Maritime Heritage to come alive - Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta

by Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta Media on 7 Jan 2009 An armada of vintage, classic and modern day pleasure, racing and work vessels will set the pace on Monday, January 26, in New Zealand’s oldest sporting event, the Oceanbridge Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta.

First held 169 years ago as part of Auckland’s birthday celebrations, the regatta is believed to be one of the biggest one day regattas in the world, attracting hundreds of craft from tall ships, vintage tugboats, classic yachts, gaff riggers, racing keelers, sloops, sailing dinghies, sailboards, radio controlled boats and the navy frigate HMNZS Te Mana, the regatta flagship.

The fleet leaves at 9:00 am from Viaduct Harbour with a parade of sail and makes it way to the main race waters off Orakei Wharf.

Among the star attractions of the full day of on-water racing will be the tug and workboat race off North Head at 10:00am, attracting an expected 30-40 contenders fighting it out for line honours at Torpedo Bay. They will then parade in order of placing back into the Viaduct where there will be displays of tugs dancing and water fighting. Some of the fleet will be berthed there so people can look at them more closely.

There will be opportunities for landlubbers to compete for places on some of the racing tugboats, including the Ports of Auckland workhorses..

As well as the unadulterated power and manoeuvrability of the work boats, the venerable “queens of the harbour” will be racing too. Among these classic craft, which will be lit up at their Viaduct moorings at sundown on the Sunday evening, will be some of the most beautiful gaffers ever built here, including the just restored and relaunched Jessie Logan, one of the originals from the revered Logan Brothers shipyard in the 19th century.

Look out for Waitangi, Thelma, Rainbow, Ranger, Ragtime (Infidel) , Fidelis and Rawene who will also be on the water as will contenders preparing for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series and the Kiwi Cup for sailors with and without disabilities.

Best vantage points for action on the water are at North Head, Bastion Point, Tamaki Drive, East Coast Bays, Orakei Wharf and Viaduct Harbour.

Auckland City Council is providing a full programme of activities as a long weekend of Anniversary Weekend celebrations at the Viaduct.

Auckland City Anniversary Day Regatta On-Water Schedule

Sun 25 Jan:
3.00pm approx: Classic Vessels arrive in Viaduct, and lit up at dusk

Mon 26 Jan:
9.00am: Parade of Sail featuring tugboats, classic yachts and Tall Ships
Recapturing the glory and spectacle of bygone years our yachting heritage sets the scene with a Parade of Sail of a fleet of beautiful classic yachts and launches, tugboats and Tall Ships departing from the Viaduct
Harbour up to the race start line off Orakei Wharf.

10.00am: Tugboat Race start off North Head finishing approx 10.30am off Torpedo Bay
Watch this amazing display of manoeuvrability and speed as these wonderful craft roar up the channel -best vantage points are North Head or East Coast Bays beaches

10.00am: Radio Controlled Yacht races
Electron’s at Westhaven; Nautic 12’s at Viaduct Harbour, International One Metre’s at Wattle Farm

10am – 12.30pm: Centreboard Classes commence racing
Kohimarama Yacht Club, Northcote Birkenhead Yacht Club, Takapuna Boating Club, Tamaki Yacht Club and Wakatere Boating Club.

11.00am: First Start off Orakei Wharf
Keelboat races start off Orakei Wharf, Tamaki Drive (by Kelly Tarlton’s)

11.30am: Tugboat Parade and display
Tugboat parade in Viaduct Harbour and tugboat display off Princes Wharf with tug wrestling, dancing and water fights

12.15 – 12.30pm: Harbour Blast races start off Orakei Wharf
See some of the fastest boats on the water ‘blast’ off in a vision of colour and speed as they head off around the harbour

12.35pm: Super Yacht race start off Royal NZ Yacht Squadron (numbers permitting)

12.40pm: Yachts starting from Mahurangi, Kawau and Rakino arrive in harbour

Best spectator vantage points are Bastion Point, North Head, East Coast Bays, Tamaki Drive, Orakei Wharf and Viaduct Harbour

For more information and entry forms go to: www.regatta.org.nz