Aon Club of the Month - Port Chalmers Yacht Club

It can sometimes be a struggle to get sailors to race during the middle of winter. Many probably think it would be even more difficult in places like Dunedin, where a cold south-westerly can feel like an ice pick piercing the skin.

The Winter Series, run by the Port Chalmers Yacht Club, is an overwhelming success. They race eight times over the winter months, with the fleet size dropping to between 12 and 15 boats when a front blows in and up to 40 trailer sailors and keelboats when the weather gods are feeling a little kinder. They can even attract a few dinghies when conditions are favourable.

Interestingly, some who take part aren’t seen much or at all during summer. There are a few theories about why this is the case, ranging from Southern staunchness and not letting the weather get in the way of racing to many struggling to find time in summer. But no one really knows.

Regardless, it’s a winning formula and Port Chalmers commodore Richard Hawkins says they have no intention of messing with the concept.

The Winter Series is now into its 30th year. It was started by “three to four old guys,” as Hawkins describes it, who were sitting around the bar of the Careys Bay hotel one day and dreamed up the concept.

The late Lex Pearce, or Ug as he was affectionately known because of his looks and manner, helped keep the series running for many years.

It’s now effectively run by Port Chalmers, with racing in the Lower Otago Harbour, but they are careful to market it as a Dunedin-wide series to try to keep any club parochialism to a minimum and they also have prizegiving at the Careys Bay hotel each race day rather than the clubhouse (it’s also a lot warmer at the pub).

The prizes often consist of fish and vegetables and there’s also a ‘cockup of the day’ with the recipient receiving a cocktail complete with brightly-coloured umbrella.

“It’s just a lot of fun,” Hawkins says. “Some guys take the racing pretty seriously but it’s whatever you make of it. The cruising guys take it easy.

“I don’t know why it’s so popular but it’s a format that works.”

It’s also had a positive effect on the Port Chalmers Yacht Club. The club now has about 130 members, up from about 75 five or six years ago, and have plans to try to develop further.

There have been talks about expanding the clubhouse and trying to attract junior members – they presently have only a handful of juniors with most preferring to sail at the Ravensbourne where they have embraced O’pen Bics (there are no Optimists currently raced on the harbour).

Port Chalmers is Dunedin’s oldest yacht club, coming into existence a few months before the Otago Yacht Club, and in February celebrated their 125th anniversary. The festivities involved a series of races and a handful of social gatherings, including a dinner and dance at the Dunedin Town Hall attended by former America’s Cup winner Joey Allen.

It was a chance to tell tall tales and even relive former glories, like when Port Chalmers sailors played a big hand in winning the inaugural Sanders Cup in 1921, a competition which was to become the premiere symbol of interprovincial yachting in New Zealand.

Hawkins has enjoyed successes of his own: he was skipper of the winning crew at the national Noelex 25 championships in 2015/16 and has also tasted success in the Noelex 22 and Ross 780 classes.

He’s been a member of Port Chalmers for nearly all of his life and says time on the water is a key part of the club’s success.

“I think we set the bar quite high, racing-wise,” he said earlier this year. “We’ve always had that reputation in Otago, where a lot of the best sailors in Otago come out of Port or have sailed at Port.

“I think it is because we race every weekend we can. If you want to get good, you’ve got to spend time on the water.

“[But] we want to keep maintaining an extremely welcoming atmosphere and keep yacht racing,” he says. “Our core business is yacht racing and having a few beers afterwards. The club is thriving.”

Just like the Winter Series.