Benefactors deliver young sailors' wish list

The days of borrowing boats to compete at inter-school sailing competitions will soon be over for the Waiheke High School sailing team.

Thanks to the generosity of two benefactors, the students will start the New Year with four virtually new 420 class vessels. The purchase comes after Takutai Trust, a private trust committed 10 facilitating Waiheke youth’s path into water sports, and Half Moon Bay Marina together donated around $60,000 to the school’s sea sports academy.

Coach Robin Kenyon says the two-person boats will have been used in just one regatta, the Youth Sailing World Championships to be held in China Dec 2017. Compared to their cost if purchased brand new the deal is “at a heavily discounted price” he says. “We are looking at an end of December delivery and they should be on the water mid-January”.

The donated funds will also cover the cost of fitting new sails, which are not included in the deal, and the purchase of a Sunburst yacht and other equipment.

Combined with two other Sunburst yachts the team hope to continue borrowing from the local Sea Scouts for training. The I5 or so students involved in the school’s academy will be well equipped and should be match-ready when the inter-school regatta season nears its peak next Easter.

The team will continue to train off Oneroa beach on Tuesday evenings from 5pm to 7pm in the lead up to the competitions.

Rob Brennan – Gulf News 9th November 2017