In today’s edition of Regional Roundup, our NZCT regional development managers share an update on Napier Sailing Club’s work to develop a new strategy for the club’s future, along with the latest news and activity from clubs around the country.
Napier Sailing Club’s new strategy will be shared with its wider membership and external stakeholders.
Napier plots course for the future
Napier Sailing Club is developing a new strategy to guide its future, with support from Yachting New Zealand helping the club engage its members and establish a clear direction for the next five years and beyond.
The process began with a strategy working group and a review of the key issues and opportunities facing the club, followed by a member survey that attracted more than 150 responses. A workshop involving 35 members and a further session with the General Committee have since helped shape a draft strategy, which will now be shared with the wider membership and external stakeholders, including Napier City Council.
For Commodore Gavin Earle, the process has provided a valuable opportunity to understand what members want from their club.
“Rather than simply creating a plan in isolation, we wanted to genuinely understand what our members value, where the opportunities lie, and what success should look like over the next five years and beyond. The level of member engagement and enthusiasm throughout the process has been outstanding,” Earle said.
A key focus has been ensuring the club caters for its diverse membership. While sailing remains at its heart, Napier has a large powerboat membership and is exploring more ways to bring people together through their shared connection with the water.
According to Earle, the emerging strategic direction captures that ambition: “Sailing at the heart. More ways to enjoy the water.”
The process has also prompted previously less-engaged members to come forward with ideas and ask how they can contribute to the club’s future.
Yachting New Zealand Regional Development, Governance and Advocacy Manager Ingrid Harder has supported the club throughout the process, designing and delivering the member survey and facilitating the member and Committee workshops.
“Ingrid’s support and expertise have been instrumental. From designing and delivering a tailored member survey that generated more than 150 responses, to facilitating member and Committee workshops, she has helped us gather meaningful insights and build a robust strategic framework. Her guidance has ensured our strategy is grounded in member feedback and provides a clear direction for the Club’s future.”
Club Operations Manager Andrew Kearney says the process has reinforced the club’s sailing heritage while opening up new possibilities.
“While the strategy process has reinforced that sailing remains at the heart of Napier Sailing Club, it has also highlighted the many ways people connect with the water. With Ingrid’s support, we’ve been able to develop a strategy that respects our heritage while positioning the Club for future growth, participation and community involvement.”
The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron will host back-to-back match racing world championships next year. Photo / Live Sail Die
Auckland lands double world championship
Auckland will host the 2027 World Sailing Youth and Women’s Match Racing World Championships, with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron bringing the two pinnacle events to the Waitematā Harbour in November next year with support from Auckland Council Events. The Youth World Championship will run from 15-20 November, followed by the Women’s World Championship from 22-26 November.
The double-header will coincide with the 40th anniversary of the RNZYS Youth Training Programme, which has helped develop some of New Zealand’s leading sailing talent. New Zealand’s No. 2-ranked youth match racer Ethan Fong, who represented New Zealand at this year’s Youth Worlds in Denmark, remains age-eligible for 2027, while top-ranked Kiwi female skipper Megan Thomson will be among the sailors to watch after finishing third when RNZYS last hosted the Women’s Worlds in 2022.
Yachting New Zealand chief executive Steve Armitage said hosting the championships was a significant milestone for sailing in New Zealand. “These championships reinforce New Zealand’s reputation as a world-leading sailing nation and provide an outstanding opportunity to showcase our exceptional race management, volunteers, and sailing venues to an international audience,” he said. “Yachting New Zealand is proud to support the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in delivering what will be a world-class event in Auckland.”
Seventy young sailors competed at this year’s Zespri AIMS Games. Photo / Zespri AIMS Games
Wells claims AIMS Games crown
Annika Wells has claimed overall honours at the 2026 Zespri AIMS Games sailing competition, leading a fleet of 70 young sailors at Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club.
The Saint Kentigern Girls’ School sailor finished ahead of Tauranga Waldorf School’s Marcus Daum and Kristin School’s Charlie Thirkettle to take the overall title after four days of Optimist racing. Wells also won the Year 8 Girls division, while Daum claimed Year 7 Boys, Thirkettle took Year 8 Boys, and Bucklands Beach Intermediate’s Dallas Noyer won Year 7 Girls.
Bucklands Beach Intermediate also took the school team title through Leo Wills and Noyer, finishing ahead of Napier Intermediate and Kristin School. The annual regatta forms part of the Zespri AIMS Games, which brings thousands of intermediate and middle school students together from across New Zealand to compete in 28 sports.
The event is the largest mixed centreboard youth regatta in the Southern Hemisphere. Photo / Insight Media
The Blake set for another big Torbay turnout
More than 350 young sailors are expected to descend on Auckland’s Waiake Beach for the 24th Sir Peter Blake Torbay Regatta on 5 and 6 December, as Torbay Sailing Club once again hosts the Southern Hemisphere’s largest mixed centreboard youth regatta. Last year’s event attracted 352 sailors racing 327 boats across 15 fleets, with 32 clubs represented from New Zealand and overseas.
