The World Masters Games might be more than 100 days away but aspiring athletes need to move quickly with spots filling up fast for the sailing competition.

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.

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have been made Members of the Order of New Zealand in the New Year's Honours list.

Two-time Olympic medallist Jo Aleh is swapping dinghies for big boats for the time being with the hope of racing in next year’s Volvo Ocean Race.

Pictured above: Kate and Greta Stewart (right) share the podium with Gold medallists Natasha Bryant and Annie Wilmot (AUS) and Aleksandra Melzacka and Maja Micinska (POL). Photo: Pedro Martinez - Sailing Energy/World Sailing

Country school children from Brunswick and Kai Iwi Schools (Wanganui) had a weekend packed with fun as well as gaining invaluable knowledge from one of the best - five time America’s Cup winner and gold medallist, Sir Russell Coutts.

The world’s best junior sailors are in Torbay this week for the Aon Youth Sailing World Championships and the message to aspiring kids enrolled for the Volvo Sailing... Have A Go! programme is that the top sailors all started in the same boats they get to try out.

Kiwis claimed five medals at the recent raceboarding world championships in Brisbane.

Yachting New Zealand is looking to maintain the momentum the sport achieved at the Rio Olympics and have a better chance of doing this following an increase in funding from High Performance Sport New Zealand.

Yachting New Zealand are looking for a new high performance director to lead the high performance programme.