Tidelines: Classic visitor

Just berthed at the National Maritime Museum is Moonbeam, a beautiful 95ft gaff cutter. Moonbeam, one of the biggest classic yachts to visit Auckland this America's Cup defence season, was designed by William Fife jnr and built in 1914, but not commissioned until after World War I. The yacht has been restored in Burma, where it was taken back to its original condition. Moonbeam will take part in the International Classic Yacht Regatta. More details on Classic Yachts NZ


Performance talk

Hamish Mackie, from the School of Sport at Unitec, is organising a conference aimed at improving the knowledge of physical performance in yachting. Topics covered include dinghy sailing, boardsailing, keelboat racing, physical condition, biomechanics, nutrition, administration and coaching. The conference, at Unitec on January 9-10 next year, incorporates the 4th European conference on sailing science and sports medicine and the 3rd Australian Sailing Science conference.

Summit chief

The man who won the America's Cup for Australia, Sir James Hardy, is moving out of the BRL Hardy boardroom early next year to help to promote sailing. The Navman 5th International Sailing Summit is being held in Geelong January 21-23 with Hardy as its director. Organisers say the summit's aim is to work out how to get more people messing about in boats. International delegates will be drawn from boatbuilders, marina operators, sailmakers, publishers, club-level administrators, and yachtsmen.

WaterWatch

Both ends of the sailing spectrum will be in action this weekend - the America's Cup challengers on the Waitemata and P-Class Tanner Cup hopefuls closer to the shore.

Saturday: Starling match-racing trials at Torbay and Howick (TSC and HSC); Tanner Cup trials at Kohimarama and Murrays Bay (KYC and MBSC).

Sunday: M Class harbour series, Race 1 (RNZYS); Small boat summer series for ff15s and Solings (RAYC); Starling trials at Torbay (TSC).

* Organisations planning events on or in the Waitemata or Manukau harbours should register with the Auckland Regional Council Enviroline on 0800 80 60 40.