LINE 7 Port Nicholson Regatta Update

Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club

28 November 2001

Local yachties expecting stiff competition as out-of-town entries flood in for the big regatta After the success of both the 1999 and 2000 regattas the LINE 7 Port Nicholson Regatta is now firmly in place on the calendar of major must do events for both local and national yachties.

The regatta, programmed for 6th - 9th of December, has increased the number of sailing days to three to cope with the increased number of races.. Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club Event Co-ordinator, Kirsty Callaghan comments, “The Regatta is timed to allow boats to dovetail our Regatta with other key regional sailing events. These include the HDS Corporate Yacht Race, Cook Strait Classic, Wellington - Napier Offshore Race and the Waikawa New Year Regatta. With so much competitive sailing and a combined prize pool close to $40,000, we are not surprised by the expressions of interest we have received to date.”

The Regatta has drawn support from a raft of national and regional businesses as well as the yachties throughout the country with entries coming from as far afield as Whangarei to Lyttleton.

Regatta Race Director, Ken Burt says, “This is our second year as running the National ORC Club Championship and one of the only keelboat nationals outside of the Auckland region. This Regatta levels the playing field for many regional sailors who would otherwise not be able to participate in an Auckland based event.”

He adds, “The relative simplicity of getting an ORC Club Certificate, coupled with the diversity of boats expected in the fleet is likely to create races within races. The ORC Club rule allows boats of a wide range of designs and ages to compete on an even footing”

Entries have arrived from boats throughout the country with the furthermost entries coming from Whangarei and Lyttleton.

The Regatta's major sponsor, LINE 7, is joined this year by Barton Marine, RFD, Linton Sails, Port Nicholson Sails, Chaffers Marina Wellington City Council and SmokeFree

Results for the regatta will be posted on the web at www.rpnyc.org.nz or for more information contact Kirsty Callaghan

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