From the CEO

GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE SUPPORT OF

MAJOR PARTNERS

SUPPORTERS

MASTERCARD YOUTH TRAINING PROGRAMME SPONSORS

RNZYS PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME SPONSORS

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CORPORATE MEMBERS

FROM THE COMMODORE

I write my final Breeze article as Commodore having just sailed in the Doyle Winter Series that saw nearly 100 boats on the water on a calm and fine winter day. Winter sailing can often be varied and extreme in conditions, much like what we have seen at the club over the past two years.

The club held the final event of its 150th year with the Gala and what a spectacular and memorable evening it was – probably one of the largest event we have ever held. Thanks to the volunteers and staff who made this event reality after years of planning.

Judging by the feedback we have received, a great evening was had by all. To see so many members present, enjoying all the different themed areas of the club was really satisfying, proving there is something for everyone at the RNZYS.

Day to day business is building back slowly after so much disruption and we can certainly look forward to a much more positive year, more like we saw in 2020.

Sailing wise, with many of our Youth and Performance Programme teams competing again internationally we have seen some amazing results with Jordan Stevenson and his Vento Racing team winning the prestigious Governors Cup; and another YTP graduate, Sam Street, winning the Waszp Worlds.

These amazing results are great for our club given the fact that this next generation of sailors crew on many members’ boats in our club racing. We also host the Women’s Match Racing World Championships in November where we get the opportunity to run another international event.

We have just successfully renegotiated our lease arrangements, so we can be secure with our location in Auckland. Whilst we have a long term lease in place, rates are reviewed every five years.

At our facility at Kawau Island, the final treeplanting and reforestation weekend will take place this winter. Behind the scenes at Kawau we are in the midst of a resource consent process so that we can forge ahead with our planned training and accommodation facility. This will offer the club an excellent asset to run regattas and training camps, and allow members to stay amidst arguably some of the best sailing waters in the country.

All going to plan, we will be underway early next year. As we progress, you can expect a presentation as to what is being proposed. In the meantime, Lidgard House has had more necessary work carried out with a new roof; new deck and updated sewage system. Although this hasn’t come at an ideal time, we must look after our assets for the future of the club.

Recently, I had a meeting with Yachting New Zealand where we discussed what we are doing, why, and for whom and how YNZ might be able to assist more. What became very clear was that our club has 99% of what was considered important in a yacht club from constitution, continuity, policies, membership to sustainability and this bodes well as we look forward.

I am sure the soon-to-be published club survey results will also reflect this positive view.

To close, I thank you all for your support through a time which will never be forgotten, or repeated. It has been 11 years since I joined the Committee and at that stage had no dream or intention of following the process through. Truth be told, I felt I could give a bit back to the sport and club.

I was asked by a friend (Past Commodore Steve Mair) to join and support him at that time, so if anyone thinks they would also like to volunteer, please give it a go. Whilst it’s been significant in terms of time, with some stress, it has been immensely gratifying to have achieved what we have as an organisation.

A significant thank you to the Flag Officers, Committee, volunteers and staff for their ongoing commitment. I am very proud and humbled to have led the RNZYS for the past two years and leave the General Committee knowing the club will continue to strive in our vision of being the world’s leading yacht club.

Happy boating. Time to stop talking and start doing!

Aaron Young Commodore

A Higher Ground: Iconic Race Yacht

- Constantly upgraded with the latest technology. - Optimized for two handed racing but still competitive fully crewed. - Constantly successful performer. - Ideal for RNI. Be in for this Race, entries open first of May. - Fully upgraded for last RNI in 2020.

Hardly used since.

FROM THE CEO

After almost eight and a half years and writing 50 of these articles, this will be my last one as CEO for what I (and many others) believe is the best yacht club in the world. In my first article in 2014, I wrote that I saw it as a real privilege to lead such a prestigious and iconic organisation, and that view has not changed throughout my tenure at the RNZYS. After almost 100 General Committee meetings and what will be six Commodores by the time I finish, it has been a real pleasure. So, thank you to all our members for allowing me to be part of your club.

