The Mahurangi Regatta

Classics and Veterans get together in New Zealand.
From Boat Designer John Welsford in Hamilton, NZ.

New Zealand is a place with an unusually high proportion of boat owners. It has been said that the largest city, Auckland, with just on a million people has approximately 50,000 boats and the city has been know to have 5000 boats turn out to farewell the fleet in the Whitbread Race a few years back and the spectator fleet during the Americas Cup racing was almost as big. Yacht racing has always been a popular sport here, and the boats are generally well built and well looked after so there are a huge number of classics still being actively raced, and a circuit of Veteran and Vintage events has grown up for these graceful old ladies.

We have a holiday weekend at the beginning of February, summertime here in the South Pacific of course, and it has as its finale the Auckland Anniversary Regatta on Monday. This event has seen up to 1200 entries from the kids in their optimists through the latest hot racers and retired 12Metres with things like square rigged ships and gaff schooners making the scene a varied and interesting one.

But earlier in the weekend, the classics assemble at Mahurangi, about 25 miles north of the city in a very sheltered estuary big enough to hold the fleet of close to 500 that was there this year. The Saturday saw races ranging from foot races for the children on the beach, a hard fought kayak and fixed seat rowing race that circled the anchorage twice before a close run winner came across the line, classic and traditional dinghies in a group of their own. and all comers in the main event which runs back and forth past the spectator area on the wonderfully sheltered beach, along the main channel and out around the island that shelters the entrance to the harbour. We had entries that included the lovely barquentine Spray built by Ralph Sewell and a veteran of a 5000 mile voyage to Mururoa near Tahiti to protest the nuclear weapons testing, the Logan built Thelma was there and in great shape in spite of her 100 plus years, a beautiful junk rigged schooner , a 1900s vintage Baltic trader and there was a full size replica double hulled Polynesian voyaging canoe there carrying spectators out to where they could get right up close to the action.

The party afterwards saw among the revellers a whole lot of notable names including cruising book Authors Lin and Larry Pardey, designer Des Townson, singlehanded circumnavigator Mike Fletcher, several rockstar sailors from past Americas Cup campaigns and Whitbread races and some very hot local sailors with very good knowledge of the currents and conditions in their home waters. Its not only a good place for seeing some beautiful boats, there is a wonderful social atmosphere and everyone is happy to stop for a few words, no one stands on ceremony and just being there makes everyone equals.

I get involved in things like the rowing event, and help with handicapping and judging these days so spend my time on the beach which gives me time to watch and enjoy the huge variety of boats. Between my camera and those of some of the others there we have some really good shots and have picked out a few for you. I’m not going to include race results, they are not that relevant anyway. This day is really about near perfect weather, warm temperatures and lovely scenery as a backdrop to some wonderful boats, it’s a great event for anyone interested in classic boats.

John Welsford,
Designer
New Zealand - May 2006
www.jwboatdesigns.co.nz

Photos of the event are in John's gallery.