The Pirates of the Hauraki Gulf!
Lidgard
House - the Perfect HQ for the NZ Bavaria Regatta
by Jane Pares
Just when you thought it was safe to go sailing on the
Gulf, thirty “pirate ships” converged on Kawau
Island at the weekend, swashbuckling their way to the
annual Bavaria Yacht regatta. The conditions were perfect
with a steady 18 - 25 knots from the ENE, blue sky and
fluffy white clouds.
Racing started on Friday afternoon when fifteen Bavarias
crossed the start line off Orakei and most were up there in
little over three hours. Jolly Rogers flew from backstays
and there was even one well dressed pirate at the helm of
his Bavaria 34. Silver Hawke, a two year old Bavaria 46,
crewed by Keith and Debbie Simpson, had a dream run and was
first over the line off Martello Rock and first on
handicap.
Lidgard House, in Smelting House Bay, was the perfect HQ.
Its recent refurbishment means that it’s
super-comfortable with modernised kitchen (love the
washing-up machine) and very comfy beds! The wekas
appreciate all the improvements too – a dark shadow
shot upstairs while we were eating supper and Duthie found
a weka getting cosy in the big bedroom.
Saturday dawned bright and breezy. Nineteen Bavarias pulled
up their anchors and joined in a figure of eight race round
Motuora, Motutara and the Mayne Islands. The racing was
divided into two divisions – ‘A’, boats
under 40ft and ‘B’ boats over 40ft. Even though
the emphasis was on fun, it was still very competitive with
families racing alongside seasoned competitors. The
conditions couldn’t have been more perfect and boats
flew round the course. Quintin Fowler’s new Vision
44, Blurred Vision, took the gun in A Div, but ceded first
place on handicap to Kharamia, a B44. Winks, a B40, was
first over the line in Div B, but the feisty little B34,
Astralita, sailed by the Reilly family took first place.
Everyone was back at anchor with plenty of time to relax
before the festivities.
Pirate raiding parties once more rowed ashore onto Kawau,
but their intentions were different – they were here
to have a good time, to party and to pick up their booty at
the prize giving! We are very grateful to Boating NZ and
The Floating Dock for kindly donating spot prizes. Safety
at Sea generously gave us a lifejacket which was won by
Tony Norman as the best dressed pirate. It was a tough
call, there were some very impressive costumes, but
Chantelle Reilly (6 yrs) was the judge and her selection
was based on the fact that Tony had made his, as opposed to
hiring it.
The Bavaria Cup for overall regatta winner was shared
between the Campbell’s Kharamia and Rod Carr’s
Seaquel, a B46.
The weekend was enjoyed by over 100 people in their
Bavarias. The Spit Roast Catering Company cooked up a
superb feast and the kids had great fun with a treasure
hunt around the grounds.
Pictures of the 2007 adventure
are here
Next year the regatta will be held over the weekend of 21
– 23 March and “Vikings” will be raiding
the Hauraki Gulf on their Bavarias!