolling in her fruitful sailing career when they signed up for a Penny Whiting sailing course in the 1980s. Williams got an Optimist, taught by a teenage Barbara Kendall, while her brother got a P Class.

“Our family bought a 17-foot trailer yacht, and we’d go away for a week on it,” Williams recalls. “Mum did ladies’ racing well into her 60s. But I was the one who was really serious about yachting, and I did a truckload of racing and sailing overseas.”

In her early 20s, she ventured into

keelboats, buying a Pied Piper. “Then I married a yachtie guy and we just had boats and boats.”

Before starting a family, the couple lived in Valencia for three years, working for eventual winners of the 2010 America’s Cup, BMW Oracle Racing. Gillian was the team’s legal advisor and Nathan worked on the weather boat.

They’re excited to return to Spain – this time with their daughter – for next year’s Cup regatta in Barcelona (when Williams is likely to be the new commodore of the defending yacht club).

They’ll be there for the challenger series final, the Youth and Women’s America’s

‘You pinch yourself until it actually happens. Two years is not a long time to get things done, so I’m doing stuff now I want to see coming to fruition. I’m working pretty hard on getting the house in order.’

Cups, and the America’s Cup match.

Williams has been on the selection panel to find Emirates Team New Zealand’s youth and women’s crews.

In 1999 – the year Auckland had its first taste of the America’s Cup – Williams became an associate member of the Squadron. Her husband went through the Youth Training Programme as a teen and has been a member ever since.

Joining the RNZYS committee wasn’t something she had initiated, or even considered.

“Jonty Cullinane was on the committee at the time and approached me because

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they had a lawyer on the committee who was resigning and they had no women on the committee at the time,” says Williams, who joined the committee at the same time as Sheryl Lanigan.

“You just get more out of it, the more you put in,” she says. “For years we sat on the outside and thought where’s the value in this? And then you get more involved, and you realise it’s awesome.”

Past commodores Aaron Young and Ian Cooke asked Williams if she would “keep going” along the commodore route.

“I had a big corporate law job at Fletcher Building, working a gazillion hours a week,” she says. “I’d just resigned, and I thought yeah I could do that now.”

Williams has spent a lot of time working on America’s Cup matters and participation.

“Everyone on the general committee is looking at what initiatives need to be done.

Financially, the club could never afford to have everything done by paid staff, so it’s a matter of picking up initiatives and driving them forward,” she says.

“I always think you’re never going to make things perfect, but if you can make it better than what it was, then you’ve succeeded. The challenge now is financial sustainability, whereas four years ago, it was more about building maintenance and refreshment. You cut your cloth according to what needs to be done.”

Becoming the first woman commodore in the Squadron’s history, once Andrew Aitken finishes his two-year stint next August, would be “pretty cool”, Williams admits.

“You pinch yourself until it actually happens. Two years is not a long time to get things done, so I’m doing stuff now I want to see coming to fruition. I’m working pretty hard on getting the house in order.”

Williams will continue to work in the North Shore law firm, Whitlock Williams, which she owns in partnership with her sister-in-law. “I started off in corporate law and did a lot of big business deals, which is great fun in your 20s and 30s. Now it’s really nice working in the community, where my clients are mums and dads.”

She’ll still be on mum duties and probably remain the netball coach.

“You know what they say,” she says, “if you want anything done, give it to someone who’s busy.”

COVER STORY

Gillian Williams is an avid sailor, RNZYS vice-commodore, and the woman behind the Women’s Day Out. Photos: Chris Cameron, Suzanne McFadden

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Bay of Islands Yacht Club is offering special discount rates on accommodation options for competitors at the Foil Bay of Islands in February. For more information, click here.

A pop-up recycling and refuse centre will be available between 26 December and Sunday 14 December at Russell Wharf for boaties’ litter. It will be open between 10am and 4pm.

Trash sacks will be $8 per bag, which is the same as the rubbish barge, and recyclables will be free. This service has been organised by local community group Resilient Russell, and is sponsored

by Far North Holdings, Russell Kaitiaki Wharf Trust, Northland Waste, Hones Pizza Garden and CBEC Eco-solutions.

Organisers of the 2024 Bay of Islands Sailing Week are urging yachties to enter New Zealand’s “best big boat regatta” running from January 23-26.

Click here to secure your place.

Entries are open for the 2024 Women on Water Weekend hosted by Gulf Harbour Yacht Club. The regatta takes place over the weekend of March 15-17 and organisers are expecting plenty of interest from across the country, so enter early by clicking here.

Murrays Bay Sailing Club is hosting a Learn to Sail (dinghy) coaching course from January 13-14. Book your spot by signing up here.

Devonport Yacht Club will be celebrating the 2024 Duder Cup with a centennial ball on Saturday, February 10. For more information and tickets, email emmaaw@me.com.

Richmond Yacht Club are on the lookout for a friendly, highly organised, and efficient office administrator on a oneyear fixed term. For more information and to apply, email info@richmondyc.org.nz.

Glendowie Boating Club are thrilled to have recently launched the latest addition to its support fleet – RHIB #1

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(pictured right), thanks to generous contributions by Honda Marine New Zealand, Kiwi Yachting, the Ōrākei local board, NZ Maritime Museum, and Half Moon Bay Marina.

Bucklands Beach Yacht Club are accepting applications for coaches to teach the junior Learn to Sail programme and the Yachting New Zealand RŪNĀ sail experience for local schools during terms one and four in 2024. The start date is in February, but coaching times and dates will vary. For more information, email coach@bbyc.org.nz.

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Wairoa Yacht Club (pictured below) successfully delivered the Kōkōkaha module of Yachting New Zealand’s RŪNĀ education programme earlier this month, despite again being affected by flooding after the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.

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Napier Sailing Club are looking for ILCA sailors who would be willing to charter 18 out their boats to competitors 19 from the Northern Hemisphere, who are travelling to Adelaide for the ILCA Masters world championships in February and are hoping to add the 2024 NZ national championships to their itinerary.

Contact NSC here.

New Plymouth Yacht Club teenager Reija Treacy Wolnik has successfully completed a transatlantic crossing with her grandfather and one other crew member aboard Vancouver 32 Mairin. Reija, who completed a Learn to Sail course last year and is part of the green fleet at NPYC, left New Zealand on September 25 – a month after her 14th birthday. Read more about her adventures in the March issue of YBQ. Paremata Boating Club held their 100-year centenary dinner earlier this month with a talk by former members Murray Jones and Glenn Sowry the highlight of the evening. The dinner doubled as a fundraiser for the club with raffles and auctions held.

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The Sunburst class will celebrate two significant milestones with the national championship from January 26-29.

The dinghy was designed and created in 1964 and has a fleet of over 300 boats across New Zealand. The national champs, hosted by Worser Bay Boating Club, will mark both the 60th anniversary of the dinghy, and the 30th anniversary of the event. Register here.

South Island

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Nelson Yacht Club’s annual Whakatu Regatta will be bigger than ever in 2024. Held over the middle weekend in January, the event will host four South Island championships – for the Europe, Optimist, OK Dinghy and Paper Tiger classes – as well as the Starling Traveller Series. More information is available here.

After another successful edition of the Women’s Regatta in September, the Waikawa Boating Club team looks forward to staging their flagship event, the New Year Regatta.

Set down for January 12-14, the event traditionally attracts a strong fleet across the racing divisions for buoy and harbour races and 30+ boats and over 150 sailors are expected to enter. For more information contact Clive Ballett at events@waikawaboatingclub.co.nz.

Over the winter months five Queen Charlotte Yacht Club members participated in NZ Aquabots – an underwater robotics programme for school-aged children – that includes many common sailing concepts. Students formed teams to build a remotely operated vehicle (pictured right) before competing

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in challenges focussing on scallop conservation and marine pests. For more information, contact Katharine Davis at katharine.davis@mbc.school.nz or 0274801009.

Waimakariri Sailing Club is looking for help finding the Mercury 9.9hp 2 stroke outboard stolen from their Learn to Sail container just north of Kaiapoi in November. It has a distinct large trim tab just above the prop. Anyone with information is asked to contact the club on 029 200 4554.

The NZCT has granted $5,000 to the Canterbury Yachting Association to cover operating costs for its youth development programme. The funding will be used for coordination, promotion, and administration and to manage the resources and personnel for both school sailing and the youth programme, CYA youth development officer Wayne Keen (pictured above) said. The association celebrated its 100-year anniversary in November by presenting 50-year service awards to Keen, Jim Park and Ross May. Wanaka Yacht Club have welcomed new Learn to Sail coach Angus Jamieson from the UK. Jamieson (pictured above) will be coaching until late March and is working full-time on after-school LTS, adult LTS and the holiday programmes.

The national championships for the Noelex 22s and Ross 780s will be hosted by Port Chalmers Yacht Club in February.

TELLTALES Send your club or class association news to eduan@yachtingnz.org.nz

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The Notice Of Race is published here.

St Brigid’s School Year 6 students participated in the RŪNĀ programme at Macandrew Bay Boating Club earlier this month.

Lessons included a variety of knot tying, buoyancy and weather concepts as part of the ‘harnessing the wind’ theme. For more information on RŪNĀ, click here or get in touch with Yachting New Zealand’s education lead Alisa Torgersen at alisa@ yachtingnz.org.nz.

Work is well under way on the new ramp at Bluff Yacht Club (pictured below), which will provide better access to the water as well as shelter for the club’s dinghy launching ramp.

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JEWELS OF THE SOUTH Queen Charlotte Sound.

With over 1000 nm to explore, the South Island’s coastline is a feast of natural geographic features, stunning vistas, and diverse wildlife. Kathy Catton investigates the highlights on offer for cruisers

Marlborough Sounds

The coastline and islands of the Marlborough Sounds have 18 per cent of New Zealand’s total coastline: that’s over 1800 kilometres. From sheltered bush-clad hillsides to wind-swept sandy beaches, Marlborough is a place of exploration. Access to the countless bays is mainly boat-only. The main sounds are Queen Charlotte Sound (easternmost), Pelorus Sound (largest), Kenepuru (shallowest) and Tennyson Inlet (major arm off Pelorus). Furneaux Lodge and Punga Cove are outstanding locations to enjoy a restaurant meal and fine wines.

