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The P Class is enjoying a resurgence, with good numbers hopping into the traditional Kiwi boat as a number of young sailors eye up January's Tanner and Tauranga Cups.
The P Class is often seen as a transition boat after the Optimist or something different to sail as youngsters move up the classes.
A fleet in excess of 50 boats is expected at next year's Tauranga Cup (nationals), being hosted by the Murrays Bay Sailing Club, which would be the biggest fleet in more than a decade.
A number of those sailors competed in the inaugural Freshwater Intergalactic Championships at Lake Pupuke recently, despite the wintry conditions.
As many as 27 sailors competed over the two-day, six-race regatta, which received support from Team New Zealand in the form of two new trophies: the Intergalactic Championship and the Perseverance Award.
Perseverance was a necessary quality for many sailors, especially as the light and shifty winds from day one gave way to blasts in excess of 25 knots. It was a great test of the sailors' race skills rather than a speed contest, with strong lake strategy and boat handling tactics across a range of conditions required.
Joe Leith (MBSC) won all six races by large margins, meaning he claimed the Intergalactic Championship with a race to spare. The equally impressive Tessa Clinton (Wakatere Boating Club) easily claimed first girl and was second overall in a close battle with Nelsen Meecham (WBC) and Oli Stone (Kohimarama Yacht Club)
Gemma Hebberd, a newbie to the P Class, won the Perseverance Award for sticking at it after a number of spectacular wipeouts in race five when 25-knot gusts hit the entire fleet for five minutes. Some of the more experienced sailors came ashore as they succumbed to the weather.
