Napier Sailing Club is charting a course well beyond the next regatta, with a new five-year strategy taking shape after months of member consultation and support from Yachting New Zealand.
The club began with a strategy working group, picking through the key issues and opportunities on its plate. A member survey followed, pulling in more than 150 responses, a solid return for a club of its size. A workshop with 35 members came next, then a further session with the General Committee. The draft strategy that's emerged will now go back out to the wider membership and stakeholders including Napier City Council.
Commodore Gavin Earle says the exercise was about listening first.
"Rather than simply creating a plan in isolation, we wanted to genuinely understand what our members value, where the opportunities lie, and what success should look like over the next five years and beyond. The level of member engagement and enthusiasm throughout the process has been outstanding," Earle said.
Sailing isn't the only thing happening on the water at Napier. The club carries a large powerboat membership too, and the draft strategy leans into that mix rather than away from it.
Earle sums up the emerging direction in six words: "Sailing at the heart. More ways to enjoy the water."
Members who'd previously sat on the sidelines have started putting their hands up, asking how they can get involved.
Yachting New Zealand's Regional Development, Governance and Advocacy Manager Ingrid Harder has been alongside the club throughout, designing the survey and running the workshops.
"Ingrid's support and expertise have been instrumental," Earle said. "From designing and delivering a tailored member survey that generated more than 150 responses, to facilitating member and Committee workshops, she has helped us gather meaningful insights and build a robust strategic framework. Her guidance has ensured our strategy is grounded in member feedback and provides a clear direction for the Club's future."
Club Operations Manager Andrew Kearney sees it as a balancing act between what Napier has always been and what it could become.
"While the strategy process has reinforced that sailing remains at the heart of Napier Sailing Club, it has also highlighted the many ways people connect with the water," Kearney said. "With Ingrid's support, we've been able to develop a strategy that respects our heritage while positioning the Club for future growth, participation and community involvement."
Elsewhere, Auckland has landed a notable double. The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron will host both the World Sailing Youth and Women's Match Racing World Championships on the Waitematā in November 2027, backed by Auckland Council Events. The Youth Worlds run 15-20 November, with the Women's Worlds following from 22-26 November.
The regatta lines up with the 40th anniversary of the RNZYS Youth Training Programme, the pipeline that's produced much of New Zealand's current sailing talent. Ethan Fong, New Zealand's No. 2-ranked youth match racer who sailed at this year's Youth Worlds in Denmark, remains age-eligible for 2027. Top-ranked Kiwi skipper Megan Thomson, third when RNZYS last hosted the Women's Worlds in 2022, will be one to watch too.
Yachting New Zealand chief executive Steve Armitage called it a significant moment for the sport here. "These championships reinforce New Zealand's reputation as a world-leading sailing nation and provide an outstanding opportunity to showcase our exceptional race management, volunteers, and sailing venues to an international audience," he said. "Yachting New Zealand is proud to support the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in delivering what will be a world-class event in Auckland."
Further south, Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club hosted the 2026 Zespri AIMS Games sailing competition, with Saint Kentigern Girls' School sailor Annika Wells taking overall honours from a 70-strong Optimist fleet. She beat Tauranga Waldorf School's Marcus Daum and Kristin School's Charlie Thirkettle to the title after four days of racing, and also claimed the Year 8 Girls division outright.
Daum won Year 7 Boys, Thirkettle took Year 8 Boys, and Bucklands Beach Intermediate's Dallas Noyer won Year 7 Girls. Bucklands Beach Intermediate backed that up with the school team title, through Leo Wills and Noyer, ahead of Napier Intermediate and Kristin School.
Auckland's youth sailing calendar keeps rolling too. Torbay Sailing Club expects more than 350 young sailors at Waiake Beach for the 24th Sir Peter Blake Torbay Regatta on 5 and 6 December, the Southern Hemisphere's largest mixed centreboard youth regatta. Last year's turnout was 352 sailors, 327 boats, 15 fleets and 32 clubs.
It's not just about results. The Blake rewards sportsmanship as much as speed, with no ranking points up for grabs and the Sir Peter Blake Trophy going to the sailor who shows the right attitude as much as the right pace. Past winners include Olympic medallists Jo Aleh, Peter Burling and Sam Meech.
Running it isn't small either: four courses, 35 official boats, roughly 40 support craft and more than 150 volunteers. Entries are open to sailors under 19 as at 31 December 2026.
On the Waitematā, a new short-course series called the City of Sails Sprints has got under way, a joint effort between Northcote Birkenhead Yacht Club, Ponsonby Cruising Club and RNZYS. Young 88, Stewart 34, MRX, Etchells and Elliott 7 fleets will race fortnightly through to 1 April 2027, with races starting at 6pm either side of the Auckland Harbour Bridge. On-water coaching will be allowed under special rule changes, useful for crews still finding their feet.
Organisers say pooling resources across three clubs should mean fewer calendar clashes and lower running costs, while still getting boats out on the water more often.
Murrays Bay Sailing Club has barely paused for breath. After hosting the PredictWind Youth Trials, it ran its Winter Champs on 3-4 October, drawing more than 60 sailors. Aurora Edhouse, Isabel Ma, Taran Bates, Luca Blundell, Riley Dean and Jasper Camezind took out their respective fleets.
Season Opening Day follows on 11 October, with a twist: old sailing gear donated by members will be auctioned off to help fund new marks and equipment. There'll be a BBQ too.
Hobsonville Yacht Club is opening its doors to the local community, with a come-and-try day at the Upper Waitematā Marine Centre on Launch Road, running 11am to 3pm. A supervised taste of the water, followed by a BBQ.
In Christchurch, the Canterbury Yachting Association has taken delivery of a new coach boat, now sitting in storage at Pleasant Point Yacht Club while two surplus vessels go up for sale. CYA chair Alastair Burgess has thanked those who backed the purchase and is after suggestions for a name ahead of the association's next meeting.
Wellington's Worser Bay Boating Club will host the 2027 ILCA New Zealand National Championships from 20-24 January, with the ILCA 7, ILCA 6 and ILCA 4 fleets racing on Wellington Harbour. Entries are open now.
Offshore, more than 60 boats are already signed up for the 2026 PIC Coastal Classic, with entries closing Monday, 12 October. The 40-year-old race, run by the New Zealand Multihull Yacht Club, starts Friday, 23 October, sending fleets north to the Bay of Islands.
NZ Multihull Yacht Club Commodore Adrian Percival reckons the appeal hasn't dimmed in four decades. "The PIC Coastal Classic continues to reel sailors in because it offers something for everyone. Every year is different, and the feeling of making landfall in Russell after the run north never changes."