Fiordland. Photo: Tony Whiting

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GREAT FOR: Queen Charlotte Track, running from Ship Cove to Anakiwa Diving in the secluded bays or catching a blue cod for dinner – check the fishing regulations Three good marinas: Picton, Havelock and Waikawa BE AWARE: You must purchase a pass to walk on some sections of the Queen Charlotte Track N o pets allowed ashore due to the protected nature of the land G enerally deep anchorages here so you’ll need a stern line ashore

CRUISE CONTROL

French Pass.

D’Urville Island

The largest island in the Marlborough Sounds and with around only 50 permanent residents, this is a magical spot for nature lovers. The island is possum- and rat-free, making it ecologically significant. The only access is by boat or air. By boat involves passing through the narrow and challenging tidal French Pass, with up to 7 knots of tidal stream in each direction. Going in a slack tide is crucial as it can be like a roaring river at any other time.

GREAT FOR: Walking, fishing, and scuba diving Picking up a mooring at the D’Urville Island Wilderness Resort Go in for a meal there – they love to welcome visiting yachties

BE AWARE: Do your research before navigating through French Pass – there are powerful currents Boulder banks divide Greville Harbour in two – again, do your research

Diamond Harbour

Hector’s Dolphins

GREAT FOR: Access to Christchurch via Lyttelton: a vibrant post-earthquake city Plenty of events and racing opportunities throughout the year at Naval Point, Pigeon Bay and Akaroa Yacht Clubs

BE AWARE: Te Ana Marina in Lyttelton welcomes visiting yachties if they have space, and there are other anchoring options within Lyttelton Harbour Cruise ships dock in Lyttelton Harbour throughout the summer season

Banks Peninsula

Home to the Hector’s dolphins, the Banks Peninsula, with its teal-coloured waters, offers numerous bays to explore. The main harbour, Akaroa Harbour (1.5 hours drive from Christchurch), offers many sheltered anchorages. It is an idyllic township, perfect for exploring the quirky French ambience and attractions. Highlights include the Giants House mosaic garden, numerous restaurants and The Seventh Generation inspirational nature and history tour, run by local seventh generation descendant Marie Haley.

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Fiordland

From Abel Tasman to Fiordland, it’s 400 nm down the West Coast of the South Island.

As with all voyages, don’t be in a hurry to get anywhere and keep an eye on the weather, particularly for the Cook Strait crossing, which can bring challenging conditions. Only one of the 14 fiords is accessible by road (Milford), leaving plenty of opportunity to have the place to yourself. Deep Cove Lodge in Doubtful Sound is a good place to aim for. But above all else, it’s the inaccessibility of this place that appeals to many.

GREAT FOR: The feeling of isolation Hunting and fishing Local fishermen are happy to trade fresh fish for fresh baking!

BE AWARE: There is very little cell phone coverage in Southland and Fiordland and satellite communications can also be challenging You’ll need good sandfly screens on all your hatches Due to the strict pest eradication measures here, you’ll need a clean vessel pass to visit

Abel Tasman

With its golden beaches and clear waters, Abel Tasman National Park is the ideal starting point for North Islanders venturing south. The large tidal range is appealing for trailer yachts, which can dry out once fenders or props have been secured beneath the hull. This place gets busy over Christmas, but there are plenty of delightful anchorages, including Awaroa Inlet, which is only boat- or walk-in access. Awaroa Lodge offers great pizzas and an inviting garden bar. Anchorage Bay also provides good shelter in all conditions.

GREAT FOR: Excellent water taxi service Plenty of walking tracks Motueka and Nelson close by for repairs, provisions, markets, restaurants BE AWARE: Can get busy at Christmas Fireworks in Nelson on New Year’s Eve Large tidal range

Fiordland.

VIDEO Fiordland.

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CRUISE CONTROL

Stewart Island

The appeal of the slower, simpler lifestyle will draw many cruisers to Stewart Island. It’s an approximate 100 nm sail from Preservation Inlet to Oban on Stewart Island, across the Foveaux Strait. Strong winds and sea conditions can arise rapidly in this seascape, so weather updates are essential. Bluff Fishermans Radio is an excellent station for all the local knowledge. On arrival at Oban (the only inhabited town), you’ll find fuel, a supermarket, and other rudimentary amenities. The local pub, the South Sea Hotel, is well-known by the sailing community for its Sunday night pub quizzes.

GOOD FOR: Great anchorages, friendly locals, and a rich, interesting history Beautiful white, sandy beaches, and plenty of walks Diurnal Kiwi birds BE AWARE: Phone coverage in Oban but no further south Be well prepared for the conditions and have your wet weather gear handy!

Stewart Island Beach.

Otago Peninsula

Yellow-eyed penguin.

Lyttelton

More info ...

For those wanting a community of cruisers to accompany them on their adventures, Island Cruising NZ has been running yacht rallies for the last 35 years. Run for the previous two years by local sailing extraordinaire Viki Moore, she helps yachties prepare for extended off-shore cruising. A $500 entry fee provides a comprehensive South Island guidebook, charts and all the support you need with paperwork, weather support, weekly training webinars and more. The rally provides a great sense of community for those heading in the same general direction and can be as hands-on or hands-off as cruisers like. This year’s South Island rally starts at the end of December and runs until the end of March.

Kathy Catton grew up around boats, sailing with her family out of Portsmouth Harbour, UK. She now lives on the Banks Peninsula and is a freelance writer and editor.

Sailing north from the bottom of the south along the east coast will eventually bring you to the Banks Peninsula. On route are Dunedin (130 nm), Oamaru and Timaru. Dunedin, Port Chalmers and the Otago Yacht Club all welcome visiting yachties. With a big city comes the attraction of stocking up, repairing any damage and getting a fill of culture and the arts.

Oamaru’s man-made protected bay is a great gateway to explore the beautiful buildings of Oamaru and the steampunk theme, which is making its mark on the town.

GREAT FOR: Spotting yellow-eyed penguins, albatross (Royal Albatross Centre at Taiaroa Head) and other wildlife A visit to Port Chalmers in Dunedin – a rich history with a thriving community of artists, writers and musicians BE AWARE: Cruise ships dock in Port Chalmers throughout the summer season Watch the narrow shipping channel on the way into Dunedin

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CRUISE CONTROL

MEET THE STORM SPOTTERS Venturing off-shore can be as daunting as it is thrilling. For yacht cruisers, the journey is made significantly safer with the assistance of knowledgeable onshore experts, writes Kathy Catton

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here’s something very comforting about talking to Patricia Dallas and David Sapiane of Gulf Harbour Radio and Peter Mott of Passage Guardian. Like they’re our collective parents. For cruisers around the world, many can relate.

Gulf Harbour Radio

Dallas and partner Sapiane have been running Gulf Harbour Radio voluntarily from their home in Whangaparāoa, north of Auckland since 2012. What they offer is more than just technical expertise. They are a lifeline connecting sailors to a world they have temporarily left behind. The couple provides radio contact with cruising yachts during the cruising season (May-November) and helps with their understanding of the weather in the South West Pacific.

“The passage to New Zealand can be difficult,” says Dallas. “We want people to enjoy their trip, so we find our service helps sailors give it the attention it deserves.”

With over 98 boats on their list this year, the pair offers a unique blend of broadcasting weather forecast data via their Coast Radio Station, Gulf Harbour Radio, and live-streaming at the same time via their YouTube channel. “We don’t know how many are listening; we only know who calls in,” Peter Mott she says. “Often, we are that additional check and human touch. And sailors benefit from hearing reports from others on a similar route.”

The most immediate concern for any sailor is the unpredictability of weather patterns. Sapiane understands this and as a meteorologist and 15-year cruiser, he helps boats navigate away from upcoming storms, for example. They are the expert eyes watching over the bigger picture. “Recently we were in contact

Gulf Harbour Radio

with a European sailor who was only sailing 3.5 knots in light winds – ‘I like to sail,’ he said,” explains Dallas. “He was strongly advised to turn on his engine so that he could arrive in Opua before a significant storm. We were relieved and thrilled to see his progress each night – with the engine on. He made it, with a few hours to spare!”

Passage Guardian

Mott has been working with radio his entire life. But only upon retiring did he start to blend his love of sailing, safety at sea and radio.

“It’s fair to say I struggle with the concept of retirement. Someone said to me, ‘Why don’t you keep yourself busy and serve others without any expectation of reward?’” Mott says.

So, in 2016 he set up Passage Guardian from his home in Russell (since relocated to Christchurch and established as a charitable trust in 2021) and now offers a global (free of charge) safety service for recreational vessels conducting ocean passage.

Mott offers vessel tracking using MarineTraffic satellite AIS, weather

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reports and a friendly, experienced voice at the end of a satellite phone. He works with up to 30 vessels at one time and cares deeply about each sailor. “It bothers me intensely if people don’t get home,” he says. “The more we can do to reduce this probability, the better.”

All his ‘flock’ must have a transmitting AIS and commit to sending a daily report (usually via email) when on passage. “What’s unique about my service is that I can detect when yachts stop, experience a significant change of course or are sailing in heavy weather,” says Mott. “I can then check in to see if all is well, which it usually is. It’s a big ocean out there, and if something goes wrong, it’s important to know as soon as possible, so that the search is minimised.”

He is currently working with 14 sailors on the Ocean Globe Race 2023.

Under the rules of this race, sailors cannot use GPS, electric autopilots or satellite phones. So instead, Mott communicates using high-frequency single-sideband radio, reading government weather forecasts daily. “I talk to hundreds of sailors on the radio, but only ever get to meet a handful.”

For more information visit ghradio.co.nz and passageguardian.nz

ENVIRONMENT

WEEDING IT OUT The fight against exotic caulerpa has intensified with new anchoring rules introduced around one of Auckland’s top holiday spots

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ontrols on anchoring and fishing around one of Auckland’s favourite holiday spots have been tightened as efforts continue to prevent the spread of exotic caulerpa.

Biosecurity New Zealand announced late last month it would be replacing the current Controlled Area Notice (CAN) for both Aotea Great Barrier Island and Ahuahu Great Mercury Island with new conditions after the existing rules expired on December 1.

Exotic caulerpa is an invasive seaweed that can form large underwater fields, altering the natural ecosystem, and has been found in the Hauraki Gulf at Aotea Great Barrier Island, Ahuahu Great Mercury Island, off Kawau Island and Waiheke Island, and in Northland at Te Rāwhiti Inlet.

“In recent weeks we’ve talked with affected people from mana whenua, local authorities, fishing industry and local communities about the most appropriate measures,” Biosecurity New Zealand deputy director-general Stuart Anderson said.

