All Go! Supplied image.
by Susan Robinson-Derus
Auckland’s maritime history will come alive on the Waitemata Harbour on Monday, 1 February with a fleet of vintage, classic and modern please, racing and work boats vying for line honours in the 170th Oceanbridge Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta.
Tall ships, gaff riggers, sloops, racing keelers, sailing dinghies, radio controlled boats, elegant classic yachts and grunty tugboats, all under the gaze of the flagship, the navy frigate HMNZS Te Mana, will be out on the water competing in a full day of racing and displays.
Among the contenders in the classic yacht division will be Jason Prew who owns two classics and is looking after another two as he continues his love affair with these beautiful craft.
“I love the look of the classic and the way they sail,” says Jason who manages a computer store in Newmarket when he is not restoring his boats. “They sit low in the water, look so nice under sail and cut through the water instead of skimming across like a modern boat.”
He will be racing restored beauty, Rawene, competing against some of Auckland’s legendary racing yachts for line honours on the Waitemata Harbour including Thelma, Rainbow, Ranger, Gloriana, Tawera and Little Jim. Many of these beautiful vessels will be lit on Sunday evening at their moorings in Viaduct Harbour.
A7 and A2. Supplied image.
Two Australian classic yachts, Wraith of Odin and Fair Winds, will also race in the 170th regatta and then compete in the four day Southern Trust Classic Yacht Regatta starting on 12 February.
A highlight of the day will again be the tugboat race with some 30 tugs and towing launches, many of them vintage vessels, from around Auckland, Northland and Bay of Plenty, joining the line up.
It will be a real family affair for the seafaring Thompson clan, headed by Jimmy Thompson, founder of Thompson Towing, who is described by son, Mike “as mental about tugs”. The extended family includes members of the legendary Lidgard Bros boatbuilding family and the Browns, well known as coastal tugboat and tender skippers.
Three generations will be racing in the tug and workboat race with the Thompsons entering three of the five tugs they own.
A new course has been set with the finish line off the southern end of Devonport Wharf, providing great vantage points for landlubbers to enjoy the action. At 11.30 am following the race, there will be a display and parade of tugs through the ages around Viaduct Harbour. Many of the tugboats will then berth at the Viaduct to allow closer inspection by enthusiasts.
“We’re expecting the best fleet yet with hard competition and a feast for the eyes,” says tugboat race organiser, Baden Pascoe.
The Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Mana is the regatta flagship for the day to provide additional pomp and spectacle to the Anniversary Day Regatta which is now known as the Oceanbridge Anniversary Day Regatta to acknowledge the long term sponsorship of North Shore based shipping company and sailing supporter, Oceanbridge.
HMNZS Taupo, one of the new inshore navy patrol vessels, will be the official race committee boat for the 2010 event and will be positioned on the race start line off the end of Princess Wharf enabling spectators on shore to get up close to the action. There will be excellent vantage points around the harbour shoreline and North Head, Bastion Point and Orakei.
Onshore, there will be a lively programme of entertainment all weekend including the Auckland Buskers Festival, the Auckland Seafood Festival and free entry to Voyager National Maritime Museum.
“This really will be a wonderful birthday to celebrate Auckland,” Mr Mahoney said.
“This is a unique event for sailors and for spectators on shore to see our maritime heritage in action on the Waitemata Harbour,” said Regatta Organising Committee Chairman, Eric Mahoney. “This year we also have interest from across the Tasman with two classic beauties entered to compete for line honours against some of Auckland’s legendary classic racing yachts and there will also be a great to watch tussle on the water with the vintage tugboats and workboats racing to the finish line off Devonport.”
Bean Rock. Supplied image.
On the Sunday evening, 31 January, some of the stars of the classic yacht fleet, fresh from a day’s racing, will be berthed and lit up at the Viaduct Harbour at O’Hagan’s Landing (by Simunovich Fisheries).
Around 11.30am on the Monday after the tugboat race and a parade and display to show off their power and agility, some of these old-timers will be berthed at the same place and members of the public are welcome to look them over.
There will be a lot of activity around the viaduct as the regatta fleet heads to the race grounds in the harbour under the watch of the Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Mana, the regatta flagship for the day. HMNZS Taupo, one of the new inshore navy patrol vessels, will be the official race committee boat for the 2010 event and will be positioned on the race start line off the end of Princess Wharf enabling spectators on shore to get up close to the action. There will be excellent vantage points around the harbour shoreline and North Head, Bastion Point and Orakei.
Onshore, there will be a lively programme of entertainment all weekend including the Auckland Buskers Festival, the Auckland Seafood Festival and free entry to Voyager National Maritime Museum.
The family of regatta sponsors headed by Oceanbridge Shipping Limited also includes Auckland City Council, Ports of Auckland Limited, Classic Hits 97.4FM, Southern Trust, Lion Foundation and the Spirit of Adventure Trust with generous support from the Royal New Zealand Navy.
Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta
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