The first running of Kawau Race Week has been postponed, with organisers shifting the event back a week as the weather forecast for the original window deteriorated.
This week has already been rough around the upper North Island, and the outlook for the weekend was worse, with strong winds expected to hit during the period the regatta was meant to run. For a first-time event, the call was straightforward. Better to delay than force a debut in conditions that would be hard on boats, hard on crews, and unlikely to deliver fair racing.
New dates are now Friday 30 and Saturday, 31 January. Organisers are working to keep the format simple and enjoyable. The current plan is a 4pm start on Friday, racing up to Kawau, then two island races on Saturday.
The weekend will still finish with a prize-giving at Kawau Boating Club, with a live band booked to carry the night. It is the sort of end point the event was built around: race hard, tie up, then settle in for a proper Kawau evening.
Further details will be confirmed soon. In the meantime, organisers are asking skippers to let them know if they intend to join the rescheduled weekend, so numbers and logistics can be locked in.
This weekend’s forecast may blow the doors off, but the first Kawau Race Week is not going anywhere. It is simply waiting for a better window to get started.