“The update to the CAN reflects those discussions and manages the risk of human spread of caulerpa, while minimising the impacts on local people as much as possible.”

For Aotea Great Barrier Island, the new CAN includes the extension of the controlled area further north to Port Fitzroy, with existing anchoring restrictions remaining in place – anchoring is prohibited in the controlled area unless

in an emergency or with a permit from Biosecurity New Zealand.

However, there is a new permit-exempt area at Port Fitzroy, and less risky forms of fishing that don’t come into contact with the seabed – like drift fishing from a boat or kayak, spearfishing, shore-based longlining (like using a kontiki or drone) and line fishing – will be permitted.

The area under control at Ahuahu Great Mercury remains the same, but changes made to fishing methods at Aotea Great Barrier Island also apply here, Biosecurity New Zealand said in a statement.

The new controls are in force until 30 June 2024.

Anyone planning boating or fishing at Aotea or Ahuahu this summer can visit www.biosecurity.govt.nz/caulerpa for precise boundaries and maps of the zones and actions required.

The existing Controlled Area Notice for Te Rāwhiti Inlet in Northland remains in place with the specific requirements unchanged until it expires at the end of June 2024.

All controls will be reviewed at this time to ensure they’re still fit for purpose.

“We’ll work with our partners to get the information out and this week we launched a new summer campaign to inform boaties, fishers, and divers about some simple actions they can take when at sea to avoid spreading caulerpa,” Anderson said.

“Caulerpa can travel short distances naturally as small pieces adrift in the water, but it is spread primarily by people, snared in boating and fishing gear. We’re asking boaties to check their anchor, anchor chain, and any gear that’s been in the water before they move on to a different location.

“If any seaweed is found attached to this equipment, they should remove it and securely bag it or contain it and take it ashore for safe disposal on land – for example in a rubbish bin or compost.”

Biosecurity New Zealand, in partnership with mana whenua for the affected areas, local government and the Department of Conservation, has worked hard over the past two-and-a-half years to contain the difficult pest while exploring all possible options for its control, Anderson said.

“We have two trials under way to use suction dredging to remove caulerpa at mass. Those trials will continue into early next year.

“From the outset, independent scientific experts told us that eradication [full and permanent removal] of this pest is highly unlikely given the large size of the incursion in New Zealand and the lack of any control tool internationally that would work at this scale.

“However, we remain committed to identifying and trialling potential techniques that could help remove new and small outbreaks or knock back larger populations to try to reduce further spread.”

Anderson said the existing CAN for Te Rāwhiti Inlet in Northland remains unchanged and expires at the end of June 2024. The CAN for Aotea/Ahuahu ends at the same time and settings will be reviewed at that point.

Meanwhile, exotic caulerpa has also been discovered at a new location at Aotea Great Barrier Island, Biosecurity New Zealand confirmed, with a small fragment recently found near Memory Rock at Medlands Beach on the island’s east coast by an Auckland Council staff member.

Further searching of the beach failed to turn up any other beach cast exotic caulerpa, while some limited in-water surveillance in the area using a remote operated vehicle also made no further detection.

For more on identifying exotic caulerpa, how it spreads, and what to do if you find it, click here.

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‘They said it was impossible’ Earlier this year, Ben Beasley became only the second Kiwi to complete the gruelling La Solitaire du Figaro after battling waves, wind, exhaustion and lobster pots

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or much of 2023, Ben Beasley faced major adversity in pursuit of a lifelong sailing dream.

He’s hit lobster pots along the Brittany coast, seen exhaustion send him several hours in the wrong direction on the Celtic Sea, had his campaign threatened at the last minute following a crash, and spent months separated from loved ones.

And, as Beasley explains, now comes the hard part.

The 23-year-old Aucklander has been back in the City of Sails for just over a month – his first extended period in New Zealand for the best part of a year – after completing the La Solitaire du Figaro, a gruelling 1670 nm trek over three legs only ever completed by one other Kiwi.

Finishing La Solitaire, the unofficial world championship of solo offshore sailing, has been a bucket-list item for as long as he can remember and is a “crucial stepping stone” to his ultimate goal of one day sailing in the Vendee Globe.

To achieve this, Beasley based himself in France between February and October and had to navigate a series of qualifying races as part of the French Elite Offshore Championships aboard Ocean Attitude, a “very wet” Figaro Beneteau 3.

It started with the Laura Vergne Trophy – a double-handed 350 nm race off La Trinité-sur-Mer on the south coast of

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Brittany in April.

His first solo offshore race was the 200mile Gascogne 45/5, followed by the Tour de Bretagne and the Solo Guy Cotton.

“I expected it to be really tough and it certainly was,” Beasley says from his home in Auckland.

“The Tour de Bretagne didn’t go so well. I had to retire after a collision on the start line of the fourth leg and the boat had to go into the shed for almost a month. I basically didn’t sail for most of that time.

I couldn’t train with the rest of the guys leading up to the Solo Guy Cotton and I had to charter a boat for the race just to qualify for the Solitaire.”

It was one of many setbacks, Beasley admits – but he managed to complete the challenging 380 nm off-shore course to make it to the big dance – despite suffering a ripped sail early on and battling big seas and up to 30 knots of wind at times.

OFFSHORE Beasley safely navigated the 610 nm first leg of La Solitaire from Caen to Kinsale before the final two legs – 570 nm between Kinsale and Baie de Morlaix, and 470 nm to the Piriac-sur-Mer finish – were impacted by light wind.

However, the lack of sleep was by far the biggest obstacle, Beasley says.

“In the second leg, I went downstairs for a 15-minute sleep. I was exhausted and I thought the sleep alarm was on, but it turned out the green light I saw flashing was my iridium phone charger.

“I woke up about four hours later and there wasn’t another boat in sight. It was a real pity because up until that point, I was having a good tussle with a few other guys but while I was sleeping I had gone into a TSS [traffic separation scheme], which is a no-go zone and I got a 25-minute penalty.”

He also managed to get tangled up in a lobster pot on the final leg.

“The first morning at dawn, I ran into a fishing net, and I had to dive down and I was in the water for about an hour trying to cut the net free,” he says.

“I remember just hoping any fishing boats around me would see me in the water but knowing full well they probably wouldn’t. That was basically the race over for me, but I stuck it out and finished it.”

Beasley finished the race in 26th after almost 13 days at sea, with Corentin Horeau (Banque Populaire) the overall winner.

“All in all, I was pretty happy with my result – especially for my first Solitaire. My goal was just to stick with the fleet as much as I could, and that’s what I did.”

Adjusting to life back on dry land has been challenging.

“I’ve mainly been catching up with friends, family and my girlfriend as much as possible. Many of them I hadn’t seen in months.

“I have been lucky enough to start a job as a boat builder down at Pine Harbour. It’s a bit different than sailing five days a week – both have their ups and downs!”

Beasley says that work has already started on securing funding for next year’s race.

“In many ways, trying to find a sponsor is a lot harder than the sailing – especially because you are in France, doing such a French sport. La Solitaire is quite a hard race to show to sponsors because you’re racing across Europe and crossing the

Ben Beasley completed his maiden La Solitaire du Figaro earlier this year, becoming only the second New Zealand sailor to achieve the feat.

Photos: James Tomlinson Photography, La Solitaire du Figaro

Atlantic.

“Last season I had two small sponsors, but for the most part, my campaign was self-funded. The owner of Ocean Attitude gave me the boat as it is sort of her charity, and she is happy for me to sail it again.”

Beasley believes having a chance at a successful campaign requires between €70,000 to €80,000 a season.

“This year there were quite a few boats with three times that budget and when I

told them I was going to do it on €30,000 they said it was impossible,” he laughs.

With an entry to next year’s race secured courtesy of completing the 2023 edition, Beasley doesn’t need to spend quite as much time away from home in 2024.

Not that he’ll be wasting a second of his time here – he’s knocking on doors and sailing as much as he can in preparation for his next campaign.

“I’ll probably aim to try and be back in France around March if I can. That’s when the first race of the season kicks off.”

Is there anything he would do differently next time around?

“I’d like to be slightly more organised right from the start,” Beasley says.

“And, obviously, try to avoid the fishing nets.”

To support Beasley’s campaign, contact him at benbeasley3628@gmail.com.

DECEMBER 2023 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | 63

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RESULTS (SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER) DOMESTIC ILCA SOUTH ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS Naval Point Club Lyttelton December 9-10 ILCA 6 fleet (20 boats) 1. Miro Luxford (Charteris Bay Yacht Club) 1 1 (21UFD) 2 6 5 - 15 pts 2. Sam Clarke (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 3 4 6 1 (7) 6 - 20 pts 3. Dragos Blaga (Vauxhall Yacht Club) 5 3 4 (7) 5 3 - 20 pts ILCA 7 fleet (7 boats) 1. Tim Pitcaithly (Nelson Yacht Club) 1 1 (2) 1 2 1 - 6 pts 2. Darryl Parkes (Bluff Yacht Club) (3) 2 1 3 1 2 - 9 pts 3. Mike Terry (Nelson Yacht Club) 2 3 3 2 (4) 3 - 13 pts FINN CLASS AUCKLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS Wakatere Boating Club December 9-10 Overall results (12 boats) 1. Mark Perrow (Waiuku Yacht Club) 1 1 1 1 1 (4) 2 - 7 pts 2. Rob Coutts (Mission Bay Yacht Club) 3 (6) 3 3 3 6 1 - 19 pts 3. Dan Bush (Wakatere Boating Club) 7 (10) 4 2 5 1 3 - 22 pts Full results here.

AUCKLAND P CLASS TANNER CUP TRIALS Kohimarama Yacht Club December 9-10 Overall results (30 boats) 1. Oli Stone (Kohimarama Yacht Club) 1 (2) 1 2 1 2 - 7 pts 2. Nelsen Meacham (Wakatere Boating Club) 2 (5) 2 1 2 3 - 10 pts 3. Callum Noyer (Wakatere Boating Club) 5 (17) 4 4 4 1 - 18 pts 7. Bella Jenkins (Kohimarama Yacht Club) (19) 18 6 7 5 6 - 42 pts Full results here.

