Boating NZ June 2023

A colleague drew my attention to a story in the Guardian. The subject was marine heatwaves in New Zealand. (The QR code on this page provides access to the article.) Not only are marine heatwaves now more severe, but they are also happening more often. So much so, in the last decade we experienced them virtually every single year, with 2021-2022 the worst on record. According to the Guardian article, some parts of New Zealand saw elevated water temperatures for up to 270 days per annum – by as much as four degrees Celcius. Such radical changes to our marine environment have many negative effects. And these have been observed right around New Zealand’s coastline, from little blue penguins and other seabirds washing up dead from starvation on beaches in…

A tricky rotation for the 2022-23 PSP NZ Jetsprint Championship’s final round at the Novus Glass Aquatrack in Wanaka on April 8 challenged the teams as they battled for top honours. The first 10 boats went the wrong way and many others made errors throughout the day, which made the racing even more exciting for the large crowd. There were around 3,500 spectators, who turned up on a chilly Saturday morning and stayed on as it turned into a beautiful hot day. A further 11,000 jetsprint fans tuned in to watch the racing via the livestream. After a couple of big crashes, the organisers were running out of time, so they went from Qual 5 straight into a Top 6 final as the racing needed to finish at 4pm before…

The line-up for the Youth & Women’s America’s Cup has been completed with the announcement that teams from Germany, Sweden and Australia will be joining the established six official entrants for the America’s Cup representing New Zealand, Great Britain, Italy, Switzerland, America and France. They will compete alongside the already confirmed Youth & Women’s America’s Cup teams representing Spain, the Netherlands and Canada. The newly confirmed entrants are: The new teams have started planning and selection trials for both their Youth and Women’s squads, who will compete in Pool B against Spain, the Netherlands and Canada in a scheduled six to nine fleet race series, with all races to count, to determine the top three teams from each Group (A&B) to proceed to the Final Series where…

MIDNIGHT 21 Dear Editor, I am seeking to find out when the Midnight 21 trailer-sailer was first built, more specifically the drop-keel version, unless it is the only version? And wondering if you have any old magazine articles on it I could procure. Malcolm (by email) No old Boating magazine articles on this boat, sorry Malcolm, but perhaps our readers may be able to help? Malcolm can be emailed at crazyfreeman64@yahoo.co.nz ROD HOLDER WITH A DIFFERENCE Dear Editor I’ve designed, fabricated and successfully patented this fishing rod holder in New Zealand. I’ve had a lot of interest despite Covid stalling boating when I first came up with the idea. It enables catching fish easily due to the gimbal pin at the base. You can swing [pivot] the rod back inside…

Following the success of the inaugural Harbour Classic in March-April of this year, the New Zealand Multihull Yacht Club is ecstatic to announce the Harbour Classic will be returning in 2024 bigger and better than before. “We were so thrilled with the line-up of boats in our first year and knew that once people experienced the overall event, it would take off,” says Greer Houston, Commodore of the New Zealand Multihull Yacht Club – organiser of the race. “All boats start on the same start line at the same time! That’s right – you can start your Piedy alongside a 52-foot canting keel racing yacht. An experience in itself!” says Houston. “It might sound daunting, but they have been managing it in Trieste for 50 years, and this is what…

Anura, a proud New Zealand manufacturer of amphibious tech, has reached a new milestone by equipping a total of 21 production craft with state-of-the-art amphibious systems. This achievement makes the range of craft equipped with Anura systems the world’s largest Along with New Zealand, there are craft in Australia, USA, UK, Europe, Africa and further afield fitted with Anura systems. The Auckland-based company has been designing and manufacturing amphibious systems since 2012 and is considered a leader in amphibious technology. A focus on quality and modular design make Anura systems highly regarded. They are designed to work with a wide variety of hull construction materials, providing boat manufacturers with an unmatched, highly versatile amphibious solution. Currently there are two systems in production for standard and smaller craft, including the electric…