Issue date
The eyes of the sailing world will soon be on France for the 2024 Olympic Games, and to whet the appetite we have published a special edition of our e-magazine Yachting & Boating Quarterly.
It is our biggest one yet - 92 pages crammed with everything you need to know about the Games and much more - and is free to read by clicking here.
We profile our 12 sailors and three race officials representing New Zealand in Marseille, and we update you on the team's preparation for what promises to be challenging conditions.
You'll also find the full sailing schedule, special messages of support - including from Kiwi Olympic icon Barbara Kendall - and you can test your knowledge of all things Olympic sailing with our bumper quiz.
There's plenty more to keep you entertained while we count down to July 28, like the inspiring stories of Lisa Blair, Richard Hawkins and the Hamill family and several guest columns, including from Dr Stephen Kara - a leading concussion expert who was instrumental in the development of 'game-changing' new national guidelines for identifying and treating concussions at sport's grassroots level.
You can also find more information about two important recent developments in club land.
The first is Yachting New Zealand's decision to return the Section 21 delegation to Maritime New Zealand after the five-year agreement expired on June 30, 2024.
This means that, from July 1, 2024, Yachting New Zealand will no longer manage the safety inspection system for recreational craft and their crew departing overseas. This function will instead be performed by Maritime New Zealand and follows months of discussions with the regulatory body and various other stakeholders.
We believe the system requires more active management and that Maritime New Zealand is better equipped to do this in future.
How does this impact on yachties?
In practice, it will affect only a small number of affiliated club members cruising offshore. It is important to note that Yachting New Zealand will continue to manage category 1-5 inspections for boats competing in yacht racing, in line with our Safety Regulations of Sailing.
There will be an improved process in place for category 1-5 yacht racing by the end of July and we will share more information about this with you next week.
If you are participating in a yacht race overseas (and your craft's voyage starts in New Zealand), you will still need to meet the requirements under section 21 and apply for an International Voyage Certificate (Pleasure Craft) issued by Maritime New Zealand. In the meantime, we are working with Maritime New Zealand to determine an efficient and cost-effective means of aligning the Yachting New Zealand Category 1 requirements and MNZ’s requirement for an International Voyage Certificate.
For more information, visit Maritime New Zealand's website here, send an email with your questions to RecreationalInternationalVoyage@maritimenz.govt.nz, or get in touch with your local regional development manager or Yachting New Zealand's safety and technical officer Cris Brodie at cbrodie@yachtingnz.org.nz.
Another significant announcement this week was the launch of the Sport Integrity Commission.
This is aimed at raising the integrity bar across sport and recreation in New Zealand, with a focus on participant protection, child safeguarding, anti-doping, anti-competition manipulation and anti-corruption - all things that are relevant to yacht clubs and members.
Yachting New Zealand will be consulting with our members on the adoption of the commission's integrity code in due course. Embracing these changes is an opportunity to help protect our participants from harm and reduce the risk of serious integrity issues occurring.
More information on the commission's work can be found on their new website. You can also contact them at (09) 582 0388 or info@sportintegrity.nz.
Finally, a big message of thanks to our loyal sponsors and partners for their continued support - Aon New Zealand, Sport New Zealand, High Performance Sport New Zealand, VMG, the NZL Sailing Foundation, Orbit World Travel, Oceanbridge, the New Zealand Community Trust, Radix Nutrition, Lawson's Dry Hills, B&G, the Lion Foundation and Melanoma NZ.
Enjoy the next few weeks and until next time - au revoir!
David Abercrombie
Yachting New Zealand chief executive
