YACHTING - Sailing boats take a battering in 20-knot winds

The holiday atmosphere continued on the foreshore at Parua Bay - but the real action yesterday was on the water.
Former Whangarei Cruising Club sailor Marcus Hansen, now sailing with Murray's Bay in Auckland, was leading the Starling field at the Starling and P Class national championships, along with North Harbour's Chris Steele and Sam McKenzie of Kohimarama, Auckland.
Leading the P Class after the second day was Sam McKay from Hawke's Bay, Canterbury's Gareth Moore and Erica Dawson of Murray's Bay.
Winds gusting up to 20 knots made things difficult for the youth sailors, said Whangarei Cruising Club spokesman Mike Wright.
It also meant a lot of repairs to boats after racing, with small holes and bent masts a common theme, Wright said.
This is the first year the Starling and P Class nationals are being held simultaneously. There are 120 Starlings and 53 P Class boats racing at Parua Bay, compared with 109 Starlings and 42 P Class in last year's nationals.
Racing finishes on Friday.