From the CEO

“The America’s Cup is once again New Zealand’s Cup” – the famous words of Peter ‘PJ’ Montgomery summed up once again an end to a historic period in the club’s history where Emirates Team New Zealand successfully defended the ‘Auld Mug’ and ensured it is safely locked up in the RNZYS trophy cabinet for another few years. ETNZ did us all proud again!

Forty eight hours after the Cup was defended and initial celebrations were a fuzzy memory for most, a fitting end to the official part of the regatta was PJ being inducted into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame held at the RNZYS. What a great way to finish with a tribute to a man who has given so much to the RNZYS and the America’s Cup over the years.

It hasn’t been easy, that is for sure. Many moving parts for the club to deliver the aspects we needed to deliver for the team, for other members and also the event. Balancing that with our business as usual, a couple of lockdowns and always looking forward has been a challenge for all. But we nailed it!

A special thanks to Commodore Aaron Young and General Committee member Richard Wingfield who put in countless hours to help deliver these club responsibilities. There are too many people to thank specifically, but all of the staff performed exceptionally well, with double shifts and seven-day weeks becoming the norm for several months. We also had a huge number of volunteers helping at the club to ensure extra support across all departments and this was greatly appreciated. On-water we had about 130 volunteers organising the courses daily. The club provided HQ space for them and fed and watered them daily at the start and finish of the day. A special thanks to Bennett and Jodi Medary for providing their launch as the on-water HQ for the ACE team – a fantastic contribution to the event.

Personally, I didn’t see the final race or the celebrations that followed on TV until the evening after on the YouTube Channel. The club had been abuzz with 1000+ people on site, the bars pumping and the dancefloor in full flight. The team at the Squadron delivered an afterparty that set a few records.

In our club environment things don’t sit still for very long and to be fair we won’t get a chance to grab a breath until the end of summer. We went straight into the major CBRE City of Sails Auckland Regatta, normal seven-days-a-week summer club racing and training, the Members’ AC party, 36 Degrees Brokers Squadron Picnic, fishing competitions and planning a full winter of 150th social events for members to enjoy.

What a contrast to the same time last year when we were seriously concerned about the club’s future with the COVID lockdowns.

Our forward focus is on continuing to make our club better. Membership growth and retention remain a focus, improving our systems, engaging with members and a winter spotlight on Kawau infrastructure improvements, as well as rolling out our tree planting programme.

The annual subscriptions will be sent out very soon and included this year is an optional donation to receive a beautifully-presented and written coffee table book about the 150year history of the RNZYS. This is not only a celebration of the last 150 years, but also a permanent record of the moment in time that we have all enjoyed over the last few months with the last chapter dedicated to this period. All current members will also be listed in this book, so you will go down in our history. The books will arrive towards the end of the year, so we urge you to take up this option.

So be proud of your club, what has been achieved and what will be achieved going forward. We certainly could not do it without your support and dedication to the ‘leading yacht club in world’. We got there!

See you out there! Hayden Porter, CEO

We would like to acknowledge Wayne Baston of Laurie Collins brokers for his sponsorship of a TV set for the Members’ Bar deck. It was a popular feature during the summer of America’s Cup racing and will continue to be a great asset for members going forward.

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