Auckland’s oldest sporting event sails into action as it has for 185 years on the region’s anniversary day next Monday.
The Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta, first held in 1840 to celebrate the founding of the province, is as organisers describe, “a fantastic on-water spectacle showcasing the vintage superstars of the past and high-tech heralds of the future”.
“The regatta attracts a huge fleet of vessels including lovingly restored classic yachts, modern racing keelers and multi-hulls, sailing dinghies and tugboats, along with waka ama, dragon boats and radio-controlled yachts.
“With events taking place at venues across the region, it’s a great day out for mariners and thousands of spectators who can see the maritime and trading history of our city in action, and the future of the sport of sailing, all together on the shimmering waters of the Waitemata.”
Young people aged 16 to 18 entered or wanting to participate in Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta activities on Monday, January 27, can also win a very special prize.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re skipper or crew – all you need to do is take part in the regatta and enter your details on the website www.regatta.co.nz to be in to win this prize,” say organisers.
“You could be a dinghy sailor or a tugboat driver, trim sails on a keeler or stoke the engine on a steamboat, keep time on a dragon boat or paddle waka ama.
“If you’re in the regatta and aged 16 to 18, you can enter to win an epic 10-day voyage on the Spirit of New Zealand worth $2995, thanks to the Spirit of Adventure Trust.
“It’s a life-changing experience – unlocking your potential, leaving you ready to face your future.
“This programme is the best way to up your courage, unlock your potential and make lifelong friends.”
Meanwhile, this year’s classic launch race on regatta day has eight outstanding vessels already entered, carrying a wealth of colourful history and the stories of whalers, fishermen and farmers from years gone by.
Among them is the 110-year-old launch Primadonna owned by Aucklander James Hutchinson, say regatta organisers.
Primadonna began her life as a whale-chaser, built for the Baldick family who were Tory Channel whalers and farmers.
She passed through a succession of owners – many of them descendants of the original owner – and underwent a number of modifications, before finally leaving the Marlborough Sounds to come to Auckland.
The history of Primadonna is documented in stories told by the descendants of the Baldick family and her other owners over the years, on the fantastic Waitemata Woodys website www.waitematawoodys.com – a treasure trove of nautical history.
Among the stories recounted is a discussion with Grace, the niece of the original owner, who reportedly said: “The old people are dead and gone but their boats live on.
“Their lives revolved around their boats, they were their daily transport, their farm boats, their fishing boats, they built many of them themselves and repaired and modified them.”
- For more information about Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta, see www.regatta.org.nz.