SOUTH ISLAND STARLING AND ZEPHYR CHAMPIONSHIPS/NELSON MARLBOROUGH REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Queen Charlotte Yacht Club December 2-3 29er fleet (2 boats) 1. Ash Cole/Yannick Smit (Nelson Yacht Club) 1 1 1 - 3 pts 2. Bruno Page/Natalie Mitchell (Nelson Yacht Club) 2 2 2 - 6 pts Optimist open fleet (19 boats) 1. Liam Strack (Queen Charlotte Yacht Club) 5 3 2 (7) 2 2 - 14 pts 2. Sam Richardson (Queen Charlotte Yacht Club) 2 2 (4) 4 3 3 - 14 pts 3. Hamish Newman (Queen Charlotte Yacht Club) (9) 1 8 1 1 4 - 15 pts 6. Mila Blundell (Charteris Bay Yacht Club) 1 5 5 9 5 (12) - 25 pts Optimist green fleet (11 boats) 1. Alina Romanenko (Nelson Yacht Club) 1 (2) 1 1 1 2 - 6 pts 2. Louis Barry (Queen Charlotte Yacht Club) 2 3 2 3 (6) 5 - 15 pts 3. William Davis (Queen Charlotte Yacht Club) (8) 5 3 5 2 1 - 16 pts OK Dinghy fleet (3 boats) 1. Hans van der Wal Queen Charlotte Yacht Club) 1 1 1 - 3 pts 2. Chris Shaw (Queen Charlotte Yacht Club) 4DNF 4RET 2 - 10 pts

3. Mark Milner (Nelson Yacht Club) 4DNF 2 4DNC - 10 pts Zephyr fleet (29 boats) 1. Graeme Henry (Nelson Yacht Club) 1 3 2 - 6 pts 2. Glen McKenzie (Naval Point Club Lyttelton) 3 1 5 - 9 pts 3. Hamish Atkinson (Naval Point Club Lyttelton) 5 4 3 - 12 pts 5. Carla Bennett (Queen Charlotte Yacht Club) 2 11 4 - 17 pts Starling fleet (16 boats) 1. Hayden Chisholm (Charteris Bay Yacht Club) (5) 1 2 1 1 1 - 6 pts 2. Lucy Luxford (Charteris Bay Yacht Club) 1 2 3 2 2 (4) - 10 pts 3. Nico Blundell (Charteris Bay Yacht Club) 2 (3) 1 3 3 3 - 12 pts Flying Dutchman fleet (4 boats) 1. Bruce Lissant-Clayton/John Booth (Nelson Yacht Club) 1 1 1 - 3 pts 2. David Gibb/Tim Wastney (Nelson Yacht Club) 2 2 3 - 7 pts 3. John Bailey/Dave Hockey (Nelson Yacht Club) 3 3 2 - 8 pts ILCA 6 (6 boats) 1. Tim Pitcaithly (Nelson Yacht Club) 1 1 1 - 3 pts 2. Max Edwards (Queen Charlotte Yacht Club) 3 4 4 - 11 pts 3. Daniel Willcox (Queen Charlotte Yacht Club) 7DSQ 2 3 - 12 pts SIR PETER BLAKE REGATTA Torbay Sailing Club December 2-3 O’pen Skiff gold fleet (11 boats) 1. Ewan Brazle (Manly Sailing Club) (1) 1 1 1 1 1 1 - 6 pts 2. Harry Jameson (Napier Sailing Club) (9) 6 2 2 2 2 2 - 16 pts 3. Valentina Gladiadis (Manly Sailing Club) 4 4 (5) 4 4 3 4 - 23 pts O’pen Skiff silver fleet (11 boats) 1. Patrick Kell (Bay of Islands Yacht Club) 1 1 2 (3) 3 1 2 - 10 pts 2. Jessica Lee (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) 2 2 1 (7) 6 3 1 - 15 pts 3. Finn Manson (Bay of Islands Yacht Club) 3 3 3 (8) 4 2 4 - 19 pts Optimist open fleet (51 boats) 1. Charlie Bridger (Charteris Bay Yacht Club) 1 1 1 1 5 (11) - 9 pts 2. Matteo Barker (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 5 (52 UFD) 2 3 1 2 - 13 pts 3. Ekhi De Jager (Napier Sailing Club) (7) 6 4 2 4 1 - 17 pts Optimist green fleet (76 boats) 1. Sam Kandziora (Wakatere Boating Club) 1 1 1 (2) 1 - 4 pts 2. Sean Poon (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) 2 2 (3) 1 2 - 7 pts 3. Alexander Mackay (Wakatere Boating Club) 10 3 (22) 7 4 - 24 pts Starling fleet (43 boats) 1. Arran Begic (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 3 1 4 1 4 (5) - 13 pts 2. Flinn Olson (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 1 3 2 2 7 (12) - 15 pts 3. Jack Hollands (Manly Sailing Club) 2 4 1 (11) 6 3 - 16 pts Starling development fleet (22 boats) 1. Brooke Cooper (Glendowie Boating Club) 1 2 (4) 2 2 1 - 8 pts 2. Sebastian Segers (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) 3 1 2 4 3 (23 OCS) - 13 pts 3. Emma Carran (Glendowie Boating Club) 5 (12

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SRS) 3 3 4 4 - 19 pts P Class fleet (24 boats) 1. Hamish Brown (Wakatere Boating Club) 1 1 1 1 2 (4) - 6 pts 2. Nathan Soper (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 2 2 3 4 (5) 2 - 13 pts 3. Arthur Rebbeck (Wakatere Boating Club) 3 (6) 4 2 4 1 - 14 pts ILCA 4 fleet (5 boats) 1. Sebastian Corso-Fenelon (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) 3 1 1 1 (4) 4 - 10 pts 2. Joel Heslop (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) (2) 2 2 2 2 2 - 10 pts 3. Hermione Aris (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 4 (6 DNC) 6 DNC 6 DNC 1 1 - 18 pts ILCA 6 fleet (30 boats) 1. George Pilkington (RNZYS) 2 1 1 2 (5) 2 - 8 PTS 2. Louie Poletti (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 1 (3) 3 3 1 1 - 9 pts 3. Zach Stibbe (Otago Yacht Club) 4 2 2 1 4 (7) - 13 pts 29er fleet (13 boats) 1. Sean Kensington/Rowan Kensington (Kohimarama Yacht Club) 1 1 1 1 (14 DNC) 4 4 1 - 13 pts 2. Oli Stone/Marcel Van Der Vort (Kohimarama Yacht Club) 3 3 3 3 1 3 3 (4) - 19 pts 3. Lucy Leith/Chloe Turner (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 2 2 2 8 (14 DNC) 1 1 5 - 21 pts 420 fleet (7 boats) 1. Joe Leith/Josh Ferrissey (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 3 1 1 2 1 (8 DNC) - 8 pts 2. Cam Brown/Alex Norman (Wakatere Boating Club) 2 (3) 2 1 2 1 - 8 pts 3. Tessa Clinton/Nicola Hume (Wakatere Boating Club) 1 2 3 3 (8 DNC) 8 DNC - 17 pts RS Feva fleet (15 boats) 1. Tom Peters/Josh Dixon (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) 1 (2) 2 2 2 2 - 9 pts 2. Riley Hunter/Rori English (Northcote Birkenhead Yacht Club) 3 1 1 1 6 (8) - 12 pts 3. Gemma Hebberd/Gretel Satterthwaite (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 7 3 3 3 8 (10) - 24 pts Windfoil fleet (6 boards) 1. Stella Bilger (Wakatere Boating Club) (1) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - 7 pts 2. Vlad Misescu (Bay of Islands Yacht Club) 2 2 (3) 2 2 2 2 2 - 14 pts 3. Kosta Gladiadis (Manly Sailing Club) (3) 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 - 20 pts Full results here.

2024 NZ OK & EUROPE DINGHY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Napier Sailing Club November 25-26 OK Dinghy fleet (23 boats) 1. Steve McDowell (Worser Bay Boating Club) 1 2 (3) 1 1 1 1 1 - 8 pts 2. Mark Perrow (Waiuku Yacht Club) 2 1 2 2 5 2 2 (24DNC) - 16 pts 3. Gordon Sims (Wakatere Boating Club) 4 4 1 6 (10) 6 10 2 - 33 pts Europe Dinghy fleet (5 boats) 1. Antje Muller (Opua Cruising Club) (1) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - 8 pts 2. David Davies (Charteris Bay Yacht Club) 2 (4) 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 - 20 pts 3. Derek Brebner (Howick Sailing Club) (4) 2 3 2 4 3 4 3 3 - 24 pts Full results here.

AROUND THE REGIONS ILCA NORTH ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS Napier Sailing Club November 25-26 ILCA 4.7 fleet (3 boats) 1. Lukas Johnson (Takapuna Yacht and Powerboat Club) (3) 2 1 1 1 1 - 6 pts 2. Rick Spencer (Takapuna Yacht and Powerboat Club) 1 1 (4DNC) 4DNC 4DNC 4DNC - 14 pts 3. Gill Waiting (Napier Sailing Club) 2 (4DNC) 4DNC 4DNC 4DNC 4DNC - 18 pts ILCA 6 fleet (28 boats) 1. George Pilkington (RNZYS) 5 1 1 1 (7) 5 - 13 pts 2. Zach Stibbe (Otago Yacht Club) 2 2 5 2 2 (9) - 13 pts 3. Louie Poletti (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 1 3 6 4 1 (11) - 15 pts 4. Greta Pilkington (RNZYS) 4 5 2 (29DSQ) 3 1 - 15 pts ILCA 7 fleet (10 boats) 1. Dylan Forsyth (Waiheke Boating Club) (1) 1 1 1 1 1 - 5 pts 2. Andrew Dellabarca (Worser Bay Boating Club) (2) 2 2 2 2 2 - 10 pts 3. Rob Woodward (Worser Bay Boating Club) 3 3 3 4 4 (7) - 17 pts Full results here.

NAPIER SAILING CLUB SUMMER REGATTA Napier Sailing Club November 25-26 Paper Tiger fleet (4 boats) 1. Hayden Percy (Napier Sailing Club) 1 1 (2) 2 1 1 - 6 pts 2. Scott Pedersen (Napier Sailing Club) (2) 2 1 1 2 2 - 8 pts 3. Jane Thomassen (Evans Bay Yacht and Motorboat Club) 3 (5DNC) 5DNC 5DNC 5DNC 5DNC - 23 pts Full results here.

