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It’s been colloquially referred to as the Back Paddock by America’s Cup sailors but the waters off the Maraetai Sailing Club will be the Front Lawn for more than 200 young sailors in April.
The club are hosting the 2021 Toyota Optimist national championships from April 2-6, and the event typically attracts more than 200 youngsters across the open, white and green fleets. Although they’ve never hosted the Optimist nationals, they have some idea of what they are in for.
“We’ve hosted three of the last five Optimist Auckland championships so we know what we are catering for,” Maraetai commodore Geoff Rasmussen said. "I think we have got better each year and we're keen to host more events so we're seen as somewhere that holds great events and looks after all of the sailors. We have a fantastic team which is ready to go and really excited about hosting this event and meeting all the sailors, parents and officials.”
They’ve already posted the notice of race and entries are open, with all entries received before midnight on February 28 going into the draw to win a voucher to be redeemed at the club’s restaurant.
Rasmussen said the club had come up with a theme for the event - national pride - and had organised plenty of activities around that across the regatta.
"Looking at the year that we had last year, I think we can take a lot of pride in the way we handled Covid-19 as a country and we thought the theme of national pride was appropriate," Rasmussen said. "There's a lot happening around the place and we want to bounce off that and reflect on that.
"We are a small, family-friendly club and, as part of our club strategy, our mission is to grow the enjoyment of sailing and inspire participation and that's exactly what we want to achieve throughout this regatta."
Maraetai, which translates as meeting place by the sea, is situated about 60 minutes from central Auckland and looks out onto Waiheke Island. The waters off the beach aren't hugely tidal and the club have very good launch and retrieval areas. They also have a rich history.
It's the home of the Jolly boat in this country, and many of the first boats were built in the bar and clubrooms. Emirates Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton also started his sailing career at the club as an eight-year-old in the P Class and his name can be found on many of the club's trophies.
There are other famous names on the various trophies handed out at the Optimist national championships, including Peter Burling, Jo Aleh, Adam Minoprio and Alex Maloney. And others will join them at Maraetai in April.
