What began as a small shed stored behind a post office in 1949 has evolved into one of New Zealand’s most respected and successful yacht clubs.
Bucklands Beach Yacht Club (BBYC) is this year celebrating a significant milestone – its 75th jubilee.
To mark the occasion, it’s staging a dinner at its clubhouse at Half Moon Bay Marina on September 21 as well as a race to and around Browns Island in the Hauraki Gulf and back.
The race starts at 2.45pm on September 14 and the organisers hope it delivers fun and excitement for competitors and spectators alike.
Club manager Lyle Tresadern says the jubilee dinner will be a chance for old and current members to catch up and have a yarn.
“It’s quite difficult to find some of the old members. Some of them are around but others could be all over the place.
“It’s a dinner at a reasonable price of only $30 and a band so it’s a proper celebration.”
Over the years the club has developed numerous well-known Kiwi sailors including Olympic medalists Earle Wells and siblings Barbara and Bruce Kendall, America’s Cup sailors Brad Butterworth and Joey Allen, Volvo Ocean Race competitors Brad Jackson, Leah Newbold, and Ross Field, and Sydney to Hobart racer Keryn McMaster.
Tresadern says there’s multiple reasons why so many of the club’s sailors have achieved high-level success, including them having learned about hard work, commitment, and doing things properly.
“We’ve been high-profile and when you look at the medalists there probably hasn’t been another [New Zealand] club that’s had as many medalists at the Olympics,” he says.
“One of the interesting things about here is that it’s quite tidal. It’s an estuary and you can see the sandbank, so you’ve got the issues of trying to avoid sandbanks and trying to work the tide properly.
“They’re learning all those skills, and the wind funnels through here. When they go overseas it helps them a lot that they’ve experienced that when they’re younger.”
Club Commodore Vaughan Hunt says a key part of the BBYC’s spirit is to support the local community.
It does that through its involvement in junior sailing programmes including RUNA, which is run with Yachting NZ.
“It’s a school-based programme and they learn about the estuary and the history of the area, and then science-wise around energy efficiencies and the environment.
“We assist with teaching kids from all over Auckland to sail. Then we’ve got the have-a-go, which we do with our local primary schools. That’s more of a club-based training.
“They go through RUNA, have-a-go, and Centreboarders, and we’ve just purchased 10 Elliot 7s [keelboats].
“We’re trying to keep the youth interested and involved. Obviously this is the succession of this place and the only way to keep the sport alive.
“We only purchased them [the Elliot 7s] in February and we only joined RUNA last year so the whole linkage is starting to work now. We’re super excited.”
Tickets to the club’s jubilee dinner are selling fast. To book, phone 09 534 3046.
