Issue date
Manly Sailing Club, on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, has been elected by the NZIODA to host the 2014 Optimist National Championships over the Easter holiday period (18-23 April) for five days of fleet racing on the waters north of Big Manly Beach.
This prestigious regatta is the breeding ground of New Zealand’s sailing future. Past New Zealand Optimist sailors include Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie (Gold, 470 Class 2012 Olympics), Peter Burling (Silver, 49er Class 2012 Olympics) Paul Snow Hansen (470 Class 2008 and 2012 Olympics), Susannah Pyatt (Elliot 6 Class 2012 Olympics), Chris Steele (1st 2007 NZ Nationals and Optimist Worlds, 1st 2010 Splash Worlds), Taylor Burn (1st 2009 NZ Nationals and 1st 2011 Splash Worlds) and many, many more.
300 young sailors from around New Zealand, including overseas competitors from Australia, New Caledonia and the Cook Islands are expected, along with an entourage of families, coaches and officials boosting the region’s economy.
Manly Sailing Club’s Committee wishes to build on the success of NZL’s Olympic stars and this forth-coming event to boost the interest of youth sailing in the Hibiscus Coast area. The Club’s Yachting New Zealand accredited Learn to Sail program is now able to further the pathway into competitive sailing through the acquisition, via grant funding, of four race Optimists. New sailors who have completed Learn to Sail 1 and 2 Courses at Manly Sailing Club can charter one of these Optimists for a season for a fraction of the cost of purchasing a boat. For further information go to www.manlysailingclub.org
