Tauranga's sails are set to celebrate 100 years of P Class sailing this week.

All past P Class sailors, builders and anyone with any association to this pugnacious boat that is so easily rightable after a capsize, are encouraged to come and participate in the Coombes Johnston BMW Centenary Regatta from January 3-9.

The regatta, which will be held at the Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat Club at Sulphur Point, inlcudes the 84th sailing of the Tanner Cup from January 4-5, followed by the 80th sailing of the Tauranga Cup from January 7-9.

The Centenary Race is being held at 3pm on January 6, followed by a “Legends” Dinner on Sunday, January 7, with a number of 'legends' including Jimmy Gilpin attending.

P Class boats sailing at the start of the Wihau Shield race on Tauranga harbour in April 2023. Photo: Supplied.

Love them or hate them, the P Class has been sailed by not only many of New Zealand top sailors, old and new, but also by many of the ordinary “get out there and do it” sailors.

The numbers attending the national championships and the number of clubs they come from might be down, but the evolution of Harry Highet’s P Class has meant that it has progressed and is still relevant to today's young sailors.

The P Class originally came to Tauranga in 1922 when its creator Harry Highet moved to the city.

Harry had previously designed several 14-footers, but after facing the cost of building his house, he had to economise and scale his 14-footer design down by half.

Bay of Plenty representative Thomas Linklater sailing his P51. Photo: Supplied.

The P Class ended up being 7 feet long, with a 2-foot 10-inch beam, a Gunter rigged mast of 10 feet and a boom of 7 feet 10 inches. The flat triangular bow and the ¼ inch white pine construction made the boat unique.

When Harry came to Tauranga, he brought the P class plans with him.

Several boats were built and they were originally given the letter “T” for Tauranga.

In 1924, the class was recognised by the Yachting Federation (forerunner to YNZ) as the P Class and in January 1924 the plans and copyright were given to the Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club.

Since then, the TYPBC has administered the P Class with help, for many years, from the Wellington Yachting Association.

The class has now evolved into a plywood hull, with carbon mast and foils, dacron sails and wooden booms. 

The roll call of sailors of this class includes, but is in no way limited to; Jimmy Gilpin, Robbie and Gary Denniston, John Moyes, Greg Palmer, Craig Gilbert, Dave Barnes, Peter Blake, Trevor Cox, Chris Dickson, Russel Coutts, Leslie Egnot, Jon Bilger, Barbara Kendall, Jo Aleh, Paul Snow-Hansen, Erica Dawson, Peter Burling, Jason and Thomas Saunders, Molly and Sam Meech, Blake McGlashan, Oli Stone, Bella Jenkins, Will Leech, William Mason and Nelsen Meacham.

Jimmy Gilpin in 1953 with both trophies he won as a 12-year-old. Photo: Supplied.

Tauranga’s now 85-year-old Jimmy Gilpin was 12 years old when he won both the Interprovincial and Inter Club Trophies, a feat he repeated in the following two years and is the only sailor to have done so.

Tauranga’s next success was by Rob Denniston in 1953, the last contest sailed in wooden plank P Class with a two-piece mast.

The Williams family is also connected to building Plywood P Class and also the first of the fiberglass hulls. Ian Williams won the Tanner Cup in 1967 and is still sailing with the TYPBC today.

Gary Smith in the Tauranga Cup race in 1977 is sailing the first fibreglass P Class with an aluminium mast. Photo: Supplied.

There has been a group of exceptional Tauranga sailors come through from 2005.

Two are Jason and Thomas (Tanner and Tga Cup 2007) Saunders. Jason now sails with the French Americas Cup Team and Thomas is sailing at the ICLA Worlds in Adelaide.

Molly and Sam Meech sailed in Tauranga in their P Class during this time. They are both now Olympians and sailing with Emirates NZ America’s Cup Team.

Peter Burling and his brother Scott also sailed P Class from Tauranga. Petes P Class 942 is sailed by Harry Strang.

Success for Tauranga continued in 2009 with Oscar Rorvik and then the Rippey Brothers, Trent in 2011 and Cole in 2014.

TYPBC member and P Class Measurer for the last 18 years, Gary Smith, says the P Class had a resurgence during Covid as NZers were staying at home and looking for great boats to sail.

Tim Howse sailing his P404. Photo: Supplied.

Gary says this has resulted in the largest number of competitors, at 53, for over 20 years.

“It has been said by many commentators, that once you can sail a P Class you can sail any other boat.”

The Coombes Johnston BMW Centenary Regatta is being held in Tauranga from January 3-9, 2024 at Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat Club, Sulphur Point, Tauranga.

The 84th sailing of the Tanner Cup will be sailed from January 4-5, 2024.

The 80th sailing of the Tauranga Cup will be sailed from January 7-9, 2024.

We are planning on a Centenary Race is being planned for January 6 at 3pm. This will be followed by a “Legends” Dinner on Sunday, January 7, 2024.