First Tiwal regatta in New Zealand

This weekend, a fleet of 8 Tiwals launched the inaugural Tiwal sailing dinghy regatta in New Zealand. Melinda Henshaw, distributor for Australia and New Zealand, chose Mahurangi Regional Park as the playground. The warm-up race? This consisted of an assembly contest, won by two brothers in 13 minutes. The fleet then set sail with a 24-hour Le Mans-style start to sail around the islands, making a picnic stop on one of the beaches in the park. Melinda signaled the resumption of racing, and the competitors set off from Sullivans Bay towards Saddle Island. They took advantage of a light breeze to reach Scotts Landing. The wind picked up through the afternoon and the competitors set off in a sporty race back towards Sullivans Bay.

The regatta was won by Anna and Zane Gifford. Zane is an accomplished sailor who has won the National Championships in P-Class yachts, Young 88s and Elliot 7s. Second place went to the youngest kids in the race, brothers Boaz and Simeon White of Hamilton. Jocelyn Morgan of Waiheke Island took 3rd place.

Congratulations to everyone who took part!