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Three professional yachtsmen are putting their considerable experience behind the recently formed Mangawhai Sailing Club.
Adam Minoprio who, at age 11, was the youngest winner of the NZ Optimist Nationals, Dan Jowett, who has a background in yacht aerodynamics and America’s Cup challenges, and world yachting champion Ed Smyth are all on the club executive, which formed in March.
Club commodore Craig Whitehead says all three sailors are “very keen” to be involved in the development of a youth sailing programme in Mangawhai.
“We’re very fortunate to have these professional sailors involved,” he said.
The club held its inaugural regatta on Sunday, November 2, with 17 boats launching onto the estuary and more than 40 members participating. Activities included competitive sailing, as well as model boat racing on land.
Whitehead says the Sunday sailings will continue over summer, offering a mixture of fun sailing and racing.
“The juniors are sailing optimists, while adults are in lasers, sunbursts and catamarans,” Whitehead says.
At the moment, the club is using a mixture of donated, private and borrowed boats, but the long-term aim is to have its own fleet.
“We’re just identifying at this stage which will be the best two-person boats to use on the estuary.
“We want to remove any barriers, including financial, so that the programmes and activities we offer will be accessible to any child who wants to learn.
“We’re starting to look at fundraising, so if there are any corporate sponsors who read this, I would love to hear from them.”
Whitehead says the estuary is a challenging environment to learn to sail because of its tidal flow.
“But tides and winds are a reality of sailing, so if someone learns to sail in these conditions, it will put them in good stead for any type of sailing they might like to do in the future.”
The club grew out of the Rotary Learn to Sail programme, which has successfully provided free sailing lessons to more than 100 local children on the Mangawhai estuary.
To learn more about the club, go to www.mangawhaisailing.nz. If anyone is interested in corporate sponsorship of the club, contact Craig Whitehead directly on 021 502 801.
