Building fire at Muaupoko Park in Levin last week. Photo / Benji Gaby
Building fire at Muaupoko Park in Levin last week. Photo / Benji Gaby
The old Horowhenua Sailing Club building burning down near the shore of Lake Horowhenua last week rekindled memories of halcyon days for the sport in the region.
The 1950s, 1960s and 1970s were boom decades for the sailing in Horowhenua, with an annual regatta held on Labour Day at Lake Horowhenua that could attract sailors from all over the country.
It was an era when the sailing club had a thriving membership and boats were on the water every weekend.
The upstairs of the club building at Muaūpoko Park provided a perfect viewing platform and clubrooms. Club boats were stored downstairs.
Spectators watching the Lake Horowhenua Sailing Club regatta from the clubhouse at Lake Horowhenua on 16th October 1999. Photo: Horowhenua Historical Society.
David Feek, who has more than 10 New Zealand sailing titles to his credit, started sailing on the lake in the 1970s in his early teens and remembers the club in its heyday hosting regattas that attracted boats from all over the country.
"It was not uncommon to have more than 100 boats on the water," he said.
"It was a lovely lake to sail on. Many young sailors learned to sail on the lake. It was brilliant for learning, and it was a great family club," he said.
"It is very challenging place to sail because there are a lot of wind shifts and it was brilliant in teaching you that tactical side of sailing.
"There were a lot of good sailors to come out of the club. Ray Howard, David Brown, Greg Williams and I think Derek Young all represented New Zealand."
Feek said people would travel for the annual Labour Weekend regatta, pitching tents on the grounds. There was often a sea of trailers parked behind the clubrooms.
A regatta at Lake Horowhenua in the 1970s. In the background is Moutere Hill. Photo: Horowhenua Historical Society.
Feek said about 10 years ago summer weed in the lake had made it near impossible to stage regattas, as it would tangle the bottom of vessels, impeding speed.
The weed forced the cancellation of a large regatta after yachts were being slowed mid-race. There had been no real competitive boating since and the club slowly disbanded.
Levin man Laurie Baines said he remembered helping paint the club building when it was built, and was one of many youngsters who were keen on sailing at the time, learning first to sail in a P-class boat owned by the club.
Before the clubrooms were built, he remembered a little boatshed near the lake edge with train tracks leading to the shoreline.
Baines said the lake was a relatively safe place to learn to sail. If a boat did capsize, the shore was always within sight and it was never very deep.
"It was a great training ground for a lot of people, in its day," he said.
The old building, built by the Horowhenua Sailing Club in the 1950s, had remained largely uninhabited for the past 10 years and had fallen victim to vandalism.
It was destroyed by fire shortly early Wednesday morning last week. The fire was being treated by police as suspicious.