The regatta caters for sailors across the development pathway, from Optimist Green Fleet through to ILCA, 29er, RS Feva, 420 and iQFOiL. While the racing is competitive, The Blake deliberately puts character and enjoyment alongside results, with sportsmanship and fair play awards and no ranking points on offer. The Sir Peter Blake Trophy, awarded for leadership and attitude as much as performance, has previously gone to Olympic medallists including Jo Aleh, Peter Burling and Sam Meech.
With four courses, 35 official boats, around 40 support craft and more than 150 volunteers required to deliver the event, The Blake has become a fixture on the youth sailing calendar.
Registration is open to sailors under 19 on 31 December 2026. Click here to enter.
City of Sails Sprints launches
Auckland sailors are set for a new summer racing series on the Waitematā, with the City of Sails Sprints bringing five one-design keelboat classes together for short-course racing. Starting late last month, the collaboration between Northcote Birkenhead Yacht Club, Ponsonby Cruising Club and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron will run through to 1 April 2027, with a short break over summer.
Young 88, Stewart 34, MRX, Etchells and Elliott 7 fleets will race fortnightly, with up to three 20-minute windward-leeward races from 6pm each evening in the harbour waters either side of the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Special rule changes will also allow on-water coaching, giving crews the chance to develop their skills while competing.
The series is designed to make racing more accessible and efficient by pooling volunteer race-management teams, mark boats and safety resources across the three clubs. The format aims to reduce calendar clashes and operational costs while giving crews more regular racing, with evenings scheduled to finish early enough for teams to debrief ashore before the weekend.
More than 60 sailors competed in the Winter Champs earlier this month. Photo / Murrays Bay Sailing Club
Murrays Bay keeps the season moving
It’s been a busy stretch for Murrays Bay Sailing Club, which followed its hosting of the PredictWind Youth Trials with its annual Winter Champs on 3-4 October. More than 60 sailors competed across a range of youth and one-design classes, with Aurora Edhouse, Isabel Ma, Taran Bates, Luca Blundell, Riley Dean and Jasper Camezind among the fleet winners.
The club is now turning its attention to the new sailing season, with its Season Opening Day on Sunday, 11 October. As part of a fundraising drive, sailors and supporters are being asked to donate old sailing gear, which will be auctioned on the day to help fund new marks and other club equipment.
The Season Opening Day will also feature a BBQ and a chance for members to catch up as the club officially gets its 2026–27 season under way.
Hobsonville invites locals onto the water
Hobsonville Yacht Club is inviting locals to discover the waterways on their doorstep with an opportunity to get out on the water in a safe, supervised environment. The club’s open day will give people living in and around Hobsonville a chance to have a go, meet club members and find out more about what’s on offer.
The event will be held at the Upper Waitematā Marine Centre at the bottom of Launch Road, from 11am to 3pm. Visitors are encouraged to come along, have a go and stick around for a BBQ.
The Canterbury Yachting Association is looking for a name for its new coach boat. Photo / Supplied
New coach boat joins CYA fleet
The Canterbury Yachting Associationhas taken delivery of a new coach boat in Christchurch, adding another resource for coaching and sailing activities across the region.
CYA chair Alastair Burgess thanked everyone who supported the purchase. The new vessel has arrived in Christchurch and is now in storage at Pleasant Point Yacht Club, while CYA turns its attention to selling two surplus boats.
The new boat is yet to be named, with Burgess inviting suggestions from the sailing community ahead of the association’s next meeting.
Worser Bay set for 2027 ILCA Nationals
Wellington’s Worser Bay Boating Clubwill host the 2027 ILCA New Zealand National Championships from 20-24 January, bringing the country’s leading ILCA sailors together for five days of racing.
The championship will feature the ILCA 7, ILCA 6 and ILCA 4 fleets, with sailors competing on Wellington Harbour. Worser Bay has previously hosted the national championship and will again provide the venue for one of New Zealand’s premier dinghy sailing events.
Entries are now open, with the Notice of Race and information on measurement at the championship available through ILCA New Zealand.
Entries for this year’s PIC Coastal Classic close on Monday. Photo / Live Sail Die
Coastal Classic entries closing soon
More than 60 boats are already entered for the 2026 PIC Coastal Classic, with entries for the iconic Auckland-to-Russell race closing on Monday (12 October). Organised by the New Zealand Multihull Yacht Club, the 40-year-old race will get underway on Friday, 23 October, sending crews north on the classic coastal passage to the Bay of Islands.
The race has become a fixture on the New Zealand sailing calendar, attracting everyone from teams chasing line honours to cruising crews tackling their first offshore passage. Conditions can range from fast reaching to tactical offshore sailing, but the reward remains the same – making landfall in Russell after the run north.
NZ Multihull Yacht Club Commodore Adrian Percival says the event continues to attract sailors because of its broad appeal. “The PIC Coastal Classic continues to reel sailors in because it offers something for everyone. Every year is different, and the feeling of making landfall in Russell after the run north never changes.”
Click here to enter.
Originally published by Yachting New Zealand.
