KEY POINTS:
One of the country's largest and most enjoyable gatherings of keel boats is now less than three weeks away.
The 2008 Bay of Islands Sailing Week regatta, organised by a committee of representatives of the Opua Cruising Club, Kerikeri Cruising Club, Russell Boating Club and the Bay of Islands Yacht Club, will begin on Tuesday, January 22 with registration at 1600 hours and briefing at 1900.
Racing will begin the next day and continue throughout the week until Friday, January 25, with the final prizegiving in the tent on Opua Wharf at 1900 hours.
Races will consist of windward-leeward and bay races with positions calculated using IRC, PHRF and General Handicap. There are seven divisions for keel boats, ranging from A Division with its 15m-plus swing keelers down to the 7m yachts of E Division. There is also a non-spinnaker division.
Flying Fifteens and Sport Boats will race inside the bay in the waters between Paihia and Russell.
There is a prizegiving, complete with spot prizes from both local and national sponsors, after each day's racing. This takes place in the Opua Wharf tent, which also features a "well-stocked" bar and food from the award-winning Waikokopu Cafe (named Best-in-Northland in Cafe magazine's annual awards).
The "Battle of the Navies" will be a highlight for this year's regatta. For the first time, a Royal New Zealand Navy crew will compete against crews from the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Navy. All three will sail in the RNZN's Chico 40s.
The first Bay of Islands Sailing Week regatta was held in January 2003 and attracted a competitive fleet of 39 yachts.
By 2007, the regatta was so successful, yachts from as far away as Wellington, Napier and Christchurch were travelling to the event.
Regatta spokeswoman Lesley Haslar says one of the reasons the event is so popular is the type of racing the bay can offer.
"Unlike in a sheltered harbour, there are open waters here, along with a large swell," she says. "This is as close to offshore sailing as it gets."
Those wanting to register can download PDF entry forms and information packs and get accommodation suggestions from bayofislandssailingweek.org.nz.
