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Sail-World.com : Century old sailing club morphs into new facility and new life
Century old sailing club morphs into new facility and new life
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Northcote Birkenhead Yacht Club, which sits on the water’s edge on Birkenhead Point, is about to undergo a massive transformation.
A planned renovation to the Clubhouse has resource and building consent approval with construction due to start by the end of April, with the vision to provide a pathway for marine education within the local community.
Club Commodore Graham Thow has been a driving force behind the upgrade project which has been in the planning for a few years, and he is excited to be on the brink of bringing it to fruition.
'The Club will be an incredible viewing platform for marine events suitable for local, regional and even potentially national events,' says Thow. 'The facility will be of use to multiple organisations within the marine education field and also to groups and individuals within the community.'
Thow is quick to point out that the project is very much a team effort due to the support from our committees and Club members during the 6 years planning.
 | Racing on the upper Waitemata - |
The renovation will see the Clubhouse get a new roof, new windows to open up wide expansive views, a relocated Committee room, a sheltered deck for functions, a full commercial kitchen, and become a disabled –friendly facility. New boat storage for the Club’s four safety boats and 420 class yachts, plus approval from Council for a secure, fully fenced hard-stand storage area for fully rigged boats will further enhance what the Club has to offer members and the community.
The Club currently owns over twenty sailing dinghies which are used to introduce people of all ages into the sport of sailing, and the Club is looking to expand on this even further.
They plan to double the Club’s fleet of double-handed 420 dinghies from three to six to launch a new High School Teams Sailing Programme.
Already in discussions with some local high schools the Club hopes to attract students from all over the North Shore to Northcote Birkenhead Yacht Club. They hope to launch the programme in the 2011/2012 summer season and through programme sponsorship will offer sailing to children who might not otherwise have the opportunity to be involved.
'We want to bring kids in at the bottom with our fleet of 15 Optimists,' explains Thow, 'and as they grow they can move into the single-handed or double-handed X3 training boats, and then step up to the High School Teams Sailing Programme.'
'We see what we are offering as complimentary to, rather than in competition with, the other Yacht Clubs on Auckland’s North Shore, because we will provide opportunities for both single and double handed sailing, without the need to purchase a boat.
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The internal design for the new-look Clubrooms will offer a wider range of uses including the capacity to host community functions. The toilet, shower and changing block will be a separate security area and anyone from local wind-surfers, kayakers and even ferry commuters will be able to use these facilities by joining as a non-sailing associate member of the Club.
Northcote and Birkenhead Yacht Clubs have been in existence since at least 1910 with the first Northcote Regatta being held in March 1910.
The existing building was originally transported to the site on an Auckland Harbour Board barge and then lifted by floating crane onto a steel frame at its current site in 1985. The top floor started life as a stevedore’s smoko shed and offices on one of Auckland’s wharfs and is between 60 to 80 years old. With a little TLC it will be an asset for our community and sailing for another 50 years.
For more on the Northcote Birkenhead Yacht Club visit www.nbyc.org.nz and see the gallery by clicking here
by NBYC Media
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http://www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?nid=82079
7:54 AM Tue 5 Apr 2011 GMT
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