| |
New Zealand > Sports > Yachting
 Yachting is a popular pastime in most coastal towns and cities with
involvement in national and international competitions. New Zealand won the America's Cup from the US and retained it from the Prada
challenge in 2000 and then lost it to the Swiss challengers
in February 2003. The races were held in the Hauraki Gulf
off Auckland's north shore.
The Americas Cup began in 1848 when Queen Victoria authorized the creation of a "One Hundred Guinea
Cup" of solid silver (134oz) and 27" tall, for a yacht race "open to all
nations." In 1851 one American boat challenged 16 English ships. The Royal Yacht
"Squadron" of Cowes, England was the host. The New York Yacht Club entry was
the schooner "America designed by." W.H. Brown, who was so confident of his
design that he refused payment if "America" did not win. The oft-quoted
remark by the Queen was sparked by a great lead and victory around the Isle
of Wight over the 16 other yachts. She asked, "Who is first?" "America" has
won, she was told. "Who was second," asked the Queen? The reply still echoes
- "Your Majesty, there is no second."
Since then, the interplay of national pride, giant egos,
wide-ranging brilliant designs, and now modern technology have kept the cup
very much alive. The 132 years of successful defense by the New York Yacht
Club remains the longest record in sports history. Sir Thomas Lipton tried
for 31 years to win The Cup, commencing in 1899. From schooners, to J-boats,
to 12 meters to the current IOAC designs, men's brains, wits, skills and
money have been locked in sea-swept combat.
Coastal
Classic Yacht Race - Auckland To Russell
This annual race starts between
Oraki Wharf and North Head on the Friday of Labour weekend.
There may up to 200 x 20 to 60 foot
yachts. This race
is a classic which young, old, experienced
and amateur sailors can be involved in. Some
yachties take it very seriously, while others
simply enjoy the journey.
New high
performance boats can use this race to gauge
their boat speed before big events, such as
the Volvo Ocean Race. Some boats are made
especially for this race, to try and break
the record. Other high
tech boats, which don’t get used much,
take advantage of this race to out do
one-another along the coastline, and blow the
cobwebs out of their sails.
Some of
the sights include a lot of islands such as
Kawau, Tiritiri, and The Hen and Chicks. The
Hen and Chicks are a sight to behold, poking
out of the ocean. They were named so, because
of their likeness to a mother hen. Other
interesting things can include dolphins,
whales and sea birds. This race can have its extremes
of light airs and heavy airs and wind
direction plays a big factor for some of
these boats to do well. The best direction is
a strong westerly to south-westerly wind.
Boats can
lose masts, and a lot of boat damage occurs
in this race because of heavy conditions, and
the sailors pushing their boats to the
limits. All boats have a safety check prior
to racing, to check that they have everything
to the correct requirements. Cape Brett
is the turning point of the race, where they
turn to go to Russell. What usually happens
here is the race restarts, because often the
breeze dies around Cape Brett and/or the wind
direction changes, which can allow the back
markers a chance to catch up. Sometimes boats
can be sitting idle for many hours before
something happens.
The
leading boats will turn up between 11pm
– Midnight, while other boats may take
till lunchtime Saturday to arrive. When
crossing the line, they are greeted by a guy
in an inflatable boat with beers for the
crew. When the boats turn up they get tied up
in order of how they finished and the
drinking begins!
Russell becomes the host to all
the participants and their families and
friends, the bay fills up with a large
assortment of boats and the atmosphere is
jovial. This event is huge in Russell, and
creates a lot of excitement in the area. The
guys love telling the stories of the trip up,
as each boat has a unique story to be told,
and yarning goes late into the night, as does
the drinking. There is a
big prize giving, and speeches, much fanfare
and loud partying on Saturday night. It is a
very fun place to be, and if you are into
sailing, a neat time to get involved.
|
|
|
|
