Youngsters having fun at Murrays Bay SC. Image copyright Sean Photos/Murrays Bay SC.
by Zoe Hawkins
A programme of pre-race coaching with the top echelons of sailing has seen the Stack Interiors Winter Champs become an institution on the sailing calendar for young grassroots sailors.
Run by Murrays Bay Sailing Club in Auckland’s North Shore, the regatta, which starts on Friday 1 October, is an icebreaker that features three days of racing for junior and youth classes, and two days of racing for senior classes.
Youngsters having fun at Murrays Bay SC. Image copyright Sean Photos/Murrays Bay SC.
It also includes two days of intensive coaching in the lead up to racing. Run by Olympian Andrew Brown and Adrian Mannering, with the assistance of more than 20 top youth sailors including as 420 World Champion Alex Maloney, Optimist World Champion Chris Steele, and Olympic sailors Sara Winter and Jo Aleh, the coaching has provided a reason for sailors from throughout the country to travel to the event.
“This coaching is a real point of difference for the Winter Champs,” says Murrays Bay Sailing Club Commodore, Craig Moss. “It started in 2006 and thanks to the support we receive from top coaches and sailors, is highly successful.”
Youngsters having fun at Murrays Bay SC. Image copyright Sean Photos/Murrays Bay SC.
And then there is the racing: with an estimated 17 fleets adding up to an expected 250 boats on the starting line, the Stack Interiors Winter Champs is one of the biggest regattas in the country.
Those attending include the traditional junior classes such as Optimists, Starlings and P-Class, as well as modern classes such as Lasers, RXS and Techno Boards, racing in the waters between Murrays Bay and Rangitoto.
Youngsters having fun at Murrays Bay SC. Image copyright Sean Photos/Murrays Bay SC.
"Stack Interiors are supporting this event because we see it as a great opportunity for young sailors to experience sailing in big fleets, rubbing shoulders with some of the 'elite' of New Zealand sailing,” says David Gunn of Stack Interiors. If we can support the young people coming through it provides a great base for New Zealand sailing and provides valuable life skills for the kids involved"
Vodafone are providing a ticket for a lucky winner to sail on the massive record-breaking catamaran TeamVodafoneSailing, and other supporters of the event include principal sponsor and business interior design specialists Stack Interiors, the Auckland Yachting and Boating Association, Yachting New Zealand and Harken.
Youngsters having fun at Murrays Bay SC. Image copyright Sean Photos/Murrays Bay SC.
Coaching will take place on Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 September, with racing starting on Friday 1 September for Juniors, and Saturday 2 September for Youth and Seniors.
For more information or to enter visit www.murraysbay.org