O’pen Skiff gold fleet (5 boats) 1. Elena Keall-Neches (Paremata Boating Club) 1 (3) 1 1 1 1 2 - 7 pts 2. Harry Jameson (Napier Sailing Club) (4) 1 2 3 3 2 1 - 12 pts 3. Lochie Faulknor (Napier Sailing Club) 3 (4) 3 2 2 3 3 - 16 pts O’pen Skiff silver fleet (3 boats) 1. Max Jameson (Napier Sailing Club) 1 1 1 1 1 (4RET) - 5 pts 2. Jewel Swinburn (Pupuke Boating Club) 3 2 (4DNS) 4DNC 4DNS 4DNC - 17 pts 3. Amy Summers (Paremata Boating Club) 2 3 (4RET) 4DNC 4DNS 4DNC - 17 pts Optimist open fleet (15 boats) 1. Ekhi de Jager (Napier Sailing Club) (2) 2 1 1 1 1 1 - 7 pts 2. Bej Lencek (Napier Sailing Club) 1 1 (4) 2 2 4 3 - 13 pts 3. Jamie Smith (Napier Sailing Club) 5 4 2 3 3 3 (6) 20 pts

7. Ula Chan (Napier Sailing Club) 9 7 7 5 4 (16DNC) 16DNC - 48 pts Optimist green fleet (7 boats) 1. Frankie Barker (Napier Sailing Club) 3 1 - 4 pts 2. Greyson Pentreath (Napier Sailing Club) 1 3 - 4 pts 3. Zachary Loader (Napier Sailing Club) 2 2 - 4pts Starling fleet (8 boats) 1. Jed Potbury (Napier Sailing Club) 1 (2) 1 2 2 1 1 - 8 pts 2. Tara Labat (Napier Sailing Club) 2 1 (3) 1 1 3 2 - 10 pts 3. Oscar Prescott (Napier Sailing Club) 3 (9OCS) 2 9OCS 3 2 3 - 22 pts Full results here.

NZ PIED PIPER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Milford Cruising Club November 25-26 1. Animal House (Tim Snedden) 1 1 1 2 1 2 3 1 1 (16DNS) - 13 pts 2. Woodstock (Kelcey Gager) 2 3 4 1 2 (9) 1 3 2 4 - 22 pts 3. Motamouse (Pierre Harrison) 3 2 3 (16OCS) 3 3 7 2 6 1 - 30 pts Full results here.

AUCKLAND A CLASS CATAMARAN CHAMPIONSHIPS Manly Sailing Club November 18-19 1. John Kennett (Wakatere Boating Club) 1 1 2 1 5 - 5 pts 2. Thomas Block (BOIYC) 2 2 1 2 - 7 pts 3. Brent Harsant (NZMYC) 3 4 5 3 - 15 pts Full results here.

TRIPLE CROWN SERIES Maraetai Sailing Club November 18-19 Windfoil 9m fleet (12 boards) 1. Josh Armit (Wakatere Boating Club) (6) (2) 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 - 8 pts 2. Huig Jan Tak (Ned) 1 1 3 (4) 2 2 1 (4) 4 - 14 pts 3. Eli Liefting (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) 2 (3) (4) 3 3 3 3 2 2 - 18 pts Windfoil 8m fleet (9 boards) 1. Aimee Bright (Manly Sailing Club) 1 1 1 (3) 2 1 1 1 1 (4) - 9pts 2. Stella Bilger (Wakatere Boating Club) 2 (4) 2 2 1 (3) 3 2 2 3 - 17 pts 3. Ben Rist (Manly Sailing Club) 3 (7) (8) 3 2 2 3 3 1 - 20 pts Windfoil silver fleet (7 boards) 1. Tim Wood (Takapuna Yacht and Powerboat Club) (2) 1 1 (2) 2 1 1 2 - 8 pts 2. Devan Pickmere (SSANZ) 1 (8DNC) (4) 3 1 2 2 1 - 10 pts 3. Fred Nolan (Maraetai Sailing Club) 3 4 2 1 3 3 (8DNC) (8DNC) - 16 pts

Wingfoil fleet (15 boards) 1. Sean Herbert (Manly Sailing Club) 1 (4) 2 (6) 3 1 1 3 - 11 pts 2. Lloyd Perratt (Wakatere Boating Club) 2 (3) 1 2 2 2 2 (4) - 11 pts 3. Jacob Pye (Manly Sailing Club) (3) 2 (3) 1 1 3 3 2 - 12 pts Full results here.

Manly Sailing Club October 14-15 Windfoil 9m fleet (5 boards) 1. Patrick Haybittle (Wakatere Boating Club) (1) (1) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - 8 pts 2. Blake Hinsley (Wakatere Boating Club) (3) 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 (4) - 19 pts 3. Charles Solly (Wakatere Boating Club) (4) (4) 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 3 - 27 pts Windfoil 8m fleet (10 boards) 1. Jack Parr (New Plymouth Yacht Club) 1 1 1 (3) 1 1 (3) 1 1 1 - 8 pts 2. Aimee Bright (Manly Sailing Club) (3) 2 3 1 2 2 1 2 2 (5) - 15 pts 3. Stella Bilger (Wakatere Boating Club) 2 (4) 2 2 3 3 2 3 (4) 2 - 19 pts Windfoil silver fleet (4 boards) 1. Tim Wood (Takapuna Yacht and Powerboat Club) 1 1 1 (2) (2) 1 1 2 2 1 - 10 pts 2. Devan Pickmere (SSANZ) 2 2 (3) (3) 1 3 2 1 1 2 - 14 pts 3. Stuart Warman (Maraetai Sailing Club) 3 3 2 1 3 2 (5DNC) (5DNC) 5DNC 5DNC - 24 pts Wingfoil fleet (27 boards) 1. Sean Herbert (Manly Sailing Club) 2 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 (5) (12) - 12 pts 2. Lloyd Perratt (Wakatere Boating Club) 3 2 2 2 (6) 3 3 (4) 3 1 - 19 pts 3. Jacob Pye (Manly Sailing Club) 4 3 (9) (14) 2 2 4 3 2 5 - 25 pts Full results here.

STARLING TRAVELLER SERIES Lake Taupo Yacht Club November 12 Starling fleet (20 boats) 1. Arran Begic (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 3 1 (6) 1 1 2 - 8 pts 2. Thomas Linklater (Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club) 1 2 1 4 (7) 4 - 12 pts 3. Leo Brown (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) 5 3 (11) 3 2 1 - 14 pts Sunburst fleet (8 boats) 1. Daryl Wislang/Theo Wislang (Worser Bay Boating Club) 2 1 (4) 3 1 - 7 pts 2. Scott Beavis/Poppy Beavis (Wakatere Boating Club) 1 2 3 1 (4) - 7 pts 3. Gemma Jones/Pearl Wislang (Worser Bay Boating Club) (5) 3 1 2 2 - 8 pts Zephyr fleet (32 boats) 1. Grant Beck (Wakatere Boating Club) 1 1 3 1 (6) 2

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HOME STRAIGHT - 8 pts 2. Greg Wright (Worser Bay Boating Club) 3 3 5 2 (7) 3 - 16 pts 3. Andrew Mikkelsen (Canterbury Yachting Association) (12) 2 1 4 8 4 - 19 pts 7. Amanda Hargreaves (Worser Bay Boating Club) 14 7 10 6 (18) 1 - 38 pts Full results here.

YOUNG 88 NORTHERN OWNERS CHAMPIONSHIPS Bucklands Beach Yacht Club November 11 Line results 1. Undercover (Mark Tapper, RNZYS) 00:51:13 2. Heartlight (Roger Sims, Glendowie Boating Club) 00:53:53 3. Paddy Wagon (Gary Fowler, Pine Harbour Cruising Club) 00:58:33 PHRF results 1. Heartlight (Roger Sims, Glendowie Boating Club) 00:39:17 2. Undercover (Mark Tapper, RNZYS) 00:40:22 3. Paddy Wagon (Gary Fowler, Pine Harbour Cruising Club) 00:43:16 Overall standings (line) 1. Dangerzone (Bell Thurston) (13OF) 2 1 1 1 - 5 pts 2. Undercover (Mark Tapper, RNZYS) 1 1 2 4 (130C) - 8 pts 3. War Machine (Mike Leyland, RNZYS) (130F) 3 5 5 3 - 16 pts Overall standings (PHRF) 1. Paddy Wagon (Gary Fowler, Pine Harbour Cruising Club) 3 (7) 1 1 4 - 9 pts 2. Undercover (Mark Tapper, RNZYS) 2 2 4 7 (13OC) - 15 pts 3. Babe (Gavin Haslip, Bucklands Beach Yacht Club) (130F) 8 2 2.5 5 - 17.5 pts Full results here.

NZ WOMEN’S MATCH RACING CHAMPIONSHIPS Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron November 9-12 1. Megan Thomson 2. Ella Arnold 3. Liv Mackay 4. Chelsea Williams 5. Brooke Adamson 6. Claudia Pierce 7. Daniella Woolridge Full results here.

OPTIMIST NORTH ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS Napier Sailing Club November 4-5 Optimist open fleet (41 boats) 1. Matteo Barker (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 1 (4) 4 2 2 2 - 11 pts 2. Tony Li (Kohimarama Yacht Club) 2 1 5 (11) 3 11 - 22 pts 3. Callum Hyde (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 10 (14) 1 3 9 3 - 26 pts 5. Charlotte Handley (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 15 3 3 1 7 (16) - 29 pts Optimist green fleet (21 boats) 1. Will Handley (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 1 1 1 3 1 (5) - 7 pts 2. Jessica Lee (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) (16) 3 2 1 2 1 - 9 pts 3. Leo Wills (Howick Sailing Club) 3 2 3 (5) 3 3 - 14 pts Starling open fleet (13 boats) 1. Arran Begic (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) (4) 2 4 1 2 1 - 10 pts 2. Leo Brown (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) 2 3 1 3 1 (4) - 10 pts 3. Louis Quere (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) (5) 1 2 2 3 2 - 10 pts 5. Tara Labat (Napier Sailing Club) 1 6 6 6 (7) 5 - 24 pts Full results here.

FUN FRENZY Bay of Islands Yacht Club November 4

RS Feva fleet (8 boats) 1. Dave Ferris/Cameron Ferris (BOIYC) (1) 1 1 1 1 - 4 pts 2. Sol Douwes/Patrick Kell (BOIYC) (3) 2 3 3 2 - 10 pts 3. Storm Douwes/Morgan Batt (BOIYC) 2 3 (4) 2 3 - 10 pts Cherub fleet (11 boats) 1. Hugo Davies/Ray Davies (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) (2) 1 1 1 1 - 4 pts 2. Mike Sanderson/Merrick Sanderson (Onerahi Yacht Club) 1 2 (5) 2 3 - 8 pts 3. Brad Marsh/Tyler Marsh (Sandspit Yacht Club) 3 3 2 (12RET) 2 - 10 pts Full results here.

