Annual Regatta Encourages Public Engagement

The Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club’s Port Nic Pop Up Café will be the focal point of the club’s annual regatta, which has attracted yachts ranging from one metre to more than eleven metres in length, from around Wellington Harbour and as far away as Christchurch.

The regatta is designed to engage public interest and involvement. The café, on the clubhouse deck overlooking the Clyde Quay Boat Harbour, will be open to the public from 9.00 a.m. till 4.00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. It’s a great spot to watch the yachts crossing the inner harbour start-finish line. The club’s Sailing Academy is offering members of the public a chance to try their hand at crewing on a racing yacht. And on Sunday February 13, a fleet of International One-Metre yachts will converge on boat harbour, to entertain café patrons while the larger yachts are out racing around Wellington Harbour.

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The regatta features seven races for full-sized yachts, from Friday, February 11, to Sunday February 13. Entries include an eclectic mix of boats, sailing under well-established handicapping systems that allow them to race on equal terms. One of the newest boats is Blackfun, a 7.3 metre “quarter-tonner” which exemplifies a new, low-budget approach to high-performance yacht racing. Typical of yachts in its class, Blackfun features a new mast, sails and keel fitted to a refurbished hull. It is proving competitive with larger, more expensive, yachts. High-speed thrills and spills will be provided by two 6.5-metre sport-boats, capable of more than 30kph and always ready to capsize when their crews slip up. The fleet includes three boats from Christchurch’s Naval Point Club, two from the Lowry Bay Yacht Club, and one from Picton’s Waikawa Bay Boating Club.

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On Sunday, February 13, from 11 a.m. till 4.30 p.m., members of the Wellington Radio Yacht Club will be racing International One-Metre yachts immediately in front of the Port Nic Pop Up Café. Model yacht racing demands lightning-fast reactions and clairvoyant decision-making. The Clyde Quay Boat Harbour’s blustery conditions are exceptionally challenging for radio-controlled yachties, which guarantees excellent entertainment for café patrons.

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People wanting to experience the action can book a place on a racing yacht through the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club Sailing Academy website, http://www.rpnyc.org.nz (under “Academy”).
The regatta is based at the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club clubhouse, on Oriental Parade, 160 metres north of Waitangi Park. “It’s an opportunity for Wellingtonians to experience the yachting lifestyle,” said Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club CEO Dean Stanley.

ENDS

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