Event cancellations triggers a doubling of fleet size at Tauranga Regatta

Tom Saunders quickly got to grips with the Zephyr © Nicola Harrison Photography

The large numbers who competed in the recent Tauranga Regatta made it challenging for both competitors and race management but highlighted the thirst for sailing events presently.

As many as 150 boats spread across 13 classes entered the event, up from 72 the previous year, which caught organisers a little by surprise. They did their best to accommodate everyone, which was challenging given the restrictions of space in the narrow and tidal Tauranga harbour.

"It was fantastic to see such support for this regatta" event organiser Nik Burfoot said. "Sailors and their families are clearly wanting to visit and race in different parts of the country.

"We had quite a challenge racing 150 boats and six starts on a 0.4 mile bit of water, but all classes handled themselves skillfully and took on board a sailing festival atmosphere embracing the need to consider many factors, especially how to manage the other fleets around the corners. Add Tauranga’s notable tide and all sailors had to be very alert all of the time."

The fact the event was also a round of the Starling Traveller Series boosted numbers, with 40 boats lining up, and there was also high interest in the Zephyr class following the cancellation of their national championships, attracting 28 entries.

"The 12 foot skiffs were a welcome addition and added some danger element to the regatta as they thread their way around and between 138 other boats during prestarts and around the corners," Burfoot said. "Hats off to them for their great attitude and skill demonstrated both on and off the water over the weekend. They are welcome back any time."

There was considerable interest in the Zephyr class where Burfoot, the 1994 ILCA 7 (Laser) world champion, found himself lining up against current ILCA 7 world champion Tom Saunders.

Saunders grew up sailing in Tauranga but had never sailed a Zephyr which, combined with the fact Burfoot had a faster boat, was a great equaliser.

The pair battled hard all weekend, finishing a boat length apart in two races, and setting the scene for a dramatic showdown in the final two races.

Both, however, were disqualified from the penultimate race as they fought for the heavily-favoured pin end at the start which hurt Saunders more because of his ninth in the first race when he was getting to grips with a new boat.

It meant Burfoot took out the title, with former Olympic windsurfing coach Grant Beck second and Saunders third.

There were a number of other notable sailors scattered throughout the event, with both Ray Davies and Mike Sanderson sailing with their sons in the Cherub class (Davies was first and Sanderson second).

"I would describe Tauranga regatta as a festival of sailing where sailors and their families come for a fun weekend and challenging racing. The Cherubs demonstrated this the best when they decided as a group to not do the last race on Saturday and instead went for a surf at Mt Maunganui followed by a stint at the hot pools. There needs to be more regatta like this where fun is the focus.

"Of course we have challenges with the amount of water we have to race in on Tauranga harbor, and Covid was doing its best to take out our key people helping running the event, but I was impressed with the whole team who made the event happen under difficult circumstances. We were determined."

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