Scott Barnes (RNZYS) and Sam Gilmour (RFBYC) still hold the lead with 8 wins each on day two of the RNZYS HARKEN Youth International Match Racing Championships 2013. After another day of impressive close racing on the water, the duo hold a two point advantage over the four next placed skippers all tied on 6 wins each. Both Barnes and Gilmour won 2 out of 2 races today; all of them within a margin of seconds, with the exception of Gilmour’s Flight 13 race against Stephanie Doyle by 2 minute 55 seconds, a margin that is unusually large in this extremely tight competition.

Sailability Taranaki has finally taken delivery of four of their very own sailboats, and a new coach boat to kick their programme full speed ahead. Thanks to funding from the TET Electricity Trust (two Access 303’s) TSB Community Trust (two Access 303’s), Methanex (Coach Boat) and Regal Transport (who delivered the boats), Sailability Taranaki is now able to fully operate on their own feet.

While some of New Zealand’s best Access Liberty and SKUD 18 class sailors were in the thick of intense racing at Oceanbridge Sail Auckland, a group of Access 303 sailors were racing in a slightly lower key event: the Waitara Boating Club’s Annual Regatta.

As you will have read in the last Inclusive Newsletter: David Barnes, Rick Dodson and Andrew May became the first kiwi Sonar team to compete at an ISAF Sailing World Cup regatta in more than ten years, earlier this month. Together they finished the regatta in 6th place overall, a significant feat.

Representing the RNZYS and the Royal Freshwater Yacht Club respectively, Scott Barnes and Sam Gilmour share the lead with 6 wins out of 7 races on day one of the HARKEN Youth International Match Racing Championships. Barnes, a skipper in the RNZYS Lion Foundation Youth Training Programme, lost his lead of 6 wins out of 6 races at the 11th hour - 7.12pm – during flight 9 of the day’s racing to fellow Kiwi Adam Middleton from the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club.

Manly Sailing Club created a festival of windsurfing. Tricky conditions again greeted the windsurf sailors for the last two days of their regattas. Ten international sailors brought variety to all the fleets. A shifty settling south westerly had the sailors searching for any puffs they could get planning in. Those with keen eyes managed to get into them and plane upwind and make even bigger gain in the downwinds.

2013 is well underway and it’s great to hear all the news and results coming in from all the National Championships and other regattas on around the country at this time of year, and a few summer cruising tales too. There is plenty going on for the entire Yachting New Zealand team as we plan for the year ahead, and beyond, so here is an update for you.