Issue date
The arrival of the New Year has been a chance for the Royal Akarana Yacht Club to look back on a successful 2016 - a year that might be hard for them to match.
From getting resource consent and the construction contract signed for the development of their new building and then relocating to Auckland Sailing Club to success on the water at all levels, 2016 was a year of massive change and carving a path for a brighter future.
Howard Spencer and his MC38 Menace crew achieved great results in Sydney, beating the Australians in an array of regattas on Sydney Harbour and Pittwater. The MC38 is a highly competitive one-design keelboat class and Spencer, with his crew, travel back and forth across the ditch to race against the Aussies. Menace won the season-opening event and the Spring Regatta.
Anatole Masfen and his crew won the Etchells European Championship in Cowes and then went on to finish ninth at the world championships.
C-Tech sailors Alex Vallings and Fraser Brown won the 12' Skiff Interdominions in Auckland in January 2016, winning six of the nine races and finishing nine points clear of second.
Simon Hull with his ORMA60 Team Vodafone Sailing crew sailed the fastest ever time in the ANZ Sail Fiji Race - 59 hours, 31 minutes and 3 seconds - when they raced from Auckland to Denarau in June.
Eli Liefitng and Rose Dickson won the RS Feva NZL Championship and were fourth overall at the world championship in Spain. Considering there are less than 30 RS Fevas racing in New Zealand, this achievement was outstanding for these young sailors. Yachting New Zealand also noticed the importance of their result and, along with winning performance awards, Liefting and Dickson were awarded the YNZ Emerging Talent trophy for their success.
The 18' skiff Yamaha, sailed by Dave McDiarmid, Matt Steven and Brad Collins, finished second overall at the JJ Giltinan Regatta in Sydney. This was the best result for a New Zealand team in 42 years. The team went on to win the Mark Foy World Championship in Fiji and were awarded a YNZ performance award for their results.
Mark Taylor, RAYC club captain and owner/skipper of the Stewart 34 Pahi, won their division in the PIC Coastal Classic both on line and handicap. The classic restored boat will also be racing in the 2017 SSANZ Round North Island starting in February.
Commodore Sally Garrett was recognised at the YNZ Awards, winning a service award for her ongoing commitment to offshore yachting safety.
Murray Gilbert and Jonathan Burgess claimed overall victory in the Flying 15 national championships, putting them in a great position for a strong finish at the upcoming world championships to be held in Napier in March.
The Olympics was also a great time for RAYC, with four members winning medals: Alex Maloney and Molly Meech won silver in the 49erFX class and Peter Burling and Blair Tuke wrapped up a successful four-year campaign by winning gold in the 49er. Maloney and Meech were made life members of Yachting New Zealand and won performance awards and Burling and Tuke were again named sailors of the year. On top of that, they were made Members of the Order of New Zealand in the New Years honours list.
(Alex Maloney, left, and Molly Meech won silver at the Rio Olympics. Photo: Sailing Energy / World Sailing)
The last time a Kiwi won the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race was when Sir Peter Blake raced Lion New Zealand to overall victory in 1984. But that changed last week when Jim Delegat and his Giacomo team were awarded the Tattersall's Cup for winning the 72nd edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Delegat and his crew had been working towards that result since they started their Hobart campaign in 2013. It was a bumpy ride to victory, and one that is still sinking in for the entire Delegat family. Jim was joined by sons Nikolas and James on board. Before their recent success, Giacomo set a new monohull race record in the ANZ Sail Fiji Race, finishing in just two days, 22 hours, 53 minutes and 19 seconds.
(Nikolas Delegat, Jim Delegat, James Delegat and Steve Cotton with the Tattersall's Cup for winning the 72nd edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Photo: Rolex/Kurt Arrigo.)
Royal Akarana Yacht Club, established in 1895, has a long history of success both on and off the water, but 2016 would have to be one of the must successful years to date.
For more on Royal Akarana Yacht Club, see rayc.co.nz.
