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When the Sandspit Yacht Club youth team competed at the inaugural Toyota Kiwi Cup Regatta recently, it was a unique experience in more ways than one.
Not only did the team get to race in state-of-the-art Elliott 7 keelboats, they also got to stay at the Royal
New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) base in Auckland for the duration of the event, along with the nine other crews, who made up the field.
From September 30 to October 4, around 50 kids called the RNZYS home with tents set up in the ballroom to house them – it was like school camp, Sandspit team manager Colin Ingham says.
RNZYS performance sailing manager Zak Merton says the sailors had three days of training and then the two-day regatta in the Emirates Team New Zealand Elliott 7s.
“I’m so proud of the 10 teams. At the start of the week a lot of these kids hadn’t sailed together or been in keelboats before,” Merton says.
On day one of the regatta, Sandspit found themselves at a disadvantage racing in heavy winds as they only had four sailors on board their Elliott 7, whereas most of the other teams had five.
Ingham’s daughter and sail trimmer Lucy Ingham says the team soon realised they were one short.
“We were a slightly lighter team. We invited four thinking that we’d get along fine. Then the racing started on Thursday, and that’s when we realized that five people on our boat might have been a bit better,” she says.
“In the heavier winds, and with the heavy tide of the Waitematā, you needed more people on board to keep the Elliott 7 down. So on the first day we were at the back of the fleet.”
However, with light winds on the second day, Sandspit was far more competitive.
“We had lighter winds so with our lighter crew, we went faster. I noticed a lot more pushiness amongst the boats, more aggressive sailing, more competition. We got a lot of thirds that day, bringing us up to fifth place overall,” she says.
Colin Ingham says it was a worthwhile experience and an opportunity for the young crews to learn new sailing skills and get out on the water in the elite Elliott 7s.
“It was a chance to spend time with their peers from around the country and create friendships and bonds.
“Just like any sporting fixture, it’s the people you meet and are involved with. They’re as big a part of the picture as the actual event itself.”
RNZYS general manager Sarah Wiblin says the Toyota Kiwi Cup was an opportunity for the squadron to support the next generation of sailing talent”.
