International regatta starts in Tauranga

International crews will be racing Nolex 25s in Tauranga. Supplied photo.

An unusual task for organisers of this week's PacRim regatta on Tauranga harbour is finding enough of the Noelex 25 yachts that will be used by the teams of the six nations taking part.

The New Zealand designed trailer sailer was popular in the early 1980s, but they don't make them anymore, and yachts were borrowed for the regatta.

'We have 12 Noelex 25s, two per team,” says PacRim committee chairman Fred Jeanes. 'If the weather is good they will be racing outside off the main beach, if inclement it will be in the harbour.”

Yachties from Australia, Japan, Russia, Canada and the US plus supporters will be home staying in Tauranga during the event, which is held every two years.

'We've got 102 overseas visitors, so it's quite big. In each team there's eight sailors and the rest are ambassadors,” says Fred.

'It is all home hosted, that's one of the secrets of it, the home hosting. They get to experience the kiwi way of doing things - good and bad.”

New Zealand has won about seven of the PacRim regattas which have their origin in the late 1980s at the Bellingham Yacht Club in Washington State.

Ross Currie is the skipper of one of the Tauranga teams and helped locate the Noelex fleet which makes the Tauranga regatta unique.

'We've gone to other regattas before where we've had to use two sets of boats to get 12,” says Ross.

'And because they are small boats we do need to get that many because otherwise we are only getting four people on a boat instead of eight. Each team has two crews of four.”

They are not making them anymore, but there are still plenty of them about. There is still an active class association, which has set racing rules about sail sizes and types to keep completion even.

'That's what makes them a good competitive boat to be involved with,” says Ross. 'They are a good all round boat that's stood the test of time.”

'It hasn't been easy to get the boats. We have been a little bit selective in trying to ensure that the boats are going to be in good condition and in have been used for racing as well.

'The good thing about a racing boat is they have to be kept up to a pretty high standard. Simply to make them competitive. If you don't keep them up to scratch then things start breaking on them and they are no longer competitive. That's the reason we've been a little selective, so we have got reliability.”

Half the fleet comes from the Rotorua Lakes where they regularly race on Lake Rotoiti. There's one from Taupo, another from Napier and four from Tauranga

As incentive the owners each get to keep the new jibs manufactured by Burton Sails in Tauranga for the occasion.

'It evens the fleet out for performance to a large degree, and the owners get to keep the sail,” says Ross. 'We are very indebted to the owners of the boats.”

The owners also get to ride along for the regatta.

Ross Currie is sailing with the team that raced in Bellingham two regattas back; Grant McMillan, Lisa Knapton, Ray Carter. The other Tauranga team is Paul Sloane with Delwyn Keyworth, Leslie Goddard and Sharon Stewart.

Racing begins in earnest today. Final Race is on Friday March 16 and a closing ceremony that evening.

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