For about 30 young Hawke's Bay people from schools and waka ama clubs last weekend was one of learning the finer points of sailing preparation and taking to the wateraboard the Te Matau a Maui Voyaging Trust waka.
And it was also a time for the students, aged between 13 and 22, and members of the trust to pause and give special thoughts to the late Roger Weiss who, with his wife Reydan, created the Elephant Hill winery at Te Awanga - near the sea they enjoyed.
Mr Weiss died while in Germany late last month.
Te Matau a Maui Voyaging Trust administrator Michelle Smith said Mr Weiss and his family had planned to call by and take in some of the activities at the Youth Hawke's Bay Weekend Workshop as Elephant Hill had stepped in to sponsor it.
Ms Smith said Roger Weiss had a great love of sailing and had been keen to learn the history of the Pacific so was keen to step in and help the trust run its youth programmes.
The Weiss family are in Germany in the wake of Mr Weiss' funeral there.