O’PEN SKIFF NORTH ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIP Plimmerton Boating Club November 3-5 Gold fleet (12 boats) 1. Ewan Brazle (Manly Sailing Club) 1 1 1 1 1 (3) 1 1 (3) 3 - 10 pts 2. Corrado Dorrington (Mordialloc Sailing Club) (4) 2 2 2 2 1 2 (4) 2 2 - 15 pts 3. Oliver Tiedemann (Manly Sailing Club) (5) (5) 3 3 4 2 4 3 1 1 - 21 pts Silver fleet (4 boats) 1. Molly Percy (Plimmerton Boating Club) (1) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 (2) 1 - 8 pts 2. Max Jameson (Napier Sailing Club) (2) (2) 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 - 15 pts 3. Matthew McCarthy (Paremata Boating Club) 3 (5DNC) (5DNC) 5DNC 5DNC 5DNC 5DNC 5DNC 5DNC 5DNC - 38 pts Development fleet (14 boats) 1. Max McDonald (Plimmerton Boating Club) 3 5 1 (6) 3 3 3 2 3 (6) 1 5 - 29 pts 2. Anna van den Dijssel (Manawatu Marine Boating Club) 1 3 2 5 1 2 4 5 (7) (7) 4 3 - 30 pts 3. Dermott Davidson (Paremata Boating Club) 5 1 4 4 5 (6) 1 3 5 (8) 3 1 - 32 pts NZ NATIONAL MATCH RACING CHAMPIONSHIPS Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron October 25-29 1. Nick Egnot-Johnson (NZ) 2. Cole Tapper (Aus) 3. Jack Frewin (NZ) 4. Tom Picot (Fra) 5. Kevin Le Dreau (Fra) 6. Keiley Thompson (NZ) Full results here.

PIC COASTAL CLASSIC New Zealand Multihull Yacht Club October 20 Line results (all boats) 1. Wired (Rob Bassett, RNZYS, D1a) 09:22:38 2. Apache (Erle Williams, NZMYC, D6) 09:25:58 3. Mayhem (Harry Dodson/Tony Bosnyak, RNZYS, D1a) 09:32:24 4. Clockwork (Steve Mair, RNZYS, D1b) 09:39:13 5. Sassinate (Mikayla Plaw, Royal Akarana Yacht Club, D1b) 09:52:44 6. Lucifer (Ed Ayre, NZMYC, D7) 10:36:34 7. Kotuku (Peter Geary, NZMYC, D6) 10:51:57 8. Menace (Howard Spencer, Royal Akarana Yacht Club, D1b) 11:01:03 9. Exodus (David Haylock, Waiheke Boating Club, D7) 11:04:10 10. Mr Kite II (Nathan Williams, RNZYS, D1b) 11:08:55 Full results here.

NZ TRAILER YACHT ASSOCIATION NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Timaru Yacht and Powerboat Club October 20-23 Division A (12 boats) 1. Chaos (Richard Hawkins, Port Chalmers Yacht Club) (2) 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 - 10 pts 2. Ricky Bobby (Daniel Blain, Marakura Yacht Club) 3 2 (13DNS) 5 1 3 2 4 - 33 pts 3. Ghost Train (Tristin Ornsby, Naval Point Club Lyttelton) 1 3 2 (6) 3 2 3 7SCP - 27 pts

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Division B (7 boats) 1. Outnumbered (Nick Coultas, Naval Point Club Lyttelton) (8DNS) 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 - 17 pts 2. Retro (Carla Bennett, Queen Charlotte Yacht Club) (2) 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 - 14 pts 3. Acquisition (John Begg, Naval Point Club Lyttelton) 1 (4) 3 3 3 4 4 3 - 25 pts Division C (6 boats) 1. Cannon Ball (Dan Meehan, Cannon Ball, Naval Point Club Lyttelton) 1 1 1 1 1 1 (3) 3 - 12 pts 2. Born Free (Thomas Olds, Murrays Bay Sailing Club) (5) 4 4 2 2 3 2 1 - 23 pts 3. Challenger (Richard Albernethy, Marakura Yacht Club) 3 2 (5) 5 4 2 1 6 - 28 pts TRUST AORAKI AVIEMORE CLASSIC Overall results (33 boats) 1. Born Free (Thomas Olds, Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 02:54:30 2. Piracy (Vince Williams, Naval Point Club Lyttelton) 02:59:03 3. Cannon Ball (Dan Meehan, Naval Point Club Lyttelton) 02:59:45 Full results.

SOUTH ISLAND MASTERS GAMES Queen Charlotte Yacht Club October 14-15 Zephyr fleet (9 boats) 1. Carla Bennett (Queen Charlotte Yacht Club) 3 1 - 4 pts 2. Graeme Henry (Nelson Yacht Club) 1 3 - 4 pts 3. Chris Hargreaves 4 2 - 6 pts STARLING NORTH ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS New Plymouth Yacht Club October 14-15 Open fleet (24 boats) 1. Louis Quere (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) 1 1 5 6 (25OCS) 2 1 - 16 pts 2. Finn Olson (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 3 6 1 3 2 (7) 2 - 17 pts 3. Toby Dunn (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 4 2 2 (5) 3 3 3 - 17 pts Full results here.

STACK WINTER CHAMPIONSHIPS Murrays Bay Sailing Club October 7-8 29er fleet (6 boats) 1. Tom Pilkington (RNZYS)/Josh Hilder (Kohimarama Yacht Club) 1 (2) 1 1 2 1 - 6 pts 2. Oli Stone/Marcel van der Voort (Kohimarama Yacht Club) (3) 3 2 2 1 2 - 10 pts 3. Isla Barker (Murrays Bay Yacht Club)/Lizzie Shapland (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) 4 1 (5) 4 4 3 - 16 pts ILCA 6 fleet (11 boats) 1. Sophia Morgan (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) 1 1 2 (7) 1 - 5 pts 2. Greta Pilkington (RNZYS) (2) 2 1 1 2 - 6 pts 3. George Pilkington (RNZYS) (6) 3 3 4 3 - 13 pts RS Feva fleet (4 boats) 1. Anna Dold/Lola-Jean Hutchens (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) 1 1 1 1 (5DNF) 1 - 5 pts 2. Vivienne Gubani/Juliet White (Wakatere Boating Club) 2 2 2 2 (5DNF) 2 - 10 pts 3. Tara Murphy/Alina Wu (Milford Cruising Club) 3 3 3 3 (5DNF) 3 - 15 pts O’pen Skiff fleet (9 boats) 1. Ewan Brazle (Manly Sailing Club) 2 1 1 1 (3) 1 - 6 pts 2. Oliver Tiedemann (Manly Sailing Club) 1 (3) 3 2 1 2 - 9 pts 3. Joseph Reynolds (Manly Sailing Club) (5) 2 2 5 4 4 - 17 pts 5. Valentina Gladiadis (Manly Sailing Club) 4 4 (5) 4 5 3 - 20 pts Optimist open fleet (9 boats) 1. Matteo Barker (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 4 (6) 2 2 1 4 - 13 pts 2. Callum Hyde (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 2 (12) 8 1 4 2 - 17 pts 3. Ekhi de Jager (Napier Sailing Club) 8 3 (10) 6 2 1 - 20 pts 8. Greta Hutton (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 5 7 3 (8) 8 8 - 31 pts

AROUND THE REGIONS Optimist green fleet (9 boats) 1. Will Handley (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 1 1 4 (5) 1 - 7 pts 2. Josh Higgins (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 3 4 2 2 (7) - 11 pts 3. Aurora Edhouse (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 2 6 1 3 (8) - 12 pts P Class fleet (12 boats) 1. Hamish Brown (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 3 1 1 1 (4) 2 - 8 pts 2. Arthur Rebbeck (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 2 (5) 2 2 3 1 - 10 pts 3. Hugo Smith (Wakatere Boating Club) (5) 2 3 4 1 3 - 13 pts 6. Amber Hughes (Glendowie Boating Club) 1 4 6 5 10 (13OCS) - 26 pts Starling fleet (27 boats) 1. Isaac Gaites (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 2 1 4 6 (28OCS) 2 - 15 pts 2. Amelia Higson (Kohimarama Yacht Club) 4 2 7 2 1 (9) - 16 pts 3. Louis Quere (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) 5 3 1 9 (28OCS) 3 - 21 pts Starling development fleet (7 boats) 1. Freddie Knights (Torbay Sailing Club) 2 1 (3) 1

1 - 5 pts 2. Emma Carran (Glendowie Boating Club) 1 2 1 (3) 3 - 7 pts 3. Martina Beavis (Wakatere Boating Club) 4 3 2 2 (6) - 11 pts Waszp fleet (5 boats) 1. Tim Howse (Kohimarama Yacht Club) 1 1 1 - 3 pts 2. Ben Tapper (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 2 4 2 - 8 pts 3. Helena Sanderson (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 3 3 3 - 9 pts Windfoil fleet (10 boards) 1. Veerle ten Have (Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club) 1 1 2 - 4 pts 2. Ben Rist (Manly Sailing Club) 3 5 1 - 9 pts 3. Aimee Bright (Manly Sailing Club) 2 3 4 - 9 pts Full results here.

NZ YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS/YOUTH TRIALS Murrays Bay Sailing Club September 29-October 2 29er fleet (15 boats) 1. Sean Kensington/Rowan Kensington (Kohimarama Yacht Club) (2) 2 1 1 1 1 - 6 points 2. Will Leech (Charteris Bay Yacht Club)/Tim Howse (Kohimarama Yacht Club) 1 1 2 2 (16DSQ) 2 - 8 pts

3. Lucy Leith/Chloe Turner (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) (6) 3 3 6 3 5 - 20 pts 420 fleet (8 boats) 1. Joe Leith/Josh Ferrissey (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 2 1 1 (3) 1 - 5 pts 2. Tessa Clinton/Nicola Hume (Wakatere Boating Club) 1 3 (4) 2 2 - 8 pts 3. Cameron Brown/ Alex Norman (Wakatere Boating Club) 3 (5) 3 1 3 - 10 pts ILCA 6 (20 boats) 1. George Pilkington (RNZYS) 1 (4) 1 1 1 - 4 pts 2. Zach Stibbe (Otago Yacht Club) (2) 1 2 2 2 - 7 pts 3. Louie Poletti (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 3 2 (21UFD) 5 4 - 14 pts 6. Naiomi Ferrissey (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 6 5 6 6 (8) - 23 pts Windfoil 8m fleet (8 boards) 1. Jack Parr (New Plymouth Yacht Club) 1 1 1 (2) 2 1 - 6 pts 2. Aimee Bright (Manly Sailing Club) 2 2 2 1 1 (5) - 8 pts 3. Stella Bilger (Manly Sailing Club) 3 (5) 4 4 3 2 - 16 pts Full results here.

