RNZYS Events

From the Sailing Office

Now the AC is out of the way we can turn our focus back to the RNZYS Club Racing, with plenty happening over the last part of the season.

The annual Colin Forbes Easter Rally to Kawau was yet another success, a true testament to the time and passion put in by the dedicated Cruising Committee. The Coast Etchell National Championships had to be postponed for the second year in a row, this time due to 30 knot winds on Saturday and 0-3 knots on Sunday – talk about one extreme to the next.

The Harken Young 88 Nationals saw 15 entries and the return of Dean Barker to the fleet, skippering Danger Zone, which took the win over Waka Huia in 2nd. The Barfoot & Thompson Women’s Keelboat Nationals saw Karleen Dixon defend her title by 1pt over Melinda Henshaw, and in the Theland Open Keelboat National Championships, Nick EgnotJohnson rectified his 6th place performance in 2020 by winning in a star-studded field, over Thomas Saunders in 2nd and Chris Steele 3rd.

The Doyle Sails Winter Series kicked off well this year with 100 boats and 500 free bacon butties delivered on the morning of the first race, followed by 200 free beers back at the club, all sponsored by Doyle Sails and PIC Insurance. The RNZYS is also giving away the lease on a Jeep Compass. One name is drawn out on each race day to go in the draw to drive away in the Jeep at the end of the season.

We have just hosted our first rules and tactics evening, which was attended by over 100 people – a great turnout. The next one, on the 6th of July, will focus on boat speed and distance racing. This is a great way to get your crew together to enjoy an RNZYS curry and upskill over the winter.

This year, the RNZYS annual prizegiving changed slightly to the Summer Series Prizegiving, which was sold out for the first time and was a great night out for all involved.

We have the RNZYS Sailors’ Forum on the 11th of August. The forum invites all sailors to provide feedback to the club on any changes they would like to see in the upcoming season. Keep an eye out for more details as we get closer to the date.

The Three Kings Race is an exciting event this year as part of the RNZYS 150th year celebrations, a 490nm race around the Three King’s islands off the North Island. This is a great chance to experience some long-distance racing to a place not many people venture.

Megan Thomson has stepped into Rochelle’s role as the RNZYS Race Manager. Most of you will already know Megan from her time here as the Sailing Office Assistant. Megan is a Youth Training Programme graduate and RNZYS Performance Programme member. She is a very active sailor at the RNZYS, trimming on Aaron Young’s Checkmate and skippering a team in the Barfoot & Thompson Women’s Series.

Looking forward to an exciting 2021 and 22 season.

Laurie Jury, Sailing Director

A.J. Reid’s Anarchy won the CBRE Auckland Regatta Andrew Delves Photo