Issue date
Gary has contributed an enormous amount to the sport and will be missed by many.
Gary was a coach for over 50 years, 10 of which were as head coach for Sailability Auckland. Gary received a Yachting New Zealand Service Award in 2012 recognising his contribution. Below is an excerpt from his award citation:
“When Gary Corkin joined Sailability Auckland as Head Coach he was tasked with lifting the standard of his sailors to World Class and Paralympic level. Bringing with him a half century of sailing instruction and coaching experience (Gary conducted his first clinic at Torbay Sailing Club in 1960) he applied his thorough and technical approach, and the results started to show.
The culmination came this year with a team of eight competing in the 2012 World Championships. With Gary’s support Helena Horswell won the 2012 Access Liberty Servo World Championship, while another three Sailability Auckland sailors, Tim Dempsey, Jan Apel and Paul Francis, represented New Zealand at the Paralympic Games in London.”
In recent years Gary has been living in Whangarei, supporting the Whangarei Cruising Club and has been supporting the newly established Sailability Northland group.
There will be an informal remembrance get together Whangarei Cruising Club (Kissing Point) on Sunday the 14th of August at 1130hrs.
The public farewell to Gary will now be held on 27 August (1 day earlier than planned). Kick off is still 1300 at Huia Hall.