INTERNATIONAL WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR Shenzhen-Baoan Final Shenzhen, China December 13-17 Final standings 1. Ian Williams (GBR) 2. Gavin Brady (USA) 3. Megan Thomson (NZ) 4. Johnie Berntsson (Swe) 5. Björn Hansen (Swe) 6. Eric Monnin (Sui) 7. Nick Egnot-Johnson (NZ) 8. Chris Poole (USA) 9. Jeppe Borch (Den) 10. Rocco Attili (Ita) 11. Ruairi Finnegan (Ire) 12. Mati Sepp (Est) Full results here.

BERMUDA GOLD CUP Hamilton, Bermuda October 2-7 Final standings 1. Johnie Berntsson (Swe) 2. Taylor Canfield (USA) 3. Ian Williams (GBR) 4. Harry Price (Aus) 5. Eric Monnin (Sui) 6. Gavin Brady (USA) 7. Jeppe Borch (Den) 8. Nick Egnot-Johnson (NZ) 9. Anna Östling (Swe) 10. Chris Poole (USA) 11. Pauline Courtois (Fra) 12. David Hood (USA) 13. Jeffrey Petersen (USA) 14. Celia Willison (NZ) 15. Peter Holz (USA) 16. Joshua Greenslade (Ber) Full results here.

INTERNATIONAL WASZP GAMES December 10-15 Sorrento, Australia Overall (91 boats) 1. Sam Street (NZ) 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 (10) (7) 2 - 11 pts 2. Magnus Overbeck (Den) (6) 4 4 4 (5) 3 2 4 1 1 - 23 pts 3. Hippolyte Gruet (Fra) 8 3 6 2 1 2 5 9 (12) (27) - 36 pts 4. Tim Howse (NZ) 5 (7) 5 (8) 6 7 6 5 5 5 - 44 pts 15. Noah Malpot (NZ) 13 (27) 25 14 12 13 13 (29) 24 13 - 127 pts 20. Jasper Camenzind (NZ) (33) (33) 21 27 19 10 11

15 15 26 - 144 pts 29. Ben Tapper (NZ) 20 38 (59) 21 24 40 37 (93UFD) 18 35 - 233 pts 32. Dave Shaw (NZ) 22 35 41 19 35 32 33 30 (47) (45) - 247 pts 33. Peter Graham (NZ) 38 39 12 36 39 (93UFD) 32 (47) 29 24 - 249 pts 34. George Wills (NZ) 36 32 33 22 (61) 36 (48) 44 14 32 - 249 pts 37. Helena Sanderson (NZ) 29 37 (93RET) (93DNC) 26 33 26 46 32 30 - 259 pts Full results here.

SAIL SYDNEY Sydney, Australia December 9-15 Men’s kitefoil fleet (16 boards) 1. Denis Taradin (Cyp) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 (17DNC) 1 1 1 (2) (2) 2 - 13 pts 2. Lukas Walton-Keim (NZ) 2 2 (13) (4) 2 2 2 3 1 2 2 2 (17DNC) 3 4 - 27 pts 3. Hector Paturau (Aus) 3 4 2 3 3 3 3 2 2 3 3 (5) (6) (17TLE) 6 - 37 pts 6. Lochy Naismith (NZ) 7 6 6 6 8 6 (13) 6 5 7 4 6 (9) (17TLE) 12 - 79 pts Women’s ILCA 6 (14 boats) 1. Elyse Ainsworth (Aus) 3 1 1 2 (11) 1 2 4 1 2 2 - 19 pts 2. Casey Imeneo (Aus) 2 2 (8) 1 2 3 3 2 6 3 4 - 28 pts 3. Zoe Thomson (Aus) 1 (8) 2 5 1 2 1 1 2 1 18 - 34 pts 6. Greta Pilkington (NZ) (11) 10 3 3 7 6 7 3 8 6 8 - 61 pts Mixed 470 (10 boats) 1.Giacomo Ferrari/Alessandra Dubbini (Ita) 1 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 (5) 4 6 - 22 pts 2. Nia Jerwood/Conor Nicholas (Aus) 2 1 1 (3) 2 3 1 1 1 1 12 - 25 pts 3. Ashlee Daunt/Brayden Daunt (Aus) 5 (11UFD) 6 2 7 2 4 3 3 5 8 - 45 pts 5. Brittany Wornall/Blake McGlashan (NZ) (11UFD) 3 5 9 6 7 6 6 2 8 2 - 54 pts 7. Derek Scott/Rebecca Hume (NZ) 6 (11UFD) 3 4 5 4 3 4 9 2 18 - 58 pts Full results here.

YOUTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Armação dos Búzios, Brazil December 8-16 Boys windfoil (32 boards) 1. Stanislaw Trepczynski (Pol) (5) 1 1 3 2 4 (11) 4 1 1 1 1 1 (24) 3 1 1 1 - 26 pts 2. Leonardo Tomasini (Ita) 3 3 3 1 1 1 3 2 3 (5) 1 5 2 (9) 4 3 (7) 5 - 40 pts

3. Noé Garandeau (Fra) 2 1 1 (9) 3 8 1 (9) 3 (35BFD) 3 3 9 2 9 7 3 6 - 61 pts 28. Ben Rist (NZ) 11 23 17 (29) 23 27 28 26 27 25 25 27 28 (29) (33DNC) 28 29 27 - 371 pts Girls windfoil (21 boards) 1. Kristyna Pinosova (Cze) 3 (8) 2 2 (9) 2 7 4 3 7 8 2 3 2 (10) 2 2 2 - 51 pts 2. Lina Erzen (Slo) (22DSQ) 2 (12) 10 4 4 5 9 (13) 4 6 11 2 1 1 4 3 1 - 67 pts 3. Darcey Shaw (GBR) 8STP 5 1 9 (22RET) (22UFD) 3 (22UFD) 2 3 2 3 6 5 4 3 7 7- 68 pts 11. Aimee Bright (NZ) 8 (13) (13) 13 5 1 4 7 4 11 5 (16) 8 12 7 11 9 8 - 113 pts Boys kitefoil (19 boards) 1. Max Maeder (Sgp) (1) (1) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 (13) - 11 pts 2. Qibin Huang (Chn) (3) (4) 2 2 (3) 3 2 2 2 2 3STP 2 2 1 - 23 pts 3. Riccardo Pianosi (Ita) 2 2 4 5 2 2 3 3 3 3 (20DSQ) (20DNC) (6) 5 - 34 pts 12. Hugo Wigglesworth (NZ) (13) 10 9 10 11 (12) 10 8 11 (13) 11 11 12 10 - 113 pts Boys ILCA 6 (48 boats) 1. Mattia Cesana (Ita) 18 1 (24) 2 1 6 11 3 3 - 45 pts 2. Luka Zabukovec (Slo) (49BFD) 4 21 1 18 4 1 7 4 - 60 pts 3. Joao Pontes (Por) 2 21 22 6 (28) 1 8 2 1 - 63 pts 20. George Pilkington (NZ) 22 13 9 (37) 25 9 30 20 19 - 147 pts Girls ILCA 6 (45 boats) 1. Roos Wind (Ned) (46BFD) 3 1 7 17 1 1 1 1 - 32 pts 2. Emma Mattivi (Ita) 1 8 (11) 1 6 6 4 7 3 - 36 pts 3. Sienna Wright (Irl) 5 2 7 5 8 3 5 (10) 2 - 37 pts 13. Naiomi Ferrissey (NZ) 13 (26) 3 3 25 10 14 15 14 - 97 pts Boys 29er (30 boats) 1. Hugo Revil/Karl Devaux (Fra) 5 1 1 1 (11) 5 1 4 2 2 6 1 - 29 pts 2. Alex Demurtas/Giovanni Santi (Ita) (12) 9 10 2 2 2 7 1 1 6 2 3 - 45 pts 3. Ben O’Shaughnessy/Ethan Spain (Irl) 10 10 5 12 9 7 11 (16) 7 4 5 9 - 89 pts 13. Sean Kensington/Rowan Kensington (NZ) 25 15 25 5 7 16 (31BFD) 7 11 12 7 11 - 141 pts Girls 29er (25 boats) 1. Ewa Lewandowska/Julia Maria Zmudzinska (Pol) 1 1 1 1 1 4STP 2 (8) 2 4 4 - 21 pts 2. Sarah Jannin/Fleur Babin (Fra) (8) 4 4 2 3 8 1 6 1 1 1 - 31 pts 3. Boróka Feher/Szonja Feher (Hun) (26BFD) 2 9 7 6 5 4 3 9 15 8 - 68 pts 18. Lucy Leith/Chloe Turner (NZ) 18 12 17 12 19 12 16 (26DNF) 21 3 10 - 140 pts Boys 420 (24 boats)

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HOME STRAIGHT 1. Quan Cardi/Mattia Tognocchi (Ita) 1 (4) 3 4 1 3 2 4 - 18 pts 2. Zou Schemmel/Jean-Philippe Boudard (Fra) (25BFD) 1 1 6 5 10 3 1 - 27 pts 3. Miguel Angel Morales Hernandez/Alejandro Martin (Esp) 2 6 4 11 3STP 8 6 (13) - 40 pts 5. Joe Leith/Josh Ferrissey (NZ) 3 11 (15) 3 13 2 11 5 - 48 pts Girls 420 (21 boats) 1. Joana Gonc/Gabriela Vassel (Bra) 16 11 1 1 1 2 4 (5) 1 1 - 11 pts 2. Maayan Shemesh/Emilie Sdot-Yam 5 6 4 3 2 6 7 (8) - 33 pts 3. Kerkezou Iakovina/Giannouli Danai 3 2 9 (22DSQ) 6 4 5 6 - 35 pts 15. Tessa Clinton/Nicola Hume (NZ) 13 (16) 3STP 15 16 15 10 7 - 79 pts Full results here.

SAIL MELBOURNE Melbourne, Australia November 30-December 3 ILCA 6 fleet (36 boats) 1. Mara Stransky (Aus) 1 (4) 1 1 1 2 1 1 - 8 pts 2. Casey Imeneo (Aus) (4) 3 4 3 2 1 2 2 - 17 pts 3. Elyse Ainsworth (Aus) 3 2 2 2 3 4 (37BFD) 4 - 20 pts 6. Greta Pilkington (NZ) 6 6 6 (7) 7 5 3 6 - 39 pts ILCA 7 fleet (32 boats) 1. Matt Wearn (Aus) 1 2 2 4 3 2 2 (6) - 16 pts 2. Finn Alexander (Aus) 2 4 4 5 4 1 3 (8) - 23 pts 3. Ethan McAullay (Aus) 6 3 (8) 1 1 4 8 4 - 27 pts 4. George Gautrey (NZ) (8) 1 6 7 6 6 1 4 - 31 pts 6. Tom Saunders (NZ) 7 5 1 3 5 5 (9) 9 - 35 pts Mixed 470 (11 boats) 1. Nia Jerwood/Conor Nicholas (Aus) 1 1 1 (12OCS) 2 2 7 1 - 15 pts 2. Giacomo Ferrari/Alessandra Dubbini (Ita) 2 2 3 1 1 1 (6) 5 - 15 pts 3. Axel Fleet/Jamie Randall (Aus) (5) 3 2 2 3 4 2 4 - 20 pts 4. Derek Scott/Rebecca Hume (NZ) 4 4 (7) 3 4 3 5 3 - 26 pts 10. Lily Richardson/Blake McGlashan (NZ) 3 10 6 (12OCS) 12DNC 12DNC 12DNC 12DNC - 67 pts Full results here.

49ER, 49ERFX AND NACRA 17 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP Vilamoura, Portugal November 8-13 49er fleet (91 boats) 1. Lucas Rual/Emile Amoros (Fra) 3 2 11 (17) 10 9 2 4.3 2.3 5 8 2 - 68.6 pts 2. Dominik Buksak/Szymon Wierzbicki (Pol) 6 5 6 5 4 12 3 4 (15) 11 3 10 - 69 pts 3. Isaac McHardie/Will McKenzie (NZ) 1 19 4 1 6 6 17 1 8 8 1 (20) - 72 pts 11. Logan Dunning Beck/Oscar Gunn (NZ) 16 9 1 (17) 1 14 8 8 14 12 11 7 - 101 pts

Tom Saunders (left) and Matt Wearn during Sail Melbourne. Photo: Sail Melbourne 40. Sam Morgan/Pat Morgan (NZ) 9 20 22 18 13 11 (23) 20 6 4 - 123 pts 42. Seb Menzies/George Lee Rush (NZ) 3 23 17 23 7 20 13 (28) 15 5 - 126 pts 49erFX fleet (55 boats) 1. Helene Naess/Marie Ronningen (Nor) 3 4 2 5 4 7 7 1 (24) 7 8 3 7 - 58 pts 2. Jana Germani/Giorgia Bertuzzi (Ita) 1 1 6 4 3 3 5 2 (20) 19 15 4 3 - 66 pts 3. Támara Echegoyen/Paula Barcelo (Esp) 12 5 6 1 1 4 12 (17) 7 2 13 5 12 - 80 pts 34. Jo Aleh/Molly Meech (NZ) 22 23 10 8 9 21 6 21 17 2 (31) - 139 pts Nacra 17 fleet (38 boats) 1. John Gimson/Anna Burnet (GBR) 1 13 2 1 9 8 1 (14) 1 1 2 1 1 - 41 pts 2. Ruggero Tita/Caterina Banti (Ita) 6 (9) 3 6 1 1 6 1 4 8 3 2 8 - 49 pts 3. Gianluigi Ugolini/Maria Giubilei (Ita) 2 4 1 7 3 2 2 6 2 (14) 6 4 13 - 52 pts 5. Micah Wilkinson/Erica Dawson (NZ) 10 8 5 5 15 12 10 10 19 15 4 5 (28) - 118 pts Full results here.

WINGFOIL RACING WORLD CUP Cagliari, Italy October 17-22 Gold fleet (14 boards) 1. Mathis Ghio (Fra) 1 1 1 1 (2) 1 1 1 1 1 (13) 4 1 1 3 (8) 1 - 19 pts 2. Julien Ratotti (Fra) 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 1 1 (8) 2 (15BFD) 2 2 7 2 (9) 5 3 2 - 28.2 pts 3. Francesco Cappuzzo (Ita) 1.3 1.3 0.7 0.7 1 (4) 3 1 1 1 (11) (14) 11 3 2 4 3 - 34 pts 4. Josh Armit (NZ) 2.3 2.3 3.7 3.7 4 3 1 1 (15BFD) 1 1 (11) 3 7 (8) 1 4 - 38 pts 13. Jeremiah Mcdonald (NZ) 5.3 5.3 6.3 6.3 4 4 3 5 6 (8) 3 (12) (12) 8 11 6 12 - 85.2 pts

Full results here.

ILCA UNDER-21 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Tangier, Morocco October 15-22 ILCA 7 fleet (115 boats) 1. Finley Dickinson (GBR) 4 7 1 1 7 4 10 4 1 (45) 1 40 pts 2. Oskar Madonich (Ukr) 13 2 16 4 1 6 4 2 2 6 (18) 56 pts 3. Caleb Armit (NZ) 11 9 4 9 3 14 (30) 3 14 5 13 - 85 pts ILCA 6 fleet (66 boats) 1. Eve McMahon (Irl) 13 1 9 5 1 1 2 9 5 (35) 8 - 54 pts 2. Anja von Allmen (Sui) 17 3 7 7 2 6 5 10 7 (31) 4 - 68 pts 3. Carlotta Rizzardi (Ita) 14 2 25 9 5 3 1 1 (28) 4 17 81 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 Ulrikkehom (Den) 4. Kristine Mauritzen (Den) 5. Julia Aartsen (Ned) 6. Celia Willison (NZ) 7. Juliet Constanzo (Aus) 8. Brook Wilson (Aus) Overall standings 1. Anna Östling (Swe) 2. Celia Willison (NZ) 3. Megan Thomson (NZ) Full results and standings here.

MAKING GOOD THINGS EMPOWERING HAPPEN IN YOUR COMMUNITY ACTIVE COMMUNITIES NZCTisisone one of New largest NZCT of the largestZealand’s gaming societies in

gaming societies amongst New Zealand and the and country’s biggestthe funder

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development and socialpeople cohesion.

NZCT is committed to helping achieve their NZCT encourages to get we best, and by supportingeveryone sports competitions, involved in sport astoawork participant, hope Kiwis are inspired hard, reach for their goals and organiser, orexcel. ‘side-line’ supporter.

68 | YACHTING & BOATING QUARTERLY | DECEMBER 2023

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BOAT PARK

SAVE THE DATE P Class Tanner Cup Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club January 3-5

Starling national championships Charteris Bay Yacht Club February 2-6

Interislander Regatta Queen Charlotte Yacht Club February 23-25

P Class Tauranga Cup Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club January 6-9

Noelex 25 national championships Lake Taupō Yacht Club February 2-5

Tornado national championships Clarks Beach Yacht Club February 23-25

NZ international Moth national championships Manly Sailing Club January 11-14

Zephyr national championships Naval Point Club Lyttelton February 2-6

Hansa 303 national championships BOP Trailer Yacht Squadron February 23-25

Waikawa New Year Regatta Waikawa Boating Club January 12-14

Flying Dutchman national championships Takapuna Boating Club February 3-5

420 South Island championships Naval Point Club Lyttelton February 24-25

Whakatu Regatta Nelson Yacht Club January 12-14

470 national championships Takapuna Boating Club February 3-5

A Class Catamaran national championships Nelson Yacht Club February 24-27

ILCA national championships Napier Sailing Club January 17-21

Wanaka Yacht Club Summer Regatta Wanaka Yacht Club February 3-4

420 national championships Naval Point Club Lyttelton March 7-10

Paper Tiger national championships Muritai Yacht Club January 17-20

Ross 780 national championships Port Chalmers Yacht Club February 3-5

Elliott 5.9 national championships Onerahi Yacht Club March 7-9

Windfoil/wingfoil Triple Crown series Wakatere Boating Club January 20-21

Noelex 22 national championships Port Chalmers Yacht Club February 3-6

Harbour Classic March 8-9

Nelson Regatta Tasman Bay Cruising Club January 19-23

Flying Fifteen national championships Wanaka Yacht Club February 9-11

NZ Moth Canterbury championships Stewarts Gully Sailing Club January 20-21

Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta Torbay Sailing Club February 10-11

Zephyr Canterbury championships Naval Point Club Lyttelton January 20-21 Bay of Islands Sailing Week January 23-26

Hartley 16 national championships Waiuku Yacht Club February 10-12 Zephyr

Sunburst national championships Worser Bay Boating Club January 26-29

Tauranga Regatta Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club February 17-18

Starling Canterbury championships Naval Point Club Lyttelton January 27-28

Foil Bay of Islands Bay of Islands Yacht Club February 22-25

Lake Mahinapua Regatta Lake Mahinapua Aquatic Club January 27-28

Windfoil national championships Bay of Islands Yacht Club February 22-25

Optimist & Starling Auckland championships Royal Akarana Yacht Club January 27-29

R Class Skiff national championships Naval Point Club Lyttelton February 22-25

Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta January 29

PredictWind Girls Regatta Kohimarama Yacht Club March 9-10 Young 88 national championships March 15-17

Pigeon Bay Old Salts Regatta Pigeon Bay Boating Club February 10

Finn national championships Naval Point Club Lyttelton February 22-24

Gulf Classic Waikato Yacht Squadron March 9-10

Women on Water Weekend Gulf Harbour Yacht Club March 15-17

Girls Regatta

J14, 3.7 & Cherub national championships Bay of Islands Yacht Club March 15-17 Wellington Centreboard Regatta Plimmerton Boating Club March 16-17 Waszp national championships Takapuna Boating Club March 16-18 Optimist national championships Queen Charlotte Yacht Club March 28-31

Waszp

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