Auckland - city of sails

by Lisa Ratcliff on 19 May 2010 On the eve of the Sanctuary Boat Show, Ocean magazine looks back at the sell out Auckland International Boat Show which was at the centre of the country’s biggest boating event since the 2003 America’s Cup, the Louis Vuitton Trophy series.

As part of its March Festival of Sailing, Auckland staged back to back regattas intermingled with the most successful Auckland International Boat Show ever in terms of the number of exhibitors and attendance.

The eventful month kicked off with the Livesport Telecom New Zealand Women’s Match Racing Championships followed by the Omega Auckland Match Racing Regatta, Louis Vuitton Trophy Series, Auckland International Boat Show and BMW Sailing World Cup Final. Later in the same month the city of sails announced it successfully bid to host of the leg four finish of the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race.

It was unsurprising the place was swarming with Aussies including show exhibitors, Olympic match racing hopefuls , umpires and a sprinkling of Australia’s best America’s Cup exports amongst the eight international teams vying for the Louis Vuitton Trophy.

After taking in an eyeful of the latest gadgets, many show-goers were left itching for a little on-water action themselves and Sail NZ located in the Viaduct provided the perfect outlet. A tourism experience offering two hours crewing aboard 1995 America’s Cup built boats NZL 40 and 41, Sail NZ is operated by a friendly professional crew who are very au fait with the Australian sailing scene and encourage guests to be involved as much – or as little – as they like.

For those wanting to delve deeper into New Zealand’s extensive America’s Cup involvement, visitors could meander through the new Blue Water Black Magic exhibition at the Voyager New Zealand Maritime Museum, a stunning tribute to the country’s leading exponent, Sir Peter Blake.

Kiwi sailors and boat builders are at the forefront of the marine industry and per capita Aucklanders build and own more boats than any other country in the world. Auckland is the hub of a marine industry that is expected to grow by 140% by 2020 while super yacht production is expected to grow by $450 million over the next decade.

The city is sprucing up for next year’s Rugby World Cup, with up to 70,000 international guests due to land on the doorstep, and beyond. Two major redevelopments, Wynyard Quarter and Yard 37 will shift Auckland’s centre of gravity and turn the already buzzing waterfront into one of the world’s top super yacht refit destinations.

Auckland has demonstrated time and time again that it rises well above the challenge of hosting a major international event.

For the full article on the Auckland International Boat Show pick up the latest issue of Ocean magazine.

www.aucklandinternationalboatshow.com
www.aucklandnz.com