I was recently asked by a major sponsor what my proudest achievement has been at the RNZYS, and I must admit I struggled to answer this and get it down to one item. Sure, it has not all been plain sailing; there have been challenges, tough decisions, and criticism at times, but that’s life! There has also been a lot of great wins, positive changes, new ideas and fun for a lot of people (including myself) along the way.

I list a few highlights and proud moments (and thank yous) as I reflect on my time here:

Our Facility received major upgrades in most rooms, all bathrooms, and the commercial kitchens – all without taking on any debt. We have staged the upgrades as we could afford them to end up with a modern facility that still represents the traditions that are so important to us.

AV and air-conditioning / heating are now in every room and, for a place that sometimes has a few thousand people per week coming through the doors, we have managed to maintain this to a high standard. I would have loved to do everything on the list (and it is always a lengthy list), but I am incredibly happy with where we have got to with the resources available.

Kawau Yacht Club was closed in 2014 and ready to be mothballed. I was asked to take a look and come up with some recommendations. There was already a group of members passionate about getting a new club set up there so, working closely with them and the Committee at the time, we came up with a new model, helped find some great managers in Dave and Robyn and now have a thriving active, high-quality well patronised facility in the Kawau Boating Club.

We also took the plunge of performing a much-needed renovation of Lidgard House and increasing the nightly rate, despite it being vacant for a sizable portion of the year. It worked perfectly and we have a great asset for members there that is fully booked (even mid-week) for most of the spring / summer and into autumn.

Over the past year we have conducted a major re-planting project as a legacy 150th project, replaced the deck and continued to plan for a game changing training centre and other accommodation options. A new roof will go on Lidgard House this winter. Again, we have done this by divesting other Kawau assets, fundraising and not taken on debt to achieve this. I love the place, so enjoy! I have enjoyed this project immensely.

Until just a few years ago we did not teach people how to sail. We now have New Zealand’s largest sail training school, teaching hundreds of people each year how they too can get out on the water, join a crew, buy a boat and be part of the sailing culture in New Zealand. This has led to a new revenue stream, an increase in our membership and opened new doors in regard to sponsorship and products on offer – it was even about to become an export product before COVID hit!

Type ‘learn to sail’ into Google and we are top of the list (www.learntosailnz.com). Add this to the growth in the Mastercard Youth Training Programme and the more recently formed Performance Programme and training is at the heart of the club.

America’s Cup involvement has certainly had its highs and lows for sure. It is not an easy thing to be involved in and is a remarkably high stakes game in so many ways, but I am really proud how we have conducted ourselves throughout its time at the club – and long may it stay here!

From the surreal experience of realising it was coming back to the RNZYS and having to suddenly make sure it was insured and secure, to organising a welcome home party and parade, to running an almost monthlong national tour, travelling with it overseas on a number of occasions, and finally hosting AC36 in NZ and ensuring the club was well represented on and off the water … it has been a quite a ride!

I can say what I am most proud of with this is the bond between the team and the club has never been stronger. This was tested in times of division on the decision around the venue for AC37. Getting threatening emails and calls from the general public (and sometimes even our own members) was not nice at all, but we did stand up and face it, and I can hand-on-heart say it was the right decision – and in fact the only one that could be made.

Our 150th coinciding the same year as AC36 was the perfect storm. Just add a global pandemic to that (with the various lockdowns) and it became incredibly challenging to deliver what had been planned by the 150th Committee to deliver operationally with such constant change.

We got there in the end with what has been described as the ‘biggest party ever’ for the 150th Gala in late July this year. The place looked amazing, and people loved the various rooms, themes, food and beverage on offer in each of the spaces that recognised the 150 years of history of the RNZYS. After hundreds of hours spent on each of these events personally, the biggest disappointment was cancelling the J-class, and Youth America’s Cup regattas along with a very depleted superyacht regatta – all victims to COVID (again).

The financial stability of the club is paramount. We cannot do anything without high levels of income. We run a Rolls Royce and must do so with a limited budget, so constant prioritising and a fair bit of entrepreneurial thinking needs to happen all the time to keep things rolling at

Thinking of selling your boat?

As a result of a big sales year, we continually require new listings. Our sales team has a great record of success and is standing by to provide professional and attentive service in marketing your vessel. Ask about the RNZYS member discount.