Over 200 sailors enjoy WPNSA sun at the S & SW Regional Junior Championships
by Peter Solly 16 Jul 2024 00:48 NZST
22-23 June 2024
Fleets of RS Tera, Topper, Optimist, RS Feva and ILCA 4 gathered at WPNSA over the weekend of 22-23 June. Pulled together at very short notice by the Class Associations with WPNSA as organising authority, the event was a huge success.
With Championship, Coached Regatta and Onboard fleets, there were over 200 young sailors on the water.
The Championship Fleet course, with Paul Kimmens as excellent PRO, had RS Tera (Sport & Pro), Topper (4.2 & 5.3), RS Feva, Optimist and ILCA fleets. 140 boats in 7 fleets spread over five starts on the same course was impressive to watch, and ran like clockwork.
The Coached Regatta Fleet was lead by Coach Duncan West, with Martyn Emberson as Race Officer and a team of experienced & qualified coaches in support. The Andrew Simpson Centre ran an Onboard Fleet.
Saturday morning began with gentle 8-knot breezes, and gently built through the day. With gusts of mid-20s by the afternoon, there were some great sailing conditions in the sun. There were many happy & satisfied sailors returning to shore at the end of the day, most of whom had a lovely BBQ evening with friends.
Sunday was always forecast to be lighter, but after being held ashore for 2 hours, the fleets launched into 5-6 knots. The wind gradually built, delivering close and exciting races for all of the classes.
The event was a great success, and should certainly remain in the diary - in fact WPNSA have booked the weekend of 21-22 June 2025 already. A big part of the value is the 3 fleets - the OnBoard Fleet suitable for younger siblings who aren't ready for a race course or just want to experience the buzz of a fun family-orientated event; the Coached Regatta for those who are starting to race but aren't yet ready for busy & competitive start lines; and the Championship fleet for the top junior sailors in each class.
The depth and breadth in the fleet demonstrates what the younger sailors can aspire to, and enables Clubs to send mutually-supportive teams of sailors of different standards and experience levels. This event has been the first step for many young sailors starting to sail away from their home clubs.
A big thank you to all of those who stepped up at the last minute to pull this together: the whole WPNSA team, the Class Associations, the clubs and classes who leant RIBs for the event, and all of the volunteers who helped over the weekend and with the planning & organisation,
Huge thanks also to the kind prize sponsors: Rooster Sailing, RS Sailing, CoastWaterSports, CFbyLandL, Bee Sails and all the other supporters.
See more Event photos