From the GM

GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE SUPPORT OF

MAJOR PARTNERS

SUPPORTERS

MASTERCARD YOUTH TRAINING PROGRAMME SPONSORS

RNZYS PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME SPONSORS

CORPORATE MEMBERS

Accor Hotels Antipodes Argosy Property Limited Argus Fire Protection Asahi Beverages B & G Barfoot & Thompson BEP Marine Ltd Catalano Shipping Services CBRE Check Point Clean Corp Compass Communications Datacom Ecostore Edu Experts 36 Degrees Brokers Ecology New Zealand Emirates ENL / Furuno GOfuel Hikvision Hick Bros Construction Integrated Marine Group JC McCall Plumbing Kennedy Point Marina Milford Asset Management Negociants Panasonic Propspeed Rayglass Boats Spark New Zealand Southern Spars Suncorp New Zealand VMG Clothing Westpac Yamaha

FROM THE COMMODORE

Well it almost seems like yesterday that I was given the privilege of becoming your Commodore – thank you, I will try to serve you well. Thank you also to now Past Commodore Aaron Young for leading the club through the last period of both celebration and controversy.

Since becoming Commodore, a lot has already happened. We have appointed a new General Manager. Sarah Wiblin started with us from 3 October. Sarah has big shoes to fill (there is more about Sarah further on in this magazine).

We have also honoured long-standing club members and run a number of on- and off-thewater events, including Opening Day.

While Opening Day was not the day we were looking for in terms of weather, for those attending it was a fun day despite the challenges of firing the cannon in the rain.

As well as a new Commodore and a new General Manager, a new Committee was also elected. Aaron Young, Ben Sceats and Amelia Wong left the General Committee, while David Blakey (MRX Harken 1991), Barry Martin (Bizzarre 8247) and Marguerite Delbet (Nomos 8471) all joined the team. Thank you to those who have moved on for all your contributions.

Post Covid there has been quite a change to the team running the club. This continues to be an opportunity to bring new energy and ideas to our programmes. Among the new appointments is Reuben Corbett who has stepped up from leading our Mastercard Youth Training Programme and the Performance Programme to leading our overall Sailing Programme and of course the team in the Sailing Office. Food & Beverage Operations Manager Cameron Lawless, Executive Chef Campbell White and Commercial Manager Kristine Horne are all also reasonably new to our leadership team.

Our food & beverage offering is strong, although, like all the hospitality industry in New Zealand, we are somewhat stressed due to the lack of skilled people and the rising costs of raw materials.

Our challenge is to build the usage of the club facilities, particularly by members. To do this we need money. To make money, we need the club facilities to be used (and sadly maybe a few price reviews). Food & beverage is a key revenue stream for the club. Currently we are running well behind where we need to be in terms of volumes and margin – please look for opportunities to use your club.

One of the great things about our club is that we can offer roles to members of our Youth Programme. Working food & beverage in our club is a great way for these talented young people to learn and grow. Of course, when yacht racing or sail training is on (or school/university exams) this team is a little scarce. Please look out for these great young people – they are our future.

As the incoming Commodore, I have been asked quite a number of times, what do I see the club doing over the years ahead, particularly over the time that I am Commodore? For me, the club is about the members, the sailors, the volunteers and particularly those many members that form the community that is our club, especially those who have a strong interest in Corinthian yachting, the Hauraki Gulf and the development of our sport.

While we have great plans for the club and strong sailing and volunteer programmes, having members spending time at the club with friends and family is key to our succeeding for at least another 150 years.

We are continuing to look for opportunities to encourage members to come to the club and have fun – right now Mike Leyland, our recently appointed Chairman of the House and Membership is looking for fun ideas that we can build on.

One of the great things about summer though is the number of opportunities available for members to go sailing. The sprint racing on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays has just begun, the Doyle Sails Wednesday Night racing is kicking-off, while 36° Brokers Commodores’ Cup, Gold Cup, and Havana Club Rum Racing are all in the schedule.

One of the best kept secrets of RNZYS is the PIC Insurance Cruising Division. This is the opportunity for yacht owners to complete a casual race, finish at a beach-side location and join other club members for a quiet beverage and much conversation. Launch owners are also encouraged to attend.

Over recent years the competition amongst some of the larger boats in the Cruising Division has become quite intense. This year there will be a second division for smaller boats – please come along and enjoy.

There are some great parties planned in the year ahead, a new menu, a few changes to the way we do things and some fabulous club sailing. There are also a small number of local, national and international events running right off the club. Please come and be part of your club.

Looking forward to seeing many of you on the water, around our Westhaven club-rooms and at our Kawau base.

Talk soon.

Andrew Aitken, Commodore

A REDUCED TO $85,000 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.