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Auckland's Gulf Harbour Yacht Club hosted the World Sailing race management seminar last weekend, marking the first time in several years that the event was held in New Zealand.
The seminar, organised by Yachting New Zealand, welcomed 23 participants from New Zealand, Australia, and India, all eager to advance their race management skills. Two highly experienced international race officers (IROs) led the training – Bruno De Wannemaeker from Belgium and New Zealand's own John Parrish.
Over three intensive days, attendees underwent rigorous training, culminating in the international race officer exam. This exam is vital for those aspiring to achieve IRO status, which also requires further experience at international regattas within the next four years.
New Zealand was well-represented by national race officers, including Peter Henderson, Andrew Kearney, Blair Park, Brett James Willcock, Dave West, Dean Stanley, Guy Pilkington, Simon Cross, Steve Pyatt, and Sacha McGregor, each bringing varying levels of experience to the seminar.
While much of the discussion was centred around round-the-buoys racing, big boat racing, radio-controlled racing and the new disciplines of the foiling classes were also covered.
"It has been a long time since New Zealand hosted such a seminar, and this group of candidates took the opportunity to hone their skills. The usual rivalry between the Australians and New Zealanders kept the banter positive and fun," Parrish said.
"Good connections have been made, so sharing race management duties between countries can take place. The interactions were informative and much learning took place. We can look forward to fair, consistent, quality race management from the class of '24."
The event was primarily self-funded by the participants, with additional support provided through the High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) Prime Minister’s scholarship and Yachting New Zealand.
Raynor Haagh, Yachting New Zealand's national sport development director, highlighted the significance of the seminar.
"This seminar not only provided valuable training and certification opportunities but also fostered international collaboration and the sharing of best practices in race management," she said.
"We look forward to supporting the continued growth and success of these dedicated race officers in the sailing community."
For more information on race official pathways, click here